Birthday Baking

At work, we have a ‘birthday potluck’ tradition. We use birthdays as an excuse for everyone to bring in food and binge eat all day. For many birthdays, I will pick up a bag of chips or bring in some oj. But it is easy to tell who is special to me- they are the people I bake for.

Now that I have given you the intro, I can tell you that it was Jean’s birthday this week! She turned… ha. You thought I was going to say it, didn’t you? 

 Happy Birthday Jean!

So needless to say, I baked. I even skipped yoga to bake. I baked a semisweet chocolate hazelnut tart, knowing how much Jean loves chocolate. Unfortunately, I don’t own a pretty tart pan, but I do own a round spring-form pan, so that’s what I used. Therefore my tart looks a bit like a chocolate pizza. Well, the pan issue, plus the fact that I am the worlds worst crust crimper.

Here are some pictures of the tart-making process. I only wish I had a picture of Jean eating it!

Hazelnut Caramel

Then the Ganache is added...

The Finished Product

Although it may look like a chocolate pizza in the pictures, I promise you it did not taste like one! Within the edges of the homemade crust was a caramel layer laced with hazelnuts, which was then smothered with a semisweet chocolate ganache and topped with more hazelnuts and chocolate chips. It was sinfully rich and decadent. Jean had to stop herself after two pieces and so did I. I gave the leftovers away, just so I wouldn’t be tempted to consume the hundreds of delectable calories all in one sitting. If you like baked goods, you better get on my good side before your next birthday...

-Katrina