Bolo Formigeiro (Brazil)

By now my family has become accustomed to the many recipes I foist upon them as I experiment with this blog and the cookbook, Extending the Table. Whenever I make a new recipe, they are game for the flavors and textures. It's a wonderful thing actually. I love that my boys see eating as an adventure and my hubby supports each new venture with a smile.

Now I've started to venture out though with sharing my cooking. Last week I made the rollos for my SEED class, and this week it was Bolo Formigeiro, Anthill Cake, from Brazil, for the department potluck on conference night. We always have a theme, and last night it was 'salad bar.' Now, I like salad, and as I am not in charge of organizing the potluck, I am willing to participate with whatever is planned. But, for whatever reason, I was not excited about this particular salad bar event. Maybe my Minnesota roots require a little more cream cheese and cream of mushroom in my potluck. So my small act of rebellion was to make a cake that was absolutely decadent.

This cake is loaded with sugar, coconut milk, coconut flakes and grated chocolate, the final two ingredients accounting for the 'ants.' It's also got a whole cup of cornstarch in there to give it a fluffy texture. So good! But I'm not quite confident enough to make a brand new recipe as an experiment for the masses/co-workers, so I made a small loaf of cake for my very best taste-testers to try out the night before. Suki's boisterous "More!" was all the endorsement I needed. Even the rollos of last week was a recipe I had made prior to starting the blog, so I knew it was good enough to share.

Cooking is one way that I show the people in my life that I love and care about them. It is a creative outlet for me to experiment and explore. It is supremely fulfilling to put together a recipe thinking about what it might taste like and how my family and friends will enjoy it as well. I didn't subject my coworkers to a lengthy lecture about the cake and the cultural components involved. In fact, I didn't even mention it was a recipe I would be blogging. I simply baked it with the intention of enjoying the thirty minute dinner break with people I am privileged to work with everyday. This sharing of food is a phenomenon that I am sure cooks around the world embrace, a true cultural connection making us part of a global community.