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| A Jackson-Pollack-esque drizzle of dark chocolate takes the hedonism quotient over the top. |
When it comes to eating – and most things in life, really, I believe in the 80/20 rule. I eat uber-healthily about 80% of the time. Eight to ten servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Whole grains. Healthy oils, in moderation. I eschew animal products. Plus, after some recent health issues, I even macheted caffeine from my diet, and now only enjoy wine on weekends rather than nightly. All this said, when it's time to sin [20%], I want to do it right, hence the creation of this recipe. I made the pictured cake for F-stop's birthday.
The dictionary defines decadence as "unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence," and that's also a good description for this cake: two dense, brownie-inspired layers sandwiched together with vegan Nutella (aka "gianduja"), then iced liberally with a chocolate-espresso frosting, finished with a drizzle of
best-quality melted dark chocolate.
You might actually experience a sugar low just from looking at the picture. The full recipe will appear in the new cookbook, but I've included the
Chocolate-Gravitas Frosting recipe below.
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| Beater-licking good. |
Chocolate-Gravitas Frosting
• 1 stick plus 2 T Earth Balance
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• Up to ½ cup espresso (You can just use coffee or soy milk, but you’ll miss out on the gravitas that comes with espresso)
• ¾ cup cocoa
• Pinch salt
Makes enough for one layer cake or about 18 cupcakes
1. Cream together Earth Balance and cocoa
2. Alternate adding powdered sugar and liquid, about ½ cup at a time. Mix well until spreadable and no lumps remain.
; each piece has little ridges to help the sauce stick to the pasta. The recipe will appear in the new cookbook.
to make the pasta is your best bet. You can find them online or in most gourmet shops. But patient, skilled cooks can also hand-cut noodles from zucchini. It's best to drain the linguine for as long as possible, for at least 8 hours, to help the pesto coat it better.
