Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Happy Birthday, Nicol!

Recipe
Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake

While I haven't been intending to neglect my blog lately, the truth is, I haven't had much in the way of amazing new recipes to report on. I've produced quite a few dishes that have been "just okay," but not worthy of being repeated or blogged, and I've been making a lot of our summer favorites to wrap up the season - which has been great for us to have so many repeat meals we love - but not so great for Cooking in Cathedral Hill, as I've already shared all of our summer favorites with you! Until I get back in the groove of discovering new, blog-worthy recipes, here's one that bears repeating, because it a) is absolutely fantastic and b) it gives me the opportunity to sing the praises of someone I think is really wonderful.

Nicol is one of my blog's most avid readers (one of the many things I love about her), so when it was time for her to choose a birthday treat, she picked something right out of Cooking in Cathedral Hill - Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake! Now, I've talked about how amazing this cake is once before, but I'll briefly highlight again: this cake is really a crowd-pleaser. Insanely decadent and gorgeous presentation, this is the definitive German chocolate cake in my book - I'll probably never make another recipe. The photo above is what the cake looks like before it's glazed - you can see all the wonderful, gooey filling inside. The photo below is the finished, glazed cake. It's a bit of work to put together, but that makes it all the more perfect for special occasions like birthdays and holidays. Or an Oktoberfest celebration, if you're looking for a good excuse to try this soon! I'm planning to make one for Dariush's mother's annual Oktoberfest celebration next month.

Nicol is our "jack of all trades" at the center - she cooks, she shops, she helps out in classrooms, she answers phones, and she's so in tune with the needs of the center that she almost always has a new idea up her sleeve for rearranging a classroom or fixing a tough spot on the staff schedule. She's also turned out to be a wonderful friend: in the last year, I've happily discovered that we share a lot of common interests - from books to politics to the way we see the world - and she's picked me up from a bad day more times than I can count. She's also responsible for most of the gorgeous birthday treat photos on the blog - she's much more skilled with a camera than I am! Other random things she's good at: making pizza, recapping Lost episodes, quitting smoking, and telling it like it is to anyone who will listen. Happy birthday, Nicol - you're the best!


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I normally don't appreciate German Chocolate cake, but this one is an exception. It is fabulous!

Elisabeth said...

Anna, I'm with you - I honestly didn't think I liked German Chocolate cake at all until I tried this one. It is really good!

Anonymous said...

I made this for my hubby's b'day this summer and the filling is possibly my favorite food on earth. I thought the ganache put this cake over the top. It was actually too much for me. My husband absolutely loved it all, so I'm sure I'll be making this again.

Elisabeth said...

Sue, it is really rich, isn't it? I can never eat more than a few bites in one sitting. The filling is my favorite part, too. :)