MY BIRTHDAY CAKE

I am a food fanatic, and love cookbooks and cooking magazines.  I subscribe to several cooking magazines (however as this isn't especially eco-friendly, I am a bit ashamed).  One of my favorites being Cooks Illustrated.  I do not subscribe to Cooks Country, however I do get that from the library at each new issue.

As I was reading the latest issue of that magazine, I saw a recipe for a cake that not only looked good, but seemed magical as well. (Now I do believe that there is something essentially magical in all phases of food...but magical in the sense of holy.  This was magical in the sense mystery and abracadabra.)  After reading that recipe, (Magic Chocolate Flan Cake) I decided I'd like to make my own birthday cake this year (that was yesterday) and that this was the cake I'd like to make.

Read on and you will see what I mean.

Start with a bundt pan that you are sure holds 12 cups.  Warm up some caramel sauce, preferably homemade, and place 1/2 cup in the well greased pan.

In a small bowl put 1/2 c. plus 2 tbs. flour, 1/3 c. cocoa, 1/2 tsp. baking soda and a pinch of salt.  Whisk until mixed and set aside.

In another bowl whisk 1/2 c. buttermilk, 1/2 c. sugar, 2 large eggs, and 1 tsp. vanilla, and set aside.

Place 6 tbs. of unsalted butter in a medium pan, add 4 oz. of bittersweet chocolate, and gently heat until melted, let cool slightly then whisk the buttermilk mixture into this melted chocolate mixture.

Stir in the flour mixture, and pour this batter over the caramel in the bundt pan.

And now for the Flan part of this recipe....

Place 2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk, 2 1/2 c. whole milk, 6 oz. cream cheese, 6 large eggs, and 4 large yolks and 1 tsp. vanilla in a blender and process until smooth.

Gently pour this over the cake batter in the bundt pan and cover the pan tightly with tin foil.  

Place the pan in a large roaster, fill it with water to about half way, and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 1/2-2 hours.  Check by inserting a tooth pick, which should come out with a few crumbs sticking to it.

Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes.  Remove the tin foil and let cool for one hour.  Invert on a plate....

and here is this lovely cake.....and for the magic, well, mysteriously, though I am sure it is scientifically explainable, during the baking, the chocolate cake and the flan magically trade places.  Remember, caramel sauce, chocolate cake, and then flan went into the pan, so when inverted it should be caramel, chocolate cake and flan, but as you can see, the flan is now directly beneath the caramel sauce... intriguing isn't it?

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before cutting.

(This cake weighed in at 7 #s.)

This definitely is a rich cake, but we managed to each have two pieces. 

It is kind of simple looking, but it is surely one of the most delicious cakes I have ever eaten!!!  The chocolate is dense and moist, the flan is quite heavenly, and the caramel sauce a great topping.  

This isn't an everyday cake, and it is expensive to make, but it is well worth the work...as we all can attest to directly after the first aromatic mouthful.