“Non-cooks think it’s silly to invest two hours’ work in two minutes’ enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet.” Julia Child
This month’s challenge is being posted on a sad note. Lis, one of the co-founders of Daring Bakers posted this on the 21st, “One of our own, Sher, of What Did You Eat?, passed away yesterday morning of a sudden heart attack. Sherry was an active blogger and her posts were always a joy to read. She was a wonderful friend, a beautiful woman, a devoted wife, mother and good friend.You can read a lovely tribute to her by one of her closest friends, Glenna, HERE.We’re going to miss you, Sherry!!!!! “
Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream, From Great Cakes by Carol Walter….…The Daring Bakers challenge this month was hosted by Chris @Melle Cotte
As the sweet Chris said, It’s one of those cookbooks (in the small bookstore within in my home) I am a bit fearful of. Honestly! Honestly, she scared me too, but went on to say she was already beginning to bake the cake to ‘troubleshoot’ any blips that may come up. How sporting & encouraging!! Just seeing her completed post egged me on to complete this daunting challenge. Check out the recipe at her blog HERE.
Filberts are unheard of here, so I went for almonds straight away. The gateau was easy to bake, came out beautifully, the ganache was a cake-walk…what got me to my knees was the buttercream. It made me WEEP!! I guess the culprit is the HOT HOT weather, & I admit I knew exactly what I was going in for. In fact, got onto this challenge after oscillating like a pendulum for days together. My madness is documented in my DB diary below. The gateau itself was a big hit & was polished off before I could say Jack Robinson!! A tad sweet by my standards, but a wonderful, elegant gateau for cooler days. Lovely!!
Thanks a lot Chris, & my apologies for oscillating! Would have been my loss entirely!
dear diary… 7 July 08 : Have been swinging wildly this month since the Db challenge has been announced. Am desperately trying to cut down on the amount of butter & cream in sweet nothings…& being a DB certainly isn’t helping! Eventually decided to give it a pass, but some strange magnetism draws me back to the forum at regular intervals. The pictures of cake posted by the host, Chris @ Melle Cotta, swung me back to taking up the challenge. This is really very addicitive, this baking thing, & must confess that the family has never seen a better year! Sweet & fruitful in every sense. The exilarating feeling after last months challenge, Danish pastry, has convinced me to go ahead too. DH, who is witness, mostly mute, to my ungainly fickle behaviour, nodded positively when I said “How will I know the beauty of the cake unless I give it a shot? Last month’s Danish pastry taught me this lesson!” He nodded too receptively & far too bright-eyed… I think he enjoys being part of this drama that emerges every month.
19 July 08: Dear DB diary…2 weeks later panic has struck. Time is of the essence & I’m not even started as yet. It’s Saturday & I have been mysteriously struck with laryngitis…so no voice to express myself. In other words, no voice to YELL!! Kids are pleased & over the moon; I am distressed & cannot bake. Feeling like it’s a Bridget Jones type of moment again…aaaaaaaaargh!!
20 July 08:More panic…whatever shall I do. Nothing seems to happen with the kids at home. Tomorrow is THE DAY!! Bookmarked!! At least the cake HAS to be baked!! Firm resolve. All I comfortably have on hand is a bag of almonds & clarified butter…YAY!!
21 July 08: Lack of time looms large…but today has been bookmarked to make a definite beginning. The cake is finally in the oven, with the heart in the mouth, because electricity has been playing up of late. I am even practicing how to react if it gets up & goes halfway thorugh…real drama in my mind. Shall I just present a half-baked wonder & tell my tale on the blog; do I have the ‘get up & go’ to get up & make another one? Being a DB is not childs’ play…this is serious business. Realised it on my first challenge; confirmed & reconfirmed it on every subsequent one!! O woebegone me…hope I live to tell my tale!! 5 minutes to go & the almond genoise shall be popped out of the oven. Halfway daring if nothing else!! Ciao for now, diary my dear!!
P.S. Just came back to let you know that electricity upped & awayed 10 minutes after the cake was done…providential escape!! Must have done something good sometime to have narrowly missed high drama. Now the sponge is safely in the fridge, swathed in cling wrap & a plastic bag. Maybe, I shall endeavour to embark on the next step in a day. Got 3 days in the fridge!! Woohoo…
22 nd July 08 : Huge moment of indecision; am down with the viral & can feel the panic setting in. Can’t make it today…maybe the freezer is a safer place. So now…phew…the blessed thing is sitting happy in the freezer.
25th July 08:5 days to go & the DB pressure has been steadily building. What if all I have is a cake sans frosting…panic again. Praline time early in the morning. Doesnt become pasty as the recipe says, but is pretty close to it. Weather update : HOT HOT HOT; humidity 87%. NOT a good time to frost, but little choice left;the cake’s out of the freezer. SOB!! No way will buttercream come together after reading so many buttercream horror stories, so I’ve decided to go the whipped cream way. See you in a bit…
Am back & am ready to run away…migrate to the Southern hemisphere if need be. The whipped cream BROKE UP big time after the praline went in…so the freezer is busy again. The cream is in there!! Made the ganache, which is my all time favourite way of frosting…but no longer. Things are melting faster than the moments left to the deadline, & I’ve decided I hate frosting! The kitchen is HOT…only saving grace is that the kids are at school & DH is at work. I could SCREAM!! Am trying to calm down; this is a challenge after all…
OK, am back again. Have patched the cake together with melted marmalade & melted whipped cream, poured the ganache over it. At 37 degrees C in the kitchen, hardly needed to grate the bar of chocolate to decorate my poor gateau…it almost dripped all over the cake. I drizzled the praline buttercream over the cake…looks so sad. It’s back in the fridge as I’m getting outta here…don’t think I can take it!
2 hours later, am back. Chris’s words are still ringing in my mind. The praline has to be on the cake in some form & buttercream too. So, there is loads of praline paste/powder left…I’ve stuck it into the sides.Have also made some buttercream which I’ve piped on in a hurry. Topped the cake with a few flakes & almonds to make it look halfway decent…& I”M DONE!! This is definitely a winter cake. Will take it across to my parents place this eve…baked this for a belated birthday for my Dad. We shall know tomorrow, the fate of this DB.
26th July 08: What an absolutely beautiful day…Cake cut & devoured quite happily last night.
Was a little on the sweeter side. This despite the fact that I didnt use even a 1/4 of the sugar syrup, & halved the preserves. Shouldn’t have sweetened the whipped cream I think. Otherwise, was a brilliantly soft & moist cake with a subtle flavour. Almonds, chocolate & orange really compliment each other beautifully…but there wasn’t a very pronounced almond flavour, even though I used loads of almonds. This is definitely a winter cake & will taste most yummy in cooler weather. The sponge had a lovely nutty yet light texture & the whole cake disappeared too soon. Maybe the next time I make it, will add ground almonds sans praline to the whipped cream, like I’ve done
here, in this Chocolate Cloud Orange Gateau. That way the cream will stay firmer & less sweet too. Otherwise, a very elegant cake, with a load of work….a challenge indeed!
Thank you Chris, a delightful choice & a challenging bake. Do also stop by at other Daring Bakers across the blogospherehere& check out their delightful Gateaux & tales!!
