Day of the SPICY Dead!

On Saturday I competed in the Pastry Chicago Annual Spooky Cupcake Contest. I didn't win but was still pleased with my performance. I made a Mexican Chocolate cupcake with cinnamon and cayenne filled with two layers of dark chocolate ganache and cocoa cinnamon streusel topped with a white butter icing. Everyone who I tested it on seemed to think it was delicious...too bad they weren't the judges!

Croquenbouche Day!

On Friday we built our Croquenbouche...puff pastry dipped in caramel and stacked together to build a beautiful tree shaped cake. It has a nougatine base with royal icing decorations piped on and a sugar sculputure on the top. It's a traditional French wedding cake but us silly Americans can have it anytime...just don't invite a Frenchman over or he will laugh at you!

So pleased with myself!

Puff Pastry. Never thought I would enjoy something like that. Rolling dough. Rolling butter. Combining, rolling, turning, folding, rolling, folding, turning, chilling, waiting, rolling, turning, waiting...you get the idea. But then we finally made our Pithivier which is the puff pastry with frangipane piped on the inside and a design carved in the top with a blade. If it's done correctly it will rise high and brown evenly and become the most wonderfully crisp and flaky decadent dessert.
I am just so pleased that I created this from some flour, water, vinegar, salt and butter.

Hazelnut. Chocolate. Cake.

Hazelnut Chocolate Cake. Really that is all I need to say. But I'll say a bit more just to be clear...hazelnut dacquoise with caramelized hazelnuts topped with hazelnut mousse topped with chocolate dacquoise topped with chocolate mousse topped with chocolate mirror glaze. The entire cake is built upside down in a ring. It takes several days as each layer has to freeze and be stacked on the others...but it is totally worth every minute that it took. I'm not sure I knew a dessert could taste so good.

Now I have to duct tape the freezer shut to avoid eating the entire thing tonight...

Fruity Whipped Desserts

Anyone who knows me knows how much I hate fruity whipped desserts. Well the "cake" section of the program fits this definition. The end products are beautiful and it's amazing to build the components and make it work together but I have to say the end product is just not for me...spongy meringue based cakes, mousses that are not at all sweet and bits of nuts and dried fruit. Sigh. However, I'm intrigued for tomorrow as we are doing a hazelnut dacquoise with caramelized hazelnuts and dark chocolate mousse....please please let it be as delicious as it sounds!

Is there anything better...

...than an oven full of croissants? We have yet to learn how to make these in class but it was going on behind the demo I should have been watching today and I couldn't help but get distracted. The kitchen was so warm with all the ovens on and it smelled so good...it was intoxicating to say the least.

Now let's redirect our focus back to the demo....how to properly glaze a cake. It is a bit more challenging that it looks and you only get ONE chance to get it right.