Hungry Like the Wolf

For Valentine's Day, L planned a whole day of activities for me on Sunday.  I planned a "special" meal (which just means a slightly fancier meal than what I'd normally cook on a week night) for Monday night.  For our V-day dessert, I decided to make this cake:

Because why not?  I can't remember the last time I made a cake, and I'm pretty sure I've never made a full-blown cake entirely from scratch.  Oh, and that's not actually my cake (photo is courtesy of SouthernLiving.com).  Mine looks pretty similar, just no chocolate curls and shavings on top.  I stopped at ganache.  Every day this week I've had a small slice after dinner and I've taken even smaller slices to work for a little sweet bite after my lunch.  It's a rich cake, so a little goes a long way.  Based on the sizes of the slices L's cut himself and the speed with which he's consumed them, he clearly hates it. 

L had to go to Charlottesville for work yesterday and he called me tonight on his way back into town.  Prior to his departure, there was about 2/3 of the cake left (it's a 9").  He told me he and his co-worker were going to pick up food on the drive home, but then asked me if there was any cake left.  I know I like cake and I know I enjoy chocolate, but seriously???  How would one normal girl with a very normal appetite eat TWO-THIRDS OF A 3-LAYER CAKE IN 24 HOURS???

And that's what I asked L, which made him laugh, which made his co-worker wonder what was so funny about cake.  Apparently he was really just wondering if the cake was still good or if I'd thrown it out.  And now he knows to put more clarity around questions like that, because a wife doesn't want to feel as though her husband views her as the proverbial fluffy kid eating cake with icing smeared all over his or her face.

But seriously, this cake is really, really good.  Just don't think about what's going into it while you're making it and eat it sparingly once it's ready to be eaten.  Definitely worth the time and effort.