Sant Ambroeus Signature Chocolate Cake

After brunching at Morandi and enjoying a semi-dessert of Ricotta Fritters (bottom photo) with pine nuts, rolled in sugar and dried fruit, I found myself wandering the West Village in search of yet another sweet fix. I ended up following my heart into the cozy little espresso bar/restaurant that is Sant Ambroeus. A bunch of scattered tables in the dining room - I hear they serve real food in addition to sweets but I wouldn't know anything about that - and a bright case full of cakes and cookies beckoned like some holy light from the side of the counter. I ordered a cappuccino out of habit; any espresso bar transports me back to the time I spent in Italy a few years ago and I order coffee on auto-pilot even if I am already over my daily caffeine limit. Then I sat back sipping my cappuccino to await my Sant Ambroeus cake (top photo).

When it arrived, I was struck by the attention to detail that went into the decoration. Inside, I was elated to find a rich chocolate mousse atop a thin layer of sponge cake with a creamy chocolate center and the occasional cocoa nib strewn throughout. There was a tiny drop of fudgey chocolate sauce on top. And with that, my sugar craving was finally sated. 

Sant Ambroeus. 259 West 4th St, New York, NY.

(212) 604-9254

http://www.santambroeus.com/new/frameset.php

Chocolate Cake at The Chocolate Room

Please excuse my photo quality. Photo quality isn't relevant to the delicious morsel I'm going to blog about here, anyway. It is so exceptional that I would leave my Manhattan home, following my severe chocoholism, to venture into the largely unfamiliar territory that is Brooklyn. The Chocolate Cake at The Chocolate Room in Park Slope is three layers of moist, dark chocolate cake that is smooth in texture and consistently satisfying. It is not overly dense, nor is it too light. It's that tender happy medium that is sometimes hard to find in a cake this rich. The frosting is creamy and ganache-esque, which takes the dessert over the top. The best part about the frosting is that it is layered into the cake as well. The more the merrier.

The Chocolate Room. 86 5th Avenue, New York, NY 11217.

http://www.thechocolateroombrooklyn.com/