I had intended to make some red-white-and-blue mini fruit tarts (what would have been a new endeavor for me) to mark the fourth of July holiday. But with the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks and keeping busy with my little one now that school is out, that exciting project had to be deferred. In its place, I decided to make a little birthday cake to celebrate our nation's birthday if you will. Yes, I admit I'm always looking for an excuse to make a cake. This relatively simple one-layer cake is chocolate, of course. The recipe for the cake batter is the same one I used for my very first post on chocolate cupcakes. I think it's fun to use one recipe but mix it up between cupcakes and a traditional cake. Chocolate ganache frosting is my absolute favorite frosting and I'm using it again here. I think "ganache" may be one of my all-time favorite words because it conjures up that incredible taste and texture for me. It's amazing what chocolate and cream can become together.
On Independence Day, I think a little about my life here in the States. Not having been born here, I occasionally wonder what my life would have been like had our family stayed in Hong Kong, where I'm from. No doubt, that life would've been vastly different from the one I'm living now and there's really no way to know just how. It's interesting to think about all the forks in the road during our lives and how one turn, one decision, can lead to an extremely different path and outcome. All I know for sure is I'm glad to be where I am and couldn't imagine or want my life any other way.
