7:14 am. I rolled out of bed, guzzled a cup of water, and started separating eggs. It was almost too early for the oven to be on, but Halloween beckoned and my office was having a little afternoon party, so I thought chocolate. And cake. And simplicity, because I had gone to yoga the night before and went to bed instead of back into the kitchen.
So the eggs were cracked. Whites were whipped, chocolate and butter was melted, sugar was whisked, and soft peaks were formed and folded into a deeply rich batter destined for a warm oven. Thirty-five minutes later, out came a puffed cake with just enough time to cool before dusting it with a thick layer of powdered sugar and packaging it into a carrying case.
I'm grateful for a cake like this. We all need one that's nothing fancy, yet beautifully tender and satisfying. Something to manage our hungers.
Don't hold back now, have
chocolate, throw extra
kindling on, even though
skies urge cover & hoarding.
When mice pitter in
for crumbs, compliment
their small feet and fitting
ways. When your mouth
houses a curse, swallow,
think how you once
had no words at all
yet managed
your hungers.
-from The Hard Season by Kathleen Lynch
