Portfolio: Chocolate Almond Cake

Ever since I can remember, my dad has always baked his own chocolate cake for his birthday, since he has never tasted one from a bakery that he loved. I got two things from my dad: my love of chocolate and my love of baking. Out of my parents, I'd say my dad is definitely the better cook, but only by a little. I think my mom can whip up some pretty good stuff, but I don't think she enjoys it nearly as much as my dad and I do. If we were to ever run a restaurant, my mom and husband would be in charge of marketing and bartending/waiting, while my dad and I would be in the kitchen. But I digress...

Since I have honed my skills and finally created a chocolate cake recipe that knocked the socks off my pop, I told him he could take a break from the kitchen this year (although he insisted on doing his own BBQ and since I'm not one to come between a man and his pit, I'll let him). Chocolate and almonds and chili go together really nicely. The cake is chocolate with some cinnamon and ancho chile powder thrown in for a little warmth on the back end. It is covered in chocolate ganache and I covered the sides in slivered almonds for some additional texture.

Overall, my dad was very impressed and my mom more so. The cakes my dad always made were VERY rich (you'd take one bite and you were done!), so this was a nice departure from that. It also stayed incredibly moist. It was simple and elegant and downright tasty. Here is a picture of the birthday boy enjoying himself some cake:

Happy Birthday, Pop!

Love,

Kelly