Enjoyable Tears

Recently, I have been reading Molly Wizenbergs book, A Homemade Life. She is a wonderful writer of stories and recipes. I could gush, for quite some time about her, but instead, I will go and make a chocolate cake, after only gushing about her for a little while.


Today, I read a chapter of her book called Winning Hearts and Minds, and it's about cake...sort of. I cried, read it again, and repeated the process about 10 times. By the time I showed up to work, my eyes were red rimmed, for sure. After work, I read it again. At the bus stop, I read it again. My eyes have been dry lately, which is more sad to me than having them be teary. When I cry, I don't cry hard, and so I am always refreshed by it. Today especially. These tears were the enjoyable sort.


Anyway, here's my favorite part of the chapter:
"The day after Brandon's first visit to Seattle, which now seems like pleasantly ancient history, I sent Kate an e-mail.
    "He was amazing," I gushed. "So sweet. So funny. I drove him to the airport this morning and cried all the way home. I think this might be the best thing that's ever happened to me. And the hardest."
     "I'm so excited for you," she gushed in reply. "You've been taking this on with your whole heart and that oversized mind of yours. Don't stop now. This is the bread and butter! This is what it's all about.""


(This is the part where I start tearing up, by the way.)


      "I burst into tears when I read that. I've never forgotten it. When I was making our wedding cakes, all those hours at the oven, all that stirring and baking, I kept saying it. This is the bread and butter. This is what it's all about.
      It's going to sound silly, I know, but I think that what it all comes down to is winning hearts and minds, underneath everything else, all the plans and goals and hopes, that's why we get up in the morning, why we believe, why we try, why we bake chocolate cakes. That's the best we can ever hope to do: to win hearts and minds, to love and be loved."


Beautiful, isn't it? Beautiful enough for sappy me to read 15 or so times. I'm making this cake tonight, to eat after a dinner of Udon noodle soup and shrimp with ginger sauce, and here is the recipe for it. I should make it before I share the recipe, but I know it's going to be amazing. Molly Wizenberg's recipes are always fail proof. I'll eat this cake, and listen to John Foreman, and possibly cry for no good reason, and be happy as I fall asleep, I know it.


The Winning Hearts and Minds Cake
OR
Fondant Au Chocolat (melting chocolate cake)

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 3/4 sticks (7 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes.
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 375ºF, and butter an 8" round cake pan. Line the botom of the pan with a round of parchment paper, and butter the paper, too.
Put the chocolate and butter in the microwave, and melt in 30 second intervals. Add the sugar, stirring to incorporate. Let the batter cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, stirring well after each addition. Add the flour and stir to mix well. The batter should be dark and silky.
Pour the batter into the pan, and bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is lightly crackled, the edges are puffed, and the center of the cake looks set.
Remove from the oven, to a cooling rack, let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Turn it out of the pan and then flip it onto a serving plate by placing a sheet of foil over the pan, and placing a plate over that. Flip the cake onto the plate. Place the serving plate on top of the cake, gently. Wedge your index fingers between the plates to keep from squishing the cake, and flip the plates so the cake is now right side up. Remove the foil. Cool completely before serving.