flourless chocolate cake by food52

flourless chocolate cake by food52

A few years ago, we won a very cool prize…

At Toby’s school fundraiser, a family had donated four homemade desserts for $100. And we jumped at the chance to try them out. The prize was a key lime pie, a berry crumble, an apple pie, and finally a flourless chocolate cake.

They were all delicious but the flourless chocolate cake made our heads spin. It was light yet rich, moist yet firm, and so good we ate each bite achingly slowly so the experience would last as long as possible.

The next day, I emailed the parents who had donated the cakes and asked if they’d mind sharing the recipe. Their answer? “I’m sorry, we can’t. It’s a family secret.”

A FAMILY SECRET! That description only made me want the recipe a hundred times more. (Luckily, I was able to find another great one here.)

But it got me thinking: Do you have secret family recipes? Dishes passed down from generation to generation? My family has had meals we’ve made over and over — my grandfather’s “full English” breakfasts, my mom’s chocolate chip cookies, my dad’s veggie quiche — but none are cloaked in secrecy. What about you?

P.S. How to get kids to eat vegetables, and 9 family meals we’ve loved to death.

(Photo by James Ransom for Food52.)