Flourless chocolate-chestnut cream cake

I started sitting down to write this post right after I just ate the last piece of this cake. I think the overriding thought I have is that a little dessert - a little something sweet - just makes the day a bit better.

So since it's February and Valentine's day is circled in red on the calendar, and more importantly, because chocolate is a beautiful part of my everyday life that I wouldn't want to live without, let's make and savor another chocolate cake and make life just a touch sweeter.

At this point, I think I've established the basis of my favorite things so this is going to sound familiar.  This small 6-inch cake is essentially a flourless chocolate cake (a cake we adore that I most recently made a couple of weeks ago after realizing I'd neglected it for too long), with the addition of chestnut cream.  

The chestnut cream lends extra moisture and adds a sweet nuttiness that I love.  It makes the cake a bit heftier or denser compared to a regular flourless chocolate cake, in a wonderful way by giving it a satisfying mouthfeel.  The texture is very smooth and velvety, with a creaminess that has substance to it. 

I know I like to find all sorts of ways to bake with chocolate and chestnut cream and, in fact, I made a very similar torte two Christmases ago using a recipe that started with chestnut puree (something I accidentally bought and wasn't at first sure what to do with) rather than chestnut cream.  This cake, using chestnut cream, is even easier to make!  And since I have plenty of chestnut cream on hand, this little cake will not be a stranger in my house.  In fact, I may not divide the recipe in half next time to make just a 6-inch version; it's definitely special enough for a dinner party.

Banana walnut cake

Halloween has arrived!  The weather is calm and for that, I am very grateful. I'm off to start a busy day but I leave you with this...have a fun day!

This cake is pretty much a no-brainer.  By that, I mean if you like baked goods with bananas and the flavors of toasted walnuts and a hint of spice, there's a very good chance you'll like this.  It's a great everyday kind of cake to make with that extra ripe banana you may have around the house.

I substituted walnuts for the pecans in the original recipe.  I'm not a huge fan of pecans but I love toasted walnuts in banana muffins and in baked goods, in general.  And for once, I didn't have to divide the recipe in half to make a smaller, 6-inch, cake because the recipe was actually written this way!  

The texture of this banana cake is lighter than typical banana bread but maybe slightly firmer than a muffin.  It has a hint of cinnamon and cloves, along with dark brown sugar to create a nice warm mix of flavors that go really well with some toasted nuts.  Tasting this cake and the way the flavor of the toasted walnuts pop, I'm reminded of the magic of toasting nuts.  I can't believe I ever used raw nuts for baking in the past because the extra flavor you get from toasting them is amazing and well worth the effort.