The Baking Way to Say I Love You

There are many ways to show your love to a congregation or spouse.  The supermarket bakery cake contribution to a church potluck dinner and the drugstore chocolate box for your husband show the love commanded in John 13:34 in an everyday sort of way. In addition, there are times when we should use our ability, time or money to demonstrate a more sacrificial and lavish love like the kind God bestows on us.
This recipe, to borrow a Mister Rogers phrase, is "the baking way to say I love you." It helped me win a recipe contest and got its name when my friend said it tasted just like the cake he ate in Paris. It has an added benefit of being gluten free.

Just Like Paris Cake

16 1-ounce squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate (Ghirardelli, if you can afford it)

2 cups butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup light cream

1 Tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 large eggs, at room temperature

Chocolate Glaze (see below)

1 can whipped cream

Optional garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 10" x 3" springform pan.

Heat semisweet chocolate, butter, sugar, cream, vanilla and salt in a 3-quart pan over low heat until the mixture is smooth. Stir frequently.

In large bowl, whisk eggs slightly. Slowly beat warm chocolate into eggs until well blended.

Pour into pan and bake 45 minutes until toothpick inserted in the cake 2" from the edge comes out clean. Cook cake completely on wire rack. Then, remove side of the pan, wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 6 hours.

Cover in Chocolate Glaze. Garnish with whipped cream. Fresh raspberries, candied violets or seasonal candies are optional garnishes. Refrigerate leftovers.

Chocolate Glaze

Melt 6-ounces of  Special Dark chocolate chips and 2 Tablespoons of butter in a 2-quart pan over low heat. Remove from the heat and beat in 3 Tablespoons whole milk and 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup. 

Serves 16+. Modified from a recipe for Double-chocolate Mousse Cake, author unknown.