Cake against the odds

Why are my shoes up by that cake? Well, for one thing I intend to eat that whole cake myself so I can put my feet wherever I want.

Why such an air of satisfaction? Because I formed that wee little cake out of mere scraps and two different recipes - neither of which I had the ingredients for.

And you know what? I was proud. And pretty dang satisfied.

So I got out my sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, eggs, mascarpone - because I didn't have yogurt or sour cream or anything anything else called for and what on earth can't be improved with cheese? - and the dreggs of my morning coffee - because I didn't have espresso... whatever and the whole "mocha" thing sounded great! I also grabbed some chocolate chips for good measure.

I slapped on my last-option apron, the one my friend Lisa left me when she moved to China.

The one with the too-short strings in the back that make me feel a little claustrophobic.

Ah... Paris.

I have no mixer so I took out my wooden spoon and I mixed and I mixed until the mascarpone was only pretty lumpy, as opposed to really lumpy.

The batter tasted like delicious pudding and it was all I could do to put it in the oven in the first place.

But I did and I wasn't disappointed, and by the next day, with the help of Tom and Lane (because I did share afterall... sorry about the shoes guys) the cake was gone.

Another day, another adventure in the kitchen of Dinah Claire: novice with a knack.