I made three cakes this weekend and they were all complete failures. I was kind of heart broken about it, mainly because of how much time I put into each one, but I've come to the conclusion that it literally doesn't matter. Like, at all. I enjoyed baking them, I was trying new things, I learned from my mistakes, and ohmygod it is just cake. I don't think I would have been nearly as upset if it weren't for there being weird time constraints that keep me from baking whenever I please. (Read: I hate school. so. so. much.) But you guys already knew that. I'm at this weird point in my life where I feel like everything is moving way too fast, but also not fast enough. For instance, I can't believe it's 2015 but HOW is it only February?! This semester has been so busy but also so painfully slow. Maybe that's a good thing, though, seeing as I have absolutely no idea what I will be doing come June LOL *cries*.

Anyway, after the failure of those three cakes, I needed something that was relatively easy and that I could do extremely well. For me, that means it's chocolate cake time. A simple, rich chocolate cake can be the best thing in the world. This one is flour-less, making it even more dense but so so so silky smooth. Like biting into a freaking slice of chocolate Heaven. Ah... I could go on, but it would start to get real weird real quick. This cake is easy to make, visually stunning, and wonderfully satisfying. Your guests are going to be like "oh just cut me a small piece, it looks so rich" but then they're going to have seconds anyway, and thirds.

The whole Gorgonzola component of this cake was inspired by a local ice cream shop, La Divina. A few months back I had their chocolate & Gorgonzola gelato and I still think about it every couple of days. I don't do that often. It was that damn good. But, really, chocolate and cheese for dessert? I can hear the townspeople screaming "HE PUT CHEESE IN A CAKE WHAT IS HIS PROBLEM WHO THE HECK IS THIS KID?!?! OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!!" Well, townspeople, calm down. Chocolate and cheese go shockingly well together. It's kind of off the wall, but also makes perfect sense. Everyone loves chocolate and cheese, and they are both traditional after dinner snacks, so why not put them together? I added lavender because it just sounded like the perfect floral addition to round everything. It also provides a nice bit of lightness on the palate. Anyhow, enjoy, friends!

*This recipe makes just more than enough for one 9” cake round, so I added the remainder to a small Le Creuset dish. I recommend you do the same!*

WHAT:

1.5 cups water
1 cup sugar + 3 T
3 T whole Lavender leaves + 2 t finely chopped
9 T unsalted butter, cut into cubes
15 oz dark chocolate morsels (I used 52%)
8 oz Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
6 large eggs
1/2 t kosher salt

Ganache

8 oz chocolate morsels
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 T cold butter

HOW:

Preheat oven to 350*
Combine 1 cup sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a strong boil, stirring occasionally
Once mixture has reached a hard boil, add the 3 T of whole lavender leaves
Let simmer for 5 minutes
Strain out lavender leaves and set aside remaining sugar water
Toss lavender leaves in 3 T sugar to coat them, set aside
In a medium saucepan, melt butter on medium heat
Add chocolate and whisk until smooth, remove from heat and pour into a medium mixing bowl
Mix in Gorgonzola, chopped lavender, and salt
Once combined, whisk in 1 cup of the sugar water and the eggs
Pour mixture into a buttered springform pan
Place pan in a large skillet or roasting pan, and create a water bath by filling up the skillet or roasting pan with water that comes half way up the spring form pan
Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until solid in the center (the center shouldn't jiggle at all)

Ganache

Bring heavy cream to a boil
Pour over chocolate in a medium mixing bowl
Add butter and whisk until smooth
Let cool to room temperature before using

Assembly

Once cake and ganache have both cooled to room temperature, pour ganache on top of the cake, spreading it evenly with a spatula or knife
Top with candied lavender leaves

Yum

Chocolate, Lavender, + Gorgonzola Bête Noire{gluten free}