Heavenly Cake Baker is a new project I have been waiting ever so patiently to embrace into my kitchen. I can only say that the ones who knew me then and now could understand my enthusiasm. You see, on the 27th April this year, I was blessed to find a treasure of a cake bible by this indescribable LADY whose name is Rose Levy Beranbaum. "It was as if "HE" schemed it"! I say indescribable because I have never learnt so much about baking from a single book. Her book rich with information and techniques was enough to graduate a passionate amateur like myself. It's like bringing a whole culinary school into my kitchen and mind you - I'm not finished yet. Thanks to Rose Levy, I have grown in leaps and bounds! So when I came to know about this wonderful project, there was no stopping me from enlisting myself. This is our week's assignment.
In Malaysia, you can get 99% of anything to do with baking so you can imagine my dismay when after running around the country side, would you believe it - there was no unsweetened chocolate. I mean, we have chocolate galore in this country! The reason I refuse to substitute unsweetened chocolate with bittersweet chocolate is because this was going to be my first attempt to make a Chocolate Caramel Ganache. The result...is my current favourite Chocolate Ganache!
For the cake I decided to go with a heart shape because chocolate with chocolate can get a little plain. This is also my first chocolate cake with oil and butter and while it's delicious, I might prefer it with just butter.
I was going to get a group of my lady friends to sample the cake for tea but due to some change of plans they might only get to try it tomorrow. It would be interesting though to get their feedback because as I'm having it now, the whole cake seems to be more of a match now than it did this evening.
Meanwhile, Jen's HomeKitchen panel of testers say the following...
Tasha - Ain't no chocolate lover but I sure love this cake
Babs - Deliciously rich
Vanessa - I like the ganache
Ben - Auntie, I like your cake because it's not sweet
Neala - Emmm...delicious
Thank you Marie for adding me as a Heavenly Cake Baker!
31st August aka Malaysia Independence Day - My lady friends made it over and they just loved the cake. True to my suspicion, it does get better over time.
Patti - I am not a fan of Ganache but this.. is gorgeous
Corrine - Not the usual chocolate cake, the cake and ganache marries well
Stephanie - smooth and delicious
so I got to tell them my story...about Marie and Heavenly Cake Bakers and of course Rose...I'm hoping that Marie will welcome them onboard...the ladies have gone hunting for Rose's heavenly Cakes!
