chocolate candybox cakes.

i made this fudgy chocolate layer cake for esa's birthday, and although i know my way around a cupcake, i'm not so good at decorating big cakes--what do i do with all that flat space? i found a solution in those little mini bars of chocolate and boxes of candy i received at christmas that i never eat, even if they are a good brand. just dump a bunch on top (or, yes, artfully arrange), you hide a multitude of frosting misshaps, and someone's bound to be pleased. the cake itself was at once light and spongey, yet moist and fudgy from all the cocoa, buttermilk and coffee. the frosting was smooth and weirdly pudding-like, all chocolate goo and only mildly sweet. for those of you in the philippines that have tried polly's chocolate cake (quite possibly the best cake i've ever eaten that was bought from a gas station), this cake has the same texture and a similar taste, and the frosting is dead-on the same (although it could be the chocolate i used, bought in manila, and frightening cheap--55 pesos, about US$1, a kilo--yet surprisingly good).

i had a little extra batter left over, so i made another cake, just in time for valentine's day. sweet and simple.