Chocolate Cake for Rainy Days

Hi there!!!

Welcome back to my blog. This week was an interesting one. I told you previously that we would have several final examinations before we receive our diplomas and this week, we basically designed a dessert. The requirements are to make an entremet, which is a multi-layered, multi-textured cake, using at least 15 ingredients from a provided list. It wasn't easy but it wasn't as hard as I expected.

We showed up Tuesday and had a workshop dedicated to brainstorming. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to make, because I was missing two ingredients. In the end, the chef suggested ideas and I was able to fully figure out my dessert. During our final, we are supposed to make a cake and two individual ones, which we will plate, decorate and turn in for tasting.

Doing my recipe research

That day we also had a cheese lecture. We are required to attend these lectures as they are part of the diploma's qualification. It was our last lecture on the subject and the cheeses we got to taste were fantastic!!! I see myself buying the whole lot in the future. 

I hope you can read the names...so yummy

So we show up Wednesday morning, prepared to bake. It took me a while to start, as I was contemplating on what steps to take first. I then realized that I was completely on my own, as everyone has a different dessert. I made my filling, proceeded to bake the sponge and then baked the base. I began to stress, because we had 50 minutes left and I still needed to make my mousse. I hurried and bustled all around the kitchen and when it was done, all I had to do was leave it to set. The chef announced it was break time, yet half of us were still working. Some left, some like me, remained another ten minutes. I began to worry because the mousse wasn't setting and I asked the chef for help. Because the mousse I chose was a bavarois, the setting takes a bit more time. He said it was almost ready, and I could assemble the cake. I then encountered my second problem. My filling was a caramel one, tweaked so as not to have it stone hard. It had been in a mold to adjust to the shape but it stuck and the chef suggested I pipe it. With his help, I managed to assemble the cake, only to encounter my third problem. The mousse recipe was not enough to fill the ring entirely. The chef suggested I use a shallow ring during my final. I left with the kitchen with ten minutes remaining in my break. I needed to breathe.

We came back, baked our tuiles and made our chocolate decorations. We would finish the cake the following day, when he would taste the entremets and give us feedback. The following day, we simply made the glaze (mine smelled like brownies...so yummy) and decorated the cake. The cakes had been kept chilled all night and to my surprise, the mousse still wasn't set. The biggest shock was seeing that the filling had sunk to the bottom and was oozing out. I immediately glazed my cake, removed the ring and decorated it. I was the first in line for the tasting and was relieved when I received the critics. All in all, the cake was good the chef said. Yes, I do need to change my mousse recipe and perhaps change the filling as it makes the cake too sweet, but good all the same. I now feel more prepared for the challenge that will be out final exam. This week we have our first exam: bread module. Wish us luck!!!

The girls having a taste of my chocoholic's heaven cake :)

Friday went by so quickly as we only has a technical class and then it was the weekend. I  had boughten a pumpkin a few days ago and decided to carve it out. I wanted to make a  Jack Skellington design, but the shape wasn't ideal, so I carved it out looking happy. It was a fun process and I think the outcome was great. Ever tried carving one? Jot it down on your to-do list.

Boo? No, he's too happy :)

Saturday we were invited to a Latin-American Gastronomic Fair and I was so glad to have attended. After pizco sours, pasties, and a box of brigadeiros (one of the many joys of life: Brazilian chocolate sweets), I was basically in a food coma. Still, I had dinner at Bento Cafe (japanese spring rolls and Lion King Maki...heaven) and enjoyed every last bite. 

After a short but restful night's sleep, Sunday greeted us with a gray sky. I have to say I love rainy days.   With coffee and pancakes, the day shaped up to be a calm one. Soon it was 5 pm. I headed out and met with friends. We ate at La Bodega Negra's Cafe and had tacos and refried bean dip. We finished off with spoonfuls of cinnamon ice cream and apple tart. Not a bad day at all. For those of you interested, check it out. We plan on going to La Bodega Negra sometime, (it's soooo busy!!!) so for now, we are glad we tried the cafe. Good food and good company, it just doesn't get any better. My time here in London is quickly coming to an end and I hope I come to think of my time here as fully lived.

La Bodega Negra

10 Old Compton Street W1D 4

020 7758 4100

I hope you all had a lovely weekend, despite the rain (for those of you who aren't fans) and I wish you all a great start of the week. 

Sweet Dreams

xx