I am given unique ingredients as presents and this Christmas was no different as I was gifted a tin of Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt. It is great as a finishing salt on meats and such, but in my constant search for adding more depth of flavor to my baking, I decided to add some to these cookies. They didn’t turn out particularly “smokey” or “boozy” or even “salty”, but they did add a nice flavor.
(Chocolate and Vanilla Cake, with Coffee Liqueur, Espresso Buttercream and Chocolate Shavings)
Tomorrow is my birthday, so I made a cake. Interestingly, I am actually not a fan of my birthday at all (no, it has nothing to do with getting older … it’s a long story), but often in Germany, it is the birthday person who supplies cake. So I made this one to share with some friends and my neighbors. It’s a Mokkatorte (or Mocha Torte, if you prefer) with lots of very strong coffee buttercream frosting. It’s a little involved (two types of cake and two times of frosting, plus decorating) but I think it came off quite well. And Happy Birthday to me.
