This Is Not Your Birthday Party Cake ‘n’ Ice Cream

Cake and ice cream conjures images of white sheet cake and vanilla ice milk served to kids at a birthday party that might also feature paper hats, balloons, rubbery hot dogs and clowns.

Ditch that juvenile scene and imagine the most sophisticated cake and ice cream ever. It’s served at Pinot Provence, and while its flavors are reminiscent of that favorite childhood indulgence, it’s refined in every way.

Instead of heavy cake smothered in icing curlicues, made with so much shortening it stands straight up, this chocolate cake is made without any icing; just a thin slice of white chocolate covers its surface. The cake itself is so rich that icing it would be gilding the lily.

Loads of eggs are beaten into the batter so it’s nearly as light as a souffle. Then it’s baked in a 4-ounce aluminum cup and served with a dainty scoop of ice cream on the side. The creamy, dreamy stuff, served in a miniature tulip cookie, slides off your spoon and coats your tongue with hints of cream and brandy. You won’t want to wait until your next birthday to try it.

* Warm chocolate souffle cake with Armagnac ice cream--125 calories/11 grams of fat. $6.95 at Pinot Provence, in the Westin South Coast Plaza, 686 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa. (714) 444-5900.

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