Tonight, I baked.

I am not a photographer.

I don't remember the first time I tried my Granddad's Black Walnut Chocolate Cake, but I know that it was my favorite dessert growing up; I requested it every year as my birthday cake.  Well, this week, the ladies at work and I are bringing our favorite childhood dishes for our monthly potluck, and I decided to try making the cake myself.
I have never made this cake before, and I, of the limited free time, was a bit nervous about trying it, since I wouldn't have the time or ingredients to make it again if I failed.
I didn't fail, and it was delicious.

So, here it is, the recipe. I know the picture does not make this look appetizing, but whatever. Trust me on this one.

Ingredients:
3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
4 ounces (1/2 c.) black walnuts
2 c. sugar
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sour cream, room temperature
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

As you may have noticed, this is a very decadent recipe. Especially because you don't use frosting. Nope. Hard sauce - the recipe for which will be found after these instructions.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  You'll want the oven rack in the middle so everything cooks evenly.
2. Butter and flour a baking pan. You can use a bundt pan or an angel food pan for best results, although I used 2 bread pans to make division and transport easier, and they turned out fine.
3. Melt chocolate carefully, avoiding any moisture.  For really great instructions on doing this, go here.
4. Pulverize black walnuts and 1/2 c. of sugar in a food processor or blender and set aside. (Josh wanted to try the black walnuts on their own. I warned him. Ha. That didn't end well. In case anyone is wondering, they smell terrible and taste pretty weird.)
5. Cream softened butter and the rest of the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
6. Mix baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
7. Add walnut-sugar mixture and baking powder mixture to the creamed butter mixture.  Lots of mixtures, but its better this way.
8. One by one, add each egg and mix thoroughly, beating for about 30 seconds between each egg.
9. Stir in vanilla and chocolate gently until evenly dispersed.
10.  Fold in flour by sprinkling rapidly into the batter.  (I assume this folding and stirring helps keep the fluffiness of the earlier smorgasbord of mixtures but my instructions don't say anything about this.  Maybe real cooks have the answers?)
11. "Turn" batter into pan (or pour, which is what I did), and back for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes. (I checked my cakes every few minutes after that first hour to make sure they didn't burn.)
12. "Place a foil covered cardboard donut or paper plate with a hole for the tube on top of the cake before inverting to remove.  This will prevent the cake from breaking from its weight and tenderness."  I left mine in the bread pans until they were cool enough to remove because I didn't have a "cardboard donut".  This also worked.
13. Serve warm with HARD SAUCE.

Hard Sauce
Ingredients:
3 egg, separated
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. salt

This sauce is the key to this cake.
Beat the egg yokes until light and gradually add powdered sugar.  Add cream and beat until it mounds softly.  Fold into yoke mixture.  Whip whites with salt until stiff but not dry.  Fold into cream mixture.

After Josh's unfortunate incident with the black walnuts, he was a little leery to try the cake, but, surprise, I convinced him, and he said it was amazing.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, which is good because there will be plenty to eat over the next few days.  And maybe I will once again earn the title of the "dessert queen" at work. Here's hoping. Happy baking.