Daring Bakers February Challenge - Valentino Cake

If you've never had a flourless chocolate cake, you have to make one and eat it. It is divine!

I was pretty happy to see that our challenge this month only required three ingredients - chocolate, butter and eggs. I figured I couldn't mess it up too much! The Valentino cake came together beautifully, baked with out a hitch and tasted amazing. It is sort of like fudge but not so creamy and it melts in your mouth like butter. It is definitely rich and thin slices will satisfy any chocolate craving.

I topped my cake with plain sweetened whipped cream to let the fabulousness of the cake take centre stage. The Valentino is probably my favourite challenge so far and I can see myself making it again. Yummy!

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Peanut Butter Brownies

When I started baking brownies, I used a boxed mix. The pictures always looked so tempting and delectable I just had to give them a try. I thought there was no way I could mess them up but I did. Batch after batch came out horribly dry and hard even after I switched to homemade. I wondered how someone could make the elusive moist and chewy brownies I desired.

Fast forward to today and I have become better at baking these perennial favourites. This time I have added peanut butter and was rewarded with an awesome brownie. Dense and chocolaty with a peanut butter accent, these brownies are fabulous. The icing complements the bittersweet brownies by adding a little sweetness. They taste great at room temperature and even better straight out of the fridge.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Brownies