A few weeks ago my family celebrated my little sister’s 22 birthday. Weeee happy birthday, Danielle!
As of late it’s been a Garafola tradition to celebrate birthdays at Benihana’s. Between the crazy cocktails, the sake and the funny show the chef puts on, it’s always a blast.
Danielle allowed me the privilege of making her birthday cake. I gave her a few options to choose from and not so surprisingly she choose the most chocolate-y of all: A devil’s food hazelnut crunch layer cake. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post this cake experience because I strive to post simple, easy to follow recipes on Sand, Sugar and Sun, but every once-in-a-while it’s nice to have an “impressive” recipe in your back pocket! This cake has quite a few steps, but all in all is not very difficult. You can complete several of the steps ahead for easier baking experience. You can see the full recipe here, on Bon Appetit.
I began the cake process by making the hazelnut crunch. This crunch was my favorite part of the cake. To keep the crunch crunchy, assemble the cake right before you serve it.
As I was baking I kept taste testing little bits and I’m surprised I had enough restraint not to cut myself a slice before Danielle’s party.
What’s your go-to impressive dessert?
xx
sand sugar and sun 