A Bit of Chocolate Cake after Fencing Class

My little cowboy has had no interest in taking sporty lessons. Over the last two years, we've tried karate and gymnastics, soccer and basketball. At the end of each class he'd tell me that he didn't really like it and that the only sport that really interests him is fencing. Unfortunately, I could never find a fencing class in our smallish town. Until, one day I noticed a community fencing class for adults and persuaded the Quiet Man to sign up with him. We worried that our son might get lost in a class of grownups, but the noble French fencing master agreed to coach him each week for an extra half hour before the adults arrived. It is such a ball to watch this serious and proud Frenchman sparring with my wannabe Jedi. It's a bit like watching Mr. Miaggi and Ralph Machio on the Karate Kid, the old proud master and the young playful student. West has learned the positions for several swords, to advance, retreat, and lunge. I don't know if any of these skills will pay off in the long run, but in the meantime, don't challenge him to a light saber duel because now he goes for the throat. Best of all, he loves his fencing class and all of the applause he receives when he defeats an opponent. (It's easy to be the star of the class when you're the youngest by 20 years.)Addicted to the lime light already at age six! Now if only we can get him a fencing scholarship to Cambridge in 2020.To celebrate the last fencing class for semester one, we came home to a bitty little chocolate cake. This one is also part of my Tuesdays with Dorie baking club. The cake was meant to have prunes that were soaked in Armagnac, which I promptly left out. What kind of reward would that be for a young fencer? The cake on it's own is a pleasant sort of chocolatey cake, and the glaze is phenomenal. I've heard glowing reports from the brave prune bakers, so if you can get away with it, give it a try the right way. But if you are celebrating a triumph with a brave young six year old, it's perfect in a simple pruneless state. Click here for the recipe and gorgeous photos- a half pruneless batch will probably cost you $3.00. There's nothing better than a bit of chocolate cake in the icebox!
We are developing a bad habit of devouring my creations without taking the time to thoughfully arrange and photograph them. I hope this will only serve as greater testimony to their yumminess.

Up Next:

My Simplest Weeknight Tomato and Basil Pasta