25 March 2014

Aurelia's chocolate pound cake. The story of "leon" and the Cacao tree

There was a time, when my eldest daughter Aurelia was two, that Nick and I dreamed of the day when she would be 10, able to sit at the table and place food in her mouth by herself and enjoy an adult conversation- or at least an uninterrupted meal without splitting drinks on the table, for example-.

Now that she is nearly 7 we realize that our family goals are constantly moving, shifting places according to our new circumstances, such as having two more children. Hence, our family dinner is still chaotic, most of the days, but we have the expectation of that day, when the five of us enjoy a pleasant and smooth meal. This is what keeps us motivated to sit down together at the table every night. I know one day it will happen, we just need to "keep calm and carry on".

As parents, we are facing three different stages with our kids: an eight month baby boy trying to crawl; a two and a half child passing through the occasional tamtruns- now I am can finally say with relief that word "occasional" instead of "frequent"- and a bit of jealousy; and a seven year old girl…who going through a transitional phase, no longer a kindergartener but not yet a worldly middler-schooler, if it makes sense.

As I mentioned earlier in my blog, my daughter has a cute soft lion who used to be her security blanket when she was little. I bought it in a post office near our apartment in Kingston- Canberra- when we got back from our posting in Argentina. 

Aurelia was sick one day with stomachache…"this lion will make you feel better because it has a very warm bag inside of him that you can gently rest on top of your tummy while you hug him".

I don't know if it made the trick but it seemed to work as her pain was replaced by a new friend. Who would it thought that "leon" was going to be her security blanket for the next few years?…


But the years passed by and "leon" was spending less time with Aurelia and more in the toy box.

I even found him in one of her drawings which I framed as part of Aurelia's treasure box.

I am sure she will be delighted in the future to open that box of memories and find "leon" again.












And then she painted him on her t-shirt during her craft class at school…It seemed that Aurelia didn't want to let him go totally.


I feel that Aurelia unconsciously wants to hide that "leon" inside of her . She wants to keep him in a safe place for as long as she wants -or needs him- which reminds me sometimes she is still a little girl.

There have been some nights though when she handled me "leon" and said :" mum, I feel weird having him in bed with me; could you take him with you to your room?". I smiled thinking that I had a seven year old in front of me, "Of course, no problem, I will make sure he is fine". And then she added :"would you mind if I give him the last cuddle?".

However, as a seven year old, Aurelia's independence is more notable but her mood's swings as well, as you can see in the way she communicates with us…through notes she hangs on her bedroom door:



One day,  I was a bit upset with Aurelia because she was in one of "those moods" and being…humm, let's call it "difficult" for no reason, apparently. She went upstairs to her bedroom, closed her door -slammed it, really- and hung another note:


Well, it is hard not to laugh but it is harder not to loose your patience.The only way I can canalise my frustration with my daughter in situations like this is in the kitchen, cooking with her. 

After her apology and a big hug, I suggested we could bake a cake, a CHOCOLATE cake, her favourite and she will be allowed to lick the bowl, and "we could have a merienda together afterwards".

She came down to the kitchen with me but didn't feel like baking a cake. She preferred to watch Frozen for the 20th time. 

She came in the kitchen finally, but in a bad mood, again.

While we were measuring the cups of flour and cocoa, with the spoon- and -level method using her small index finger, we talked, and started to laugh. I shared some of the healthy cocoa nibs I had bought at the market with her and told her the magic process of making chocolate. She realised that it doesn't come from a packet. It comes from the pod that grows out of the trunk of a tree called cacao tree. 

She also appreciated that cooking was more fun than being in front of the TV.

Cocoa nibs
-They are the foundation of chocolate and very healthy. They have a crumbly consistency of roasted coffee beans and make a great dessert garnish. I sprinkle some in my granola-.



With a warm chocolate cake cooling on the rack of the kitchen, invading the whole house with its sweet aroma, my daughter drinking a warm chocolate and me a hot glass of milk, the frustration was left behind. Hers and mine. 

We both enjoyed each other's company, I was in front of my seven year old girl again, and I thought that I forget sometimes I had once that age too…a long time ago!.

There is nothing that cooking together cannot fix.  A beautiful homemade chocolate pound cake always will. 

My husband Nick says it is the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten.


Aurelia's chocolate pound Cake

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups plain flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 virgin coconut oil, room temperature- make sure it is the healthy virgin oil and not heated.
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar plus 1 tbsp extra
  • 3 large eggs
  •  1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 unsweetened coconut flakes or almond flakes

  1. Preheat oven to 180C. Butter a tin loaf, medium size. Sprinkle some flour.
  2. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
  3. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat oil, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 cups sugar until pale and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. 
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions; beat until mixture is very light and doubled in volume, 5-8 minutes. Add vanilla.
  5. Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients (remember, do not over mix or it will cause cake to buckle and split). Scrape batter into prepared pan and run a spatula through the centre, creating a canal- it helps to bake evenly. Sprinkle with flakes and sugar.
  6. Bake cake until the tester inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 60-70 minutes. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes and turn it out.

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