Hello Sweet Ones,

I hope this letter finds you well. I have a wonderful recipe for you, along with a little personal note on Mother’s day…..

PRUNE WHISKEY CHOCOALATE CAKE BETTER.jpg

As Mother's day is approaching I couldn't help but think about what I am going to be making. Some may say that it's silly as "I should be taking the day off", but I wouldn't in a million years dream of that. I'm just too passionate about cooking food.

Mother's day can be tricky for some. Do any of you feel that way?

In some instances there are complicated Mothering dynamics, as well as many fruitful relationships out there. Honestly, I always found the holiday quite dreadful. I mean really dreadful. As I am one of those people with complicated dynamics.

A few years ago I was expressing this to my therapist, who then shared some fantastic advice and said "why don't you turn the Mother's day experience into something new?" I became inquisitive, and asked her what she meant, she responded with " instead of holding the heaviness of Mother's day, you can mourn the loss of the actual relationship with your own mother, and then vow to turn your mothering into the relationship you want with your own children". A sense of control was taken back in that moment. Approaching such a complicated holiday with the simple act of choice, a choice to turn the day in who you want to be as a Mother, felt freeing. Although, so simple, and still complicated at times, since then I have approached this day with new gumption and excitement. One of those ways is through cooking and celebrating our family and all the mothers who played a part in my growth as an adult. For that I am truly grateful.

One of my favorite cakes I have been making on repeat for every special occasion this past year, is this Chocolate, Prune, and Whiskey Cake.( originally from the violet bakery cookbook by Claire Ptak) This cake is delicate in every way possible, don't be intimidated. Claire taught me the art of underbaking, and under mixing too which gives the cake its gooey texture. And I have learned the lesson not to let the prunes soak in the whisky for more than 12 hours, as the whisky becomes too boozy! I also suggested a smooth vanilla scotch for the whiskey as you don't want the whisky to be overpowering in the cake. You could also replace it with a rum as well. It's also naturally gluten free, you really don't even have to tell anyone until after they eat it. Most important, don't skip on the whipping cream, as it really shines as a duo to the cake.

Now let's get baking, thank you for listening friends, I hope you all have a fantastic Mother's day.

PS I'd love to hear from you all, if you make the cake or need help troubleshooting simply send a message on instagram or an email!

xo Nicole

CHOCOLATE, PRUNE AND WHISKEY CAKE recipe makes 1 9in cake serves 5-9

cooks note: If you can get a hold of a kitchen scale I highly recommend using this and all other baked recipes. If not, no worries. And READ the DIRECTIONS all the way through before cooking.

Ingredients :

125g (4 ½ ounces) pitted prunes, roughly chopped
40g ( 3 tablespoons ) Irish Whiskey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
240g (8 ½ ounces ) of dark chocolate roughly chopped into eighths
( 70% cocoa solids + good quality like guittard )
200g ( ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons ) cubed salted grass fed butter, plus more for greasing the pan
5 eggs separated
100g (½ cup sugar)
150g (1 ⅓ cups) ground almonds ( also known as almond meal or flour)
Whipped cream for serving ( homemade or store bought will do)

Directions:

The night before you make the cake, soak the prunes, whiskey, and vanilla in an airtight container in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 160c/325 F convection bake. Butter a 8 to 9-inch round cake pan and line with baking paper.
Put the dark chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl placed over a pan of barely simmering water. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl or it will ruin the chocolate. Stir occasionally to emulsify the butter and chocolate. Once the chocolate has melted take the pan off the heat to slightly cool, be sure to keep away from any drafts.
Put the whites and yolks into two seperate bowls and, starting with the yolks, add half of the sugar and whisk to thicken. ( I use a stand mixer, but feel free to do it by hand) Fold the thickened yolk into the melted chocolate, and set aside. Add the prunes, and almonds to the chocolate mixture. separate
Beat the egg whites with the remaining sugar until soft peaks form. Gently fold them into the chocolate mixture just until incorporated. Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. The cake will be slightly soft in the middle, so resist the urge to overbake or that gooeyness will be lost.

I like to let it cool for 15 min, then serve it warm with whipped cream and coffee.

Enjoy!