Normally this time of year I’d be writing about wine spritzers or something refreshing. Certainly not hot chocolate. But it’s been so cold here in Seattle I would swear it’s winter. Mark Twain once said, “The coldest summer I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco” Well, I’m sure he’d say the same about Seattle right now. Didn’t we just have a heat wave?!

So to take the chill off I cranked the heat up, threw an extra blanket on top of the already-down-quilted bed, and made a big mug of Mexican hot chocolate.

Mexican hot chocolate makes Swiss Miss taste like pond water. Rich dark chocolate that’s laced with cinnamon and coarse sugar, it’s thick, frothy and warms you up like a hug from Granny. In fact, one of my favorite brands, Abuelita, means Little Grandma.

Break one tablet into 4 cups of milk and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture frequently with a whisk until the chocolate is melted and frothy. Traditionally, Mexican chocolate is beaten to a froth with a whisk-like wooden implement called a molinillo. Since most of us don’t own such an item you can pulse a small amount of the cocoa in a blender, then ladle on top of your beverage, much like a barista does with the foam of your latté. Drink immediately (you won’t want to wait anyway).

If you really need to take the edge off, add a splash of whiskey. A dash of chili powder is pretty good, too.

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I usually crave cheese more than I do sweets, but when my sweet tooth rears its ugly fang it’s usually for some form of chocolate. Specifically cake. I’ll look at Barnaby and ask,” Did you pick up that chocolate cake today?” Knowing full well that, of course, he did not. I just want chocolate cake. I never buy cake, I never make cake. Perhaps that’s some form of perverse self-denial thing, but whatever.

So imagine my glee when our friend Tracy made a glorious one for dessert the other night! The recipe she used, Chocolate Cloud Cake, was from Nigella Lawson’s book Nigella Bites. It’s flourless, dense yet light at the same time (hence the name cloud), and is pure dark chocolatey goodness. My apologies for gobbling it up before photographing.

Here is a simply fantabulous sounding Chocolate Cake with Yellow Beets from A Cat in the Kitchen. Yes, yellow beets! How wonderfully wicked to sneak veggies into a cake. Brilliant.

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