Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake with Olallie Berries

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake with Ganache Frosting

A Slice of Decadence

“When June came the grasses headed out and turned brown, and the hills turned a brown which was not brown but a gold and saffron and red—an indescribable color.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Picking Olallie berries the first week in June is an annual tradition. My mom took us to Gidzich Ranch every June. Making Olallie Jam and pie with my mom is a treasured food memory. This year I went to Gidzich Ranch to pick berries with fellow blogger, Sunny Cove Chef, and picky daughter. The Olallie season is even shorter this year, three weeks rather than five or six. There is no ignoring the California drought. The u-pick for raspberries and boysenberries has been cancelled this year. Although all the fresh berry offerings are seasonally available at the farm stand. And they sell pie. Buy the slice or an entire pie. We shared a slice of raspberry pie on our visit. Almost unbelievable, pie stuffed to overflowing with vivid magenta berries. Summer! READ MORE . . .