Because I LOVE chocolate...

September 13th is International Chocolate Day (who knew?) and I'm super excited.  My first words as a child were "cake", "cookie", and "chocolate".  So its only fitting that I celebrate today as if it were my birthday and dig into whatever decadent chocolate dessert I can get my hands on.  And as a gift to you all, I'm sharing my fave dessert recipe.  It comes from NYC's Chanterelle and is AHH-MAZING.  Enjoy!

Chanterelle's Chocolate Souffle Cake:

• 1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 9 large eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• Unsweetened cocoa
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Position a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 300°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate with butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1 1/2 inches of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth. Remove bowl from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Beat egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer in a large deep bowl until very thick and pale.

Beat egg whites with clean beaters in another large bowl just until whites form soft peaks. Beat in remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.

With a whisk or a rubber spatula, gently fold 1/3 of cooled chocolate mixture into egg yolk.  Then fold in 1/3 of egg whites. Repeat, adding chocolate and egg white mixtures alternately in thirds until all ingredients are combined.

Turn batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven about 30 minutes, until edges are firm and center is puffed but still a bit jiggly; do not overbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To serve, remove sides of pan. Dust cake with a layer of cocoa and then with a layer of powdered sugar. Repeat with a second layer of cocoa and a final layer of powdered sugar. Cut into thin wedges. Serve with assorted fresh berries alongside. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

From "The Chocolate Deck,'' by Lori Longbotham.