Apple Chocolate Cake

Our patience has been tested with the Venezuelan bureaucracy (again). We've been trying to make legal all documents and papers from our car since 2005 but until now it's been going so slow. The worst thing is that we even don't know where our car is. The CICPC in Caracas, Venezuelan investigation corp, has taken it from us but the funny thing is that they'd written on a protocol that they have found it somewhere to give an impression that they DO work. OH Please!

The story begun in the beginning of 2005 when we wanted to renew our car's revision and were being told that we couldn't do that since our car appears as a stolen car. We bought it in December 2004 and are the fifth owner. We never thought that our car is a stolen one because we signed the contract in a notary office. We questioned around how we fix the problem. But it wasn't easy finding right information. Even some lawyers told us that it wasn't easy and we should pay to fix this matter. First we didn't want to but in the end we did it. Unfortunately the paying wasn't worth at all because our car keeps appearing on the list. We went to CICPC to talk to the man who received the money but he doesn't work there anymore. That day was the day the took our car. They told us that we had to go to Maracaibo where the first owner did her announcement that her car was being stolen in 2000 but she sold it in 2002. Only two thing are possible: She found the car but never took her announcement back or she committed an insurance error. To be able to go to CICPC Maracaibo we needed an expertise. They told us it will take us ages to get it. If we want to get in within 3 months, we have to pay. We did again by buying their boss a bottle of whiskey and a Manchego cheese. We got the expertise and with this we went to Maracaibo, first to CICPC and then to crown attorney because only the attorney can give us an expertise to erase our car from the list. Until now we haven't get it - hopefully, yet and we even don't know where our car is. All of these things are such a pain in the **s.

I'm so sorry when my posting sounds so cynical and it might give you impressions that I'm not enjoying my life here. I do enjoy living here, traveling around the country but unfortunately many things, even small things, get me on my nerve not to mention the high crime. Venezuela does have beautiful things and one of them is their best cacao. Luckily we have 3 weeks more to go until our Christmas vacation. We're going to Jakarta. I realize that I do need a distance (again) from Venezuela to recharge my energy. The sad thing is that it will be our first Christmas without our grandparents.

Source: Passion Chocolat by Christelle Le Ru


Ingredients:
175 gr unsalted butter
175 gr sugar (I only use 100 gr)
175 gr flour
100 gr dark chocolate chips (I use 120 gr chocolate chunks)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs -- separated
Pinch of salt
3-4 apples
2 tbsp drinking chocolate powder


Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F (160C). Grease a 20cm/8inch square baking tin. I use a round tin

Mix the sugar with the melted butter and the vanilla essence until creamy. Beat int the egg yolks, mixing well between each addition. Beat in the flour and the baking powder and mix until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips/chunks

Whisk/Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until firm. Delicately fold into the batter

Peel and cut the apples into chunks. Mix into the batter and pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 4o minutes or until a fine skewer or a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Transfer to a serving plate and dust with drinking chocolate powder before serving