My mother traveled to North Carolina this weekend to celebrate her birthday on Mendenhall Street. We celebrated on the eve of her big 6-1 with my dear friend Andy, who happens to cry tears of joy at the sound of Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon. My mom prepared the Beef Bourguignon and I made an adaptation of Sara Foster’s Chocolate Souffle Cake. I was almost too full to enjoy the cake after devouring two servings of Bourguignon but I pulled through for the celebration. This cake isnt exactly what you think when you hear “souffle” but it was light as one and delicious. Try it for your next gathering.

We spent the remainder of the weekend doing a seriously deep clean of my kitchen and some picking up of my developing backyard. I was too embarrassed to take a “before” photo of my fridge, so you don’t get an “after.” Just know that it had seriously shocked some guests in the past. The kitchen feels like new and I spent Sunday evening preparing a delicious meal to last me through the week.

In the end, my mom gave much more than she gained… but I guess that’s what mothers do. And I am seriously grateful.

Chocolate Souffle Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• dusting of sugar
• 8 ounces chocolate
• 2 tablespoons coffee
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 large eggs, separated

Assembly: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan and dust with sugar. In a small pot, melt together the chocolate and butter on low heat, stirring frequently. Allow to cool. Separate the eggs and beat the yolks into thick ribbons. Then beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Combine the cooled butter/chocolate mixture with the egg yolks and then gently fold in the egg whites. Fold these into the mixture in thirds to avoid over mixing. Add to the pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The edges of the cake should be set and the middle still soft.