Chocolate Cloud Cake

[nlbarber]

The birthday cake came out well--maybe not quite as dramatic as intended (I think I overbaked it slightly so the middle didn't fall as much as the recipe seems to indicate) but wonderful eating nonetheless. I used the optional Grand Marnier and grated orange rind, but if I do it again I think I'll try it without, or perhaps just with cognac as a flavoring. The orange is just a little too much there.

I also used only 2/3 of the whipped cream called for, in the interests of saving a few calories without a great sacrifice. Not that I can't eat gobs of whipped cream, you understand, but I can also cut back on it without feeling horribly deprived. And as you can see on a picture of a slice of cake, there was still quite a cloud of cream.

The cake is being guarded by my forest dragon bowl, made by my cousin Hat and given to me when we visited last month. I haven't decided if the bowl will live in the kitchen permanently, but for the moment it's providing a wonderful decorative touch to the back counter.