My name is Dave and www.recipesmania.com is my website. This e-zine is for the Recipes Maniacs who subscribe and you can feel free to email it to friends and relatives if you wish. Each month my recipe of the month is published here and not on the website. This is to give the Maniacs the opportunity to use it before it becomes common knowledge. This month’s recipe is a flourless cake that is really delicious and so easy to make. You can always send your comments direct to me through the mail link found on most pages of the website.

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Recipe of the Month

This cake is called the Lovers Cake or Cake of Love. I’m not sure where the name comes from but it is easy to imagine this flourless cake being a favorite of all chocoholics and that includes most ladies.

Ingredients:

9 ounces (250 grams) unsalted butter, melted.

9 ounces (250 grams) caster sugar

5 eggs

6 ounces (175 grams) dark chocolate

6 ounces (175 grams) almond meal.

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder.

3 Tablespoons of good quality cocoa.

Plus cocoa or chocolate powder for dusting.

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 F (165 C)

Line a 10-inch (28cm) springform cake tine with baking paper. Then spray the paper with oil (or you could sprinkle a light coating of flour over the bottom and the sides to prevent sticking)

In a food processor beat together the butter and sugar until creamy, then add cocoa powder.

Add the eggs to the food processor one at a time, allowing each egg to blend with the cake mixture before adding the next.

Boil a saucepan of water and place a mixing bowl over the steam; put the chocolate into the bowl and allow to gently melt. (Break up chocolate first to speed up the process)

Add the almond meal and baking powder to the cake mixture and blend in well.

Fold in the melted chocolate.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and bake for 50-60 minutes. - The cake is cooked when you can push a skewer into the center and remove clean.

Dust with cocoa or chocolate powder.

Note: This cake is supposed to rise while cooking and then fall when removed leaving the cake rich and dense.

Serve with double cream and worry about the cholesterol count tomorrow.

Cooking tip: This months cooking tip is one you see frequently on www.recipesmania.com and often flip past without reading and it is the golden rule when melting chocolate: Never melt chocolate over direct heat as shown in so many cookbooks and online recipes. This method ruins the chocolate. It should always be melted slowly over indirect heat never allowing direct heat to come into contact with the bowl that holds the chocolate. Place the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Melt it slowly and switch off heat when the chocolate is 85% melted, allowing the remainder to melt in the heat of the (already) melted chocolate. This method ensures that the chocolate you eat is of the highest quality with the best taste.

Diamonds Everywhere.

Centuries ago a candle maker toiled hard each day perfecting the quality of the candles he made to be sure that his customers would always come back to him. He was not a wealthy man but his family were always fed and had decent clothing and a warm home during the long months of winter.

One day a stranger came to his shop and ordered enough candles to fill a large box. The candle maker had never taken an order for more than a dozen candles at any time in his life and as he mentally struggled to fix a special price for this customer the stranger opened a small case that was full of diamonds.

“I do not have any Utils.” He said in a calm voice. For Utils was the currency of this small nation. “I do have diamonds aplenty. Will you take two diamonds from this case for payment?”

“Any two?” The bewildered candle maker asked for some of the diamonds were bigger than those in the Queen’s crown.

“Of course.” The stranger smiled.

The candle maker’s wife was listening to the exchange and came into the shop from the back room. Without consulting her husband she looked at the diamonds and asked the stranger: “Where did you get so many diamonds?” Her doubts about the authenticity of the offer were natural for they had never had wealth to spare and this offer seemed just too good to be true.

The stranger smiled at her and calmly explained that he came from a land that was made up of diamonds.

“Where is this land?” The candle maker’s wife asked, barely able to disguise her enthusiasm. She knew that diamonds had to come from somewhere and maybe this land was the source of all diamonds.

“It is far from here.” The stranger replied. “A journey of six month’s by ship.”

“Can anybody go there?” Her enthusiasm was at fever pitch and she could no longer make her voice appear disinterested.

“Of course they can.” He assured her, adding. “But there is nothing there but diamonds and life will become very boring if you are alone on our island.”

“Could my husband visit your land?”

“He would be most welcome.” The stranger remained as gracious as he was at the start of their conversation. “He can travel with me for the ship sails tomorrow. But he cannot return for eighteen months because the ship will stop briefly at my land, then not return for six months and there is the six months journey back here.”

“The candles that you have selected are not worth two of these beautiful diamonds.” The candle maker explained for he was an honest man. “In fact they are not worth one of the smallest diamonds in your case. So why do you offer me so much?”

The stranger picked out two of the largest diamonds and placed them on the counter. “You do not think so but I am happy to pay this amount because although the diamonds are valuable to you I can pick them up from the roadside at any time.” He explained. “Therefore they are not so valuable to me and it is my pleasure to reward you for your craft with these two diamonds.”

The candle maker’s wife scooped the diamonds from the counter and hurried back into the house to hide them in a safe place.

“If you wish to visit my home.” The stranger continued speaking to the candle make. “Meet me at the harbor at eleven tomorrow morning and we can join the ship.”

“How much will the trip cost?”

“The captain of the ship will take diamonds and I will be happy to pay for the journey.” The stranger closed his case of diamonds and picked up his box of candles. “If not I will return here in about two years and you can come back with me then.”

The candle maker thanked him profusely and explained that he must speak with his family before making such a decision and the stranger left.

That night in the home of the candle maker there was intense discussion; the entire family knew that if he returned in eighteen months with a case of diamonds they would be wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. It was agreed that between them his wife and son knew enough of candle making to keep the business going. After midnight they finally agreed that he should make the journey and they all retired to bed.

***

When the ship finally arrived at the land of the stranger the candle maker bade his new friend farewell, for he lived over the mountain on the far side of the island. The candle maker picked up his suitcase and walked down the gangplank, along the jetty and came to a halt just as the ship took in the gangplank and prepared to leave for the next stop on its journey. - There before him was a beach, a long beach, not of sand or pebbles but of diamonds. - Ignoring the other passengers, who walked along the winding road to the small town he ran onto the beach, opened his suitcase and started packing diamonds into it. With each handful of the precious stones that he picked up he could feel a newfound confidence, as though for the first time life was dealing him the good hand. After a few minutes he started discarding the smaller stones and replacing them with large diamonds until finally he was satisfied. Only then did he follow the winding road into the town.

The first thing he needed was a place to stay for the next six months. In the town center was a hotel, so plush that a couple of hours ago he would have accepted as being far too expensive for a simple candle maker. But now everything is different because he had a half suitcase of diamonds.

“Good afternoon sir.” An attractive young lady at the reception desk spoke to him. “How may I help you?”

“I, er, need a room for six months.” He still felt a little out of place amid such luxury but was sure that he could get used to it.

“How are you planning to pay sir?” The young lady smiled sweetly.

“I have diamonds.” The candle maker leaned across the counter and whispered to her because he didn’t want anybody to hear that he had such a valuable commodity.

“We don’t accept diamonds sir.”

“WHAT!” He didn’t believe that he had heard her properly.

“Diamonds are worthless in this land sir.” The young lady had heard this story so often that she wasn’t in the least surprised. “I know how valuable they are in other lands but here they are worthless. Look around you, the hotel is made of diamonds, the tables are rimmed with diamonds. They are too plentiful to be of value in this land. I’m sorry sir.”

Dejectedly he walked from the hotel and tried a couple of smaller hotels only to find the same answer. By now it was getting dark and he was hungry. Near the end of the town he found a small café and explained to the owner that he was hungry and only had diamonds. The owner said that if he would agree to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen he could stay and eat because he felt sorry for the simple candle maker. It was after ten when he left the café and wandered towards the mountain where he hoped to find a cave to sleep in. It took time but eventually he found a suitable cave and sat down to look at the town from up high. He knew that his plight was desperate because here he was in a strange land with no acceptable currency and he was stuck here for at least six months. As he watched the very dull glow of the town was diminishing and he remembered that even in the café the only form of light was from a fire; he hadn’t seen a single lamp or a candle, even in the plush hotel. - He realized that he had a skill that would enable him barter both food and accommodation until the ship returned by making candles.

That night he slept contentedly, safe in the knowledge that his skill as a candle maker was all that he needed to survive. Next morning he awoke early and searched the forests below for the equipment he needed to make his candles. He made moulds from rocks that had been hollowed by the weather over many centuries and collected beeswax. By the middle of the afternoon he had made his first twenty candles. He returned to the plush hotel and spoke with the manager.

He demonstrated how a candle worked by lighting it from the fire. He asked the manager to close the curtains and make the office dark so that he could see the efficiency of the candle. The manager was amazed and offered him a room and all meals for six months in return for twelve candles every day.

Word spread rapidly around the town and soon people were stopping the candle maker on the street as he made his way to the forest and his secret candle-making workshop. They placed orders for candles and bartered with meals, clothing and hand made toys until he had a business that was even more successful than the one he had left his wife and son running. Within a month he was famous throughout the town and had more friends than ever before. He grew in stature and became a very respected member of the community and was even able to make enough candles to donate some each day to the local hospital. Life had never been better and soon the goods that he bartered and the gifts people gave to him were abundant.

***

After six months the ship returned and it was with a heavy heart that he left his candle making business to the young man that he had been teaching, picked up his big suitcase and another two chests and made his way to the dock to join the ship that would take him home. Because he had fallen in love with the people of the town he carefully packed all of their gifts into his luggage so that they wouldn’t be damaged on the long sea voyage back to his home. The people of the town gathered on the dock to wave until the ship disappeared from site because they had seen many greedy strangers visit their island but this one had actually left something with the community and his humility had been a lesson to everybody.

For his part the candle maker could not control the tears because during the last six months he had never been happier or more content. But he had a wife and family and had a duty to them too so remaining was out of the question.

After six long months at sea the ship finally docked back in his home town and the first people he saw waiting on the dockside was his wife and children, they had a horse drawn cart to take his luggage, painted on the side of the cart was the words: “Candle-Maker” and he realized that this must be an improvement to the business paid for from the sale of one of the diamonds his wife cherished and he felt proud of his wife and son for working so hard in his absence.

He greeted them and waited for the ship to load his two chests and suitcase onto the cart and then family set off for home.

“Let me open your suitcase.” His wife suggested.

“It will wait until we are home.” He assured her calmly.

“I’ll open this chest.” His son declared.

“When we are home.” The candle maker replied.

At home they took the two chests and the suitcase into the house while the candle maker looked at his shop. The shelves were almost empty and there was a thick layer of dust over everything. Slowly the realization that he had lost the business that he worked so hard to build. Meanwhile his wife and two children were opening his suitcase and chests. To their shock they found only clothing, hand carved toys and a few candle making tools. While they fumbled the candle maker returned from the shop.

“The diamonds!” His wife shrieked. “Where are the diamonds?”

During his successful time as candle maker to the town on the faraway island he had forgotten about the diamonds because in that land diamonds had no value.

Like anybody who sets out upon a long journey, we sometimes come up against obstacles and experience new successes that diminish the goal that we set out to achieve and lead us along a different path. In this respect the candle maker is no different to any of us who become so entangled with day-to-day problems that we spend our life fighting them instead of keeping focused on our goals or dreams. As his family were no different to any other family who are convinced that they are about to win a lottery – they allowed the candle making business to slump because they became too focused on the wealth that would soon be theirs.

The benefit derived from this story is that if you set a goal you should remain focused upon that goal and not be led along different paths because each new path that you take requires a learning period that will detract from your original goal. The candle maker found friendship and respect and allowed it to detract from his goal of returning with diamonds. His family focused on expected wealth to the detriment of running their simple business. In the end they were less wealthy than when the plan started.

Health tip:

Increase your physical activities by ten minutes today and carry this extra effort through to every day of your life. This means walk or exercise for ten minutes extra each day. This will improve your general health and you will notice that diets start to work better and your energy levels will increase. Life in this century involves far less physical energy than life did around 100 years ago but we eat the same food as our 100 years ago ancestors did. They could handle much of the food they ate because of the level of physical energy that went into existing just burnt off the calories. Today few people are fortunate enough to exert physical energy in their day and we must make up for it by exercise. - Ask yourself this simple question: Is my body worth ten minutes each day exercise? If you think it is I’m sure you’ll make the effort. If you are unsure I suggest you try it for 3 months and see how much healthier you become. In a recent test two obese people were put on identical diets, one had ten minutes exercise each day added to his diet the other did no exercise. Result: The man who exercised lost over 36 pounds (18 kilo’s) in eight weeks and the man who just dieted lost 4 pounds (Under 2 kilo’s). - Who do you think will longer and have more fun? You can get my free weight loss and exercise program from http://www.recipesmania.com/weightlossprogram.html just click this link and see if it can help you.