Chocolate Cake and Quiet Birthdays

Birthdays are usually time you spend with your family and friends, celebrating but also, and especially after you turn thirty, you tend to think more about your life, what you have done, where you are, what you still want to do.....we tend to celebrate less and less, focus on our kids and forget what it is that really makes us happy. It is not the people around, it is not the things we have....it is our own internal peace that makes everything worthwhile. And if you can eat a slice of your own cake, happy, this is what really matters. 

These are some of my favourite quotes that help me in difficult moments, even on a birthday that I chose not to celebrate but somehow hoped there will be a big surprise party happening. 

On my birthday I like to indulge myself in being lazy and not thinking I should not be spending any money or should not be eating too much chocolate cake, because when will I lose those extra pregnancy kilograms.......On my birthday, and few days before and after ;)

On this day you can even have chocolate cake for breakfast if you wish and forget your credit card debt if you have any or that mortgage you are going to pay for a while now.... get out and buy yourself something nice.  For me being lazy does not mean I do not cook. Cooking is one of my favorite things to do (if you have not guessed it yet), so on my birthday, because I did have some extra time, I decided to bake a birthday cake.

We would usually order it before but not this time I said. I had a recipe and I have been waiting for an excuse to try it. This recipe comes from one of my favourite food blogs- What Katie Ate, but I did modify it a bit. Next time I would make double the amount of the chocolate buttercream and use more cocoa in the cake batter. However, from this recipe you get a cake that is not going to make you think - oh my god, I ate so much I am going to die. This cake is light and I only used dark chocolate, which is much better for you anyways. I love the hints of baileys and the crunch from the hazelnuts as well as the meringue. What are you waiting for- bake this cake! You do not need to wait for an excuse to bake it, just look outside, it is 6pm and so dark already- you need something that will make everyone happy :)

Chocolate Meringue Cake with Baileys

For the cake

300g unsalted butter

300g sugar

6 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp Baileys

3 cups plain flour

2 tbsp baking powder

4 tbsp cocoa powder 4 tsp instant coffee or half a cup strong espresso

Beat butter with sugar until fluffy and creamy, add eggs and baileys. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients and add slowly to the butter mixture until well incorporated. Dissolve instant coffee in 1/2 cup of hot water and add to the batter. Grease and line 3 x 20.5cm (8”) spring-form baking tins. Divide the batter and bake in 180C-350F oven for 40 min or until a skewer comes out clean.

For the chocolate buttercream

250g unsalted butter, softened

3 tbsp icing (confectioners) sugar

2 tbsp milk

125g chocolate

2 tbsp Baileys

Now that your cake is baking you have some time to make the buttercream. Beat the butter with sugar adding milk, melted chocolate and baileys. Refrigerate until ready to use. Make sure not to keep it in the fridge for too long because it might become too thick to spread it on the cake.  

For the chocolate hazelnut meringue layer

100g chocolate- melted

1 tbsp Baileys

60g cooked meringue- store bought or homemade  

1 cup roasted hazelnuts

Simply put all the ingredients in food processor and crush until a bit chunky, and not too smooth.

For the chocolate ganache

250g chocolate

1 cup cream

2 tbsp milk

Melt chocolate in a bowl over boiling water. Add cream and milk. Whisk until smooth. Put aside.

Now time to assemble the cake. Spread a generous amount of buttercream on top of the first cake and sprinkle with the meringue mixture. Repeat with the second layer. Top with the third one and spread the rest of the buttercream on the whole cake. Refrigerate for 15 min and cover with the ganache. You can sprinkle with hazelnuts if desired. Enjoy it with a side of cold, fresh milk.

Delicious!!!!!