A Cake that Wears Many Hats

Have you ever wanted a cake that could be a round-the-clock enjoyment? An elegant dessert, a midday snack, or even a late night nosh? There’s no “rule” that cakes can only be enjoyed at certain times of day, yet there are few that can satiate those random cravings. Enter this beauty – a Chocolate Soufflé Brownie Cake. You can enjoy it chilled with a berry coulis, microwaved and served with ice cream, or even just as is with your hands! What more can you ask of a cake…or brownie…or whatever it is.The reason you can say I’m slightly confused about this cake’s “category” is because it has all the components of a soufflé, and yet still manages to taste just like a brownie. The brownie element comes from the melted chocolate, to which the egg yolks and flour are stirred in by hand. This creates a smooth, rich texture of chocolatey goodness. Most “authentic” brownie recipes are made this way, and often use a really good chocolate (and I used Ghiradelli for this cake).The soufflé element comes from the separation of the eggs. The yolks, as mentioned above, are added per usual, yet the white are whipped to a frothy perfection on the side. By whipping the whites separately from the rest of the batter, the cake’s texture is leavened substantially. This cake, in a way, gets the best of both worlds thanks to these separate but wonderful elements. Click HERE to make this versatile dessert today! In thinking about a composer that could also “wear many hats,” there was one name that I was shocked to discover has yet to be on my blog: Mozart. He was an extremely prolific composer whose list of repertoire is nearly endless: operas, sonatas, symphonies, vocal works, concertos, numerous chamber settings (the list goes on). Though his life was tragically cut short, he managed to produce a wealth of musical genius that influenced countless generations. Le Nozze di Figarois arguably one of his most renowned operas, and I have chosen the beautiful aria “Porgi, amor” for this pairing. In this scene, the Countess laments her husband’s alleged duplicity with her maid Susanna (even though such is not the case). This recording, from the 1980 Paris Opéra production (thanks Tim Wilfong for helping me find this!) features the extremely talented Gundula Janowitz as the Countess – enjoy!