Baby Boy is 3! (Dark Chocolate and Coffee Cake)

The love of my life turned 3 yesterday. How could time fly past so quickly? It was like only yesterday that he came out of my womb and suckled furiously at my breast. To think that one day he couldn't walk and then another day he was climbing out of his baby cot...And now he can answer the phone and when you asked him to pass it to you, he would say, "No, I'm not finished (with Papa)!"

We invited the Dugands and the Sommerhalters over for lunch. The Dugands' eldest son is my eldest's best friend. And their youngest used to play twice a week with Baby Boy (before they moved to Kahlsruhe). And Mrs Sommerhalter also happened to be born on the same day as Baby Boy, albeit a few decades earlier :-).

I must say that I am quite pleased with myself for the overall organisation of this meal. I marinated the duck pieces (2 breasts and 2 thighs) the night before and roasted them first thing on Sunday morning. Then I made the Thai Red Curry (yes, Roast Duck in Thai Red Curry and Glutinous Rice!) and cooked the rice. The highlight of the dish was probably the addition of fruits like pineapple, lychees, seedless grapes and cherry tomatoes to the curry. I've also marinated my chicken the day before and therefore just needed to skewer them on the day itself and have them grilled - Chicken Satay! And then I made the peanut sauce. The satay was for the children (though the adults kept eyeing them with the look that said, "Why can't I have some too?").

I left the Rocket Salad with Grapefruit, Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil and Parmesan Cheese to Hubby and was finally left with just the finger food (for the apperitif). I made different types of mini puff pastry canapés (with fillings like foie gras, cream cheese with herbs, grated cheese, chicken in shallot, wine and cream sauce...), the last filling, believe it or not, being leftovers from the children's dinner on Friday.

And before I forget, I've also baked the Birthday Cake(s) the day before and it turned out really well and was gobbled up immediately. I've also made a Rose-flavoured/Egg Agar-Agar using my Bob the Builder silicon mold.







For the alcohol, we started out with a Spanish Cava (Ex. Vite Llopart) and a bottle of Champagne from our wedding (turned out we still have 2 bottles here in Stuttgart). Followed by a Magnum bottle of Bodeaux red wine Mouton Cadet 2003 for the starter and main course, a Chateauneuf du Pape 2001 (very nice bottle) to go with the cheeses (just Camembert, Parmesan and Cheddar) and a bottle of Ste Croix du Mont for the Birthday cake. Ended the day with Nespresso coffee and various liqueurs (I never drink any, so didn't bother to find out which ones).

Baby Boy was really a pro at receiving his Birthday song, blowing his candle and opening his presents. Yet as far as I know, that was the first time that we were really celebrating his Birthday. How's that for smart, intelligent, maybe even genius?

One of the presents (from us) was a Bosch toy chain-saw (that he chose for himself to complement his Bosch Work Station). He gave us quite a laugh going about sawing everybody up into pieces. The men joked about the movie "Texas Chain-saw Massacre", which made me glad that I've never set eyes on the film.

I mentioned Bithday cake(s) because I actually made 2 types of cakes. A tiny Chocolate-Banana-Mascarpone Cake in the form of Mickey Mouse, to be put on top of a much bigger Dark Chocolate and Coffee Cake. The latter I last made 5 years ago after learning the recipe from a Chinese girlfriend in Paris, but the coffee I added in on my own initiative. The second cake was really good and I'll make it again this afternoon for Baby Boy's classmates tomorrow.

Dark Chocolate and Coffee Cake

200g Dark Chocolate
250g Sugar
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
3 Eggs
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essence
125ml Milk
125ml Strong Black Coffee
250g Plain Flour
1 Packet Rising Agent
1/2 Tsp Salt
125ml Vegetable Oil

Melt the chocolate in the microwave oven or in a bain-marie. It might help if you add in a bit of milk before doing so though. Wherever possible, I avoid using Cocoa Powder.

Beat the sugar, cinnamon, eggs and vanilla essence till thick and creamy. Stir in the milk and then the coffee (cooled, of course). Fold in the flour, rising agent (levure) and salt. Lastly, stir in the oil and then pour mixture into a mould. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 190ºC for 35 minutes.

The Mexican and Colombian ladies then entertained us with loud, but very in-tune Spanish songs. Amazing how they could remember all the lyrics so well. In typical French fashion, the guests arrived for lunch and stayed till past dinner time. But everyone had a great time and I hope, most of all, my Baby Boy.