Dark Chocolate Malt Celebration Cake

I sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor of my rented canalhouse apartment in Amsterdam, hunched over my neatly packed suitcase. Every item had appeared to be in its place, perfectly rolled and folded. And then I saw a rogue sprinkle. I gingerly plucked the offending confection off my shirt, careful not to streak the fabric with chocolate, and popped it into my mouth. No sense in wasting a good sprinkle. I dug a little deeper. I found a pocket of four more and ate them one by one. Then another little reservoir. Then another. The box of dark chocolate De Ruijter sprinkles that I had planned to cart back to the States had sprung a tiny leak. Little pockets of sprinkles were sprinkled in every pocket of my suitcase. As I tracked them through my luggage, I imagined myself a contented chimpanzee at mealtime, carefully digging for ants. I searched with deliberate intensity for precious sustenance that I discovered only in tiny but triumphant increments. Try it in your kitchen after you decorate this cake. To evenly apply sprinkles onto a frosted cake, place the cake on a cake stand set in a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the sprinkles into your hand, aim at the cake, and blow gently. Make a wish. Rotate and repeat. This cake is killer the next day, zapped for a few seconds in the microwave and served with a big glass of milk. (Eat while wearing pajamas, either for breakfast or a midnight snack.) Reprinted with permission from THE JOYS OF BAKING © 2019 by Samantha Seneviratne, Running Press.