Daily

My chocolate birthday

The man came to dinner, where we were three women, with our arms full of bouquets of roses. He gave one a red one, the other a white one, and me a pink bouquet. And something happened to me: I spoke more quietly, my face was inconspicuous (in the end, noticeable) and I was proud. Why didn't I realize then that pink has miraculous powers: to turn a woman into a woman, a mother into a mother, a scared single girl into a cheerful young lady. I know it now. I know... I'm pink. And it's my birthday.

And on my birthday, for the first time in forty-two years, I put on my new pink apron early in the morning. My, in my opinion, beautiful apron, just pulled over my head.

I hid myself inside it and the miracle came like that time with the pug: I wanted to laugh, or at least smile, caress, sing and cook, bake, decorate, see how others liked it. And they praised me... that's not every day.

It's the pink color that I somehow pulled out of the closet and now I've put back on my apron. It was sent to me by the stars, spring, or the joy of being born a woman... I'm still amazed by it and I'm slipping into pathos or perhaps inexplicable events, but it happened.

Pink didn't bother me at all when I started unpacking tons of chocolate for my birthday cake, which could only be thick chocolate. I didn't even take off my new pink apron while carrying the cake, like I do with other aprons at home when I go to the table after cooking.

My great-grandmother used to change her aprons: she had all sorts of ordinary ones for cooking, and she tied a white, embroidered apron for serving – about once a year. I have her holiday one hidden in an old cupboard at the cottage, and a whole collection of aprons to go with it. There are a few men's ones, but no man in our family has ever worn an apron. At most, she tucks a tea towel behind her waist. And I'm happy.

The man in the apron is a professional chef and I can't tell anything about his masculinity through the apron. The man in the pink apron is not a man. He really isn't. The pink apron is feminine. Totally, tenderly, sweetly. uniquely feminine. After my birthday, I went to bed in it. So that the miracle would stay with me even after my birthday night.

Chocolate cake

Just the thought of chocolate, let alone a chocolate cake, sends me into ecstasy. And then I bake it, decorate it, and feel like Michelangelo when he painted the almost-touching hands in the Sistine Chapel. And then I bite into the cake… it’s incredible!

8 servings / Preparation 10 min / Baking 30–35 min

butter and plain flour for greasing and lining the cake tin
350 g plain flour
350 g caster sugar
150 g of good quality cocoa
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
375 ml buttermilk
375 ml warm water
110 ml vegetable oil
Filling
400 g good-quality milk chocolate, melted
250 g sour cream

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease three 20-centimeter cake tins with butter and sprinkle with plain flour.
2. In a food processor, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt on low speed. Add the eggs, buttermilk, water, and oil, and mix again on medium speed until smooth.
3. Divide the batter into 3 cake tins and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool slightly, then remove the cakes from the tins and let cool completely.
4. In the meantime, I prepare the cream for the filling. In a bowl, I carefully mix the melted chocolate with sour cream. I put the resulting cream in the refrigerator to cool for ten minutes. And then I use it to beautifully decorate the cake.

Chocolate meringues with chocolate

They are delicate and beautiful. Like a little girl who has just been born. And that's how we treated those giant meringues: we ate them carefully, slowly, with love.

5–6 meringues / Preparation 25 minutes / Baking 70 minutes / Cooling 15 minutes

Meringue
6 large egg whites, room temperature
a pinch of salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons of good quality cocoa
320 g caster sugar
Chocolate icing
40 g of good quality cocoa
100 ml of water
50 g sugar
40 g corn syrup
20 g good-quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 whipping cream for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. In a large glass bowl, beat the egg whites with salt. Start at low speed and gradually increase the speed. Keep the whisk upright. Once the egg whites are foamy, gradually add the starch and sugar, spoon by spoon. Beat for 10–15 minutes until stiff, shiny peaks form. Carefully stir in the cocoa until a “chocolate swirl” forms.
2. Using two spoons, I make meringues on the baking paper. They should be 10-12 centimeters in diameter and 6 centimeters high. Then I circle each meringues with a spoon and create a nice pointed top on top. I dust each meringues with a little cocoa and carefully create a few more “swirls” with a small fork.
3. I bake them for an hour and 10 minutes, then turn off the oven, slightly open the oven door, and let the meringues cool in the oven for another 15 minutes.
4. For the chocolate icing, combine the cocoa, water, sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate melts. Let the icing sit at room temperature for an hour before serving.
5. Serve the meringues decorated with whipped cream and topped with chocolate icing.

Chocolate ice cream

The frosty sweet spot behind the birthday sweets was a hit with everyone. It settled us down "temperature-wise" and we ate it with tiny spoons to feel the velvety taste for as long as possible.

6 servings / Preparation: 30 minutes + making ice cream in an ice cream maker

100 g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces
300 ml whole milk
85 g caster sugar
3 egg yolks from domestic or organic eggs
300 ml whipping cream

1. Place the chocolate chips and milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat slowly over low heat, stirring until the chocolate melts, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
2. Beat the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy, carefully stir in the cooled "chocolate milk" and strain everything through a colander back into the saucepan.
3. Slowly heat the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Do not boil, as it may curdle. Pour into a bowl and let cool, stirring occasionally.
4. Whip the cream and carefully fold it into the cooled chocolate mixture. Pour it into the ice cream maker and let it churn according to the instructions.

Boundless joy and happiness. Everything is done and I would love to eat it all myself. And I think I will.

COOKBOOKS

My chocolate birthday

Chocolate cake

Chocolate meringues with chocolate

Chocolate ice cream

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