Chocolate "Sound Thrashing" Cake for Tim and Meredith

The beloved son of our dear friends eloped last week.  Both families favor the marriage and are happy for the couple.  Congratulations to Tim and and his beautiful bride, Meredith!  

Although a wedding is the start of a new life,  it also includes a leave taking. As a mother I get a lump in my throat to think of how sad I would be if one of my children eloped.  I hope I get to share the joy of that big moment, and to shower my children with love and blessings as they begin their new lives.  
But for a young couple, of course, eloping is a romantic adventure.  

So, when a young man I've known since childhood runs off and gets married, what should I do?  The first thing that came to mind is to bake a cake.  I chose the Black Chocolate Party Cake from Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum.  

I told Tim that if my own son eloped I would give him a sound thrashing! Therefore, in his honor I will always refer to this recipe as Tim's "Sound Thrashing" Cake.  

This cake contains finely chopped walnuts suspended in a thick sour cream and cocoa enriched batter.   This recipe is inspired by Rose's Golden Lemon Almond Cake, also from Rose's Heavenly Cakes.  I love both of those cakes!  She describes this one as "dense, tender and very chocolately."
  

Straight from the oven, the cake is brushed with a hot syrup made with turbinado sugar and cocoa.  

Here's the cake unmolded and brushed all over with the cocoa syrup.  It's wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then served the following day.  

Here are Tim and Meredith with their "Sound Thrashing" Cake.  Wishing the two of you a long and happy life together!