Chocolate cake and chocolate cookies are all well and good, but when you want to do something a little fancier, a chocolate tartlet might be just the thing. These bittersweet chocolate mini tartlets were cooked up by Anita at Dessert Comes First for a party that had some guests with discerning palates. The tarts are actually not much more difficult to make than cookies would have been since the shortbread-like base is pressed into mini muffin tins to make the shells, which are then filled with a creamy and intense chocolate filling and baked again to set them slightly. The quick and easy tarts, as Anita so brilliantly suggests, can then be topped with any number of things to spice them up a bit before serving. She used cacao nibs, chopped nuts and chili powder.

And for any s'mores fans out there, a marshmallow topping would make this a very adult s'more, indeed.

I should really have warned any chocoholics to avert their eyes before reading this post because this ultra-rich chocolate truffle layer cake, photographed by Lori of Dessert Comes First, is one of the most tempting chocolate desserts in the blogosphere. The cake is from a bakery in Manila called "In Love With Sweets" and they have garnered themselves many fans with this cake. A bestseller, the cake is dense and very, very rich. It has four layers of cake and a very thick, truffle-like fudge frosting that melts into your mouth. The whole thing is topped with a chocolate truffle, but if you have a chance to indulge in this cake, you might want to eat the truffle first, because you won't have room for it if you've able to finish off a whole slice of cake.

Some might say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but this one needs only one: Mmmm! This ultra-velvety cheesecake will be one of the stars of the exclusive dessert event hosted by Lori, of Dessert Comes First. I wish a could attend just for a taste of this luscious cake, which she describes in a most delightful manner. "At room temperature, it’s barely solid enough to hold itself together, yet it slides onto the fork cleanly and decisively. Once in the mouth, it melts sexily, like a dancer gyrating to the mouth’s beat." A cheesecake that has the texture of a satiny custard, melting into your mouth? Sign me up! Unfortunately, the event is in Manila, the Philippines, and I am not. At least I'll save on the calories.

A well made piece of latte art is a beautiful thing, but when it's combined with chocolate, it enters a whole new level. Dessert Comes First encountered this divine drink at a coffee shop in Singapore called Bali Blends. Not only do they clearly specialize in the art of coffee making, they carry a variety of bean blends from Indonesia and, in particular, from Bali. Balinese coffee was, until recently, only exported to Japan, but it is now appearing in new markets. The coffee is supposed to have a deep, earthy tone to it, so it is easy to see how it would pair exceptionally will with chocolate.