Deep Chocolate Passion Cake/The Foote-Patterson Wedding

Jan 17, 2007 | From the kitchen of Rose

This is the first time I’ve ever made a wedding cake away from my own home kitchen so back in August I started compiling long lists of essential ingredients and equipment necessary for the task. I forgot one indispensable item, however, until 2 days before I was due to fly out to S.F. as I was visualizing the whole process in my mind’s eye—a heavy duty turntable. Luckily my friends Caitlin and Meg from Miette Bakery jumped in generously loaning me their best, most smoothly turnable turntable. Caitlin also managed to find me the Green and Black cocoa which is my favorite and had been sold out at Whole Foods.

I also couldn’t have managed this complex cake without the help and moral support of my dear friend Diane Boate, aka the Cake Lady of S.F. who also took these excellent photos, and her long time very significant other Robert Myers who cheerfully stood by always ready to chauffer us back and forth to Daniel Patterson’s new restaurant Coi where he was preparing both the rehearsal dinner and his wedding dinner for 135 while I on the opposite side of the kitchen was making the cake (what a sport)! And finally, if not for the loan of their neighbor’s microwave, I’d still be there trying to get the glaze to the exact right temperature! The cake took 16 hours to complete—12 hours the first day as the layers needed to be baked, syruped, and frosted a day ahead of glazing. Day two was the glazing, insertion of the straws support for tiering, and day three was packing the layers so that they wouldn’t touch the sides of the boxes during transport to the hilly headlands! Then of course the hair-raising business of tiering the layers on top of each other and attaching the chocolate twigs en site with people watching.

Diane Boate

This cake, which is a ground-breaking new cake that I’ve been working on for months for my upcoming book “Rose’s Heavenly Cakes”—Fall 2008, is a chiffon type of chocolate cake that fills the pan only about one-third full and in the last 10 minutes of baking magically rises to the very top. It is moist and dense, yet light, and tender and deeply chocolaty hence the name “Deep Chocolate Passion Wedding Cake.” The baked layers are brushed with a milk chocolate syrup and then masked with a dark chocolate ganache. Then each layer is glazed with a “Dark Chocolate Lacquer Glaze” that is as shiny as a baby grand piano. The finished cake weighed in at about 17 pounds off the presentation stand. (It felt like an athletic event!)

Milk Chocolate Syruping the Cake

Frosting the Cake, Bob Myers Looking on (about to Lick the Whisk)

The Glazed Layers

The wedding took place at the Marin Headlands Art Center and the theme was a rustic winter wedding. Much to my delight, the beautiful and gracious bride Alexandra Foote (who is an environmental lawyer) had the good taste to request an all chocolate cake and asked if I could somehow incorporate curly willow branches as the décor. Thank goodness for Google—I found chocolate twigs made with ValRhona chocolate that were dramatic and delicious. Lacking that, I would have been tempted to pipe chocolate meringue twigs but feared the possible S.F. humidity would cause them to droop (more than curly willow would have).

Rose at the Headlands about to Tier the Layers (Note the Straw Supports)

To my delight, guests included dear friends and colleagues Paula Wolfert and husband Bill Bayer (the renowned detective writer), Harold Mcgee (“On Food and Cooking”), Kathleen, Ed, and Aaron Weber of Della Fattoria (they supplied the bread) and perfumer Mandy Aftel who was Daniel’s co-author of "Aroma." It was the most original and enjoyable wedding I've ever attended. And the highlight for me, in addition to meeting some wonderful people was the enchanting little flower girl Sarah, looking like a confection herself in her pink dress, who hugged me around the knees exclaiming “I LOVE your CAKE!” I was also vastly relieved when Daniel pronounced that the cake exceeded his expectations. (I was almost afraid he’d never talk to me again after having so disrupted his kitchen and wedding preparations.) The truth: In all due modesty the cake exceeded my expectations as well! It was the best gift I could offer to two dear friends one of whom is a chef whose work I so deeply admire.

Sarah, The Flower Girl

Rose and the Webers of Della Fattoria

The Weber's Bread from Della Fattoria

The wedding dinner included delicious and tender Broken Arrow Ranch wild boar sous vide, Grimaud guinea fowl en crepinette (lacy caul fat), and several different wines, my favorite of which was the NV Sean Thackery Pleiades XV, Bolinas. By happy coincidence I was sitting opposite the wine maker! The tables were also graced by custom-blended perfume by Mandy Aftel (black pepper, pink grapefruit, cocoa, coffee, agarwood, cedar, nutmeg, Peru balsam)

The after dinner coffee was extraordinarily good: Blue Bottle (available on line). And finally came the cake cutting ceremony after which it was whisked into an adjoining back room. The cake was cut and plated under my “mother of the cake supervision” but before it could be brought out to the serving area, most of the guests had stormed in and it vanished within minutes.

The Cake Cutting Ceremony

ninu in reply to comment from Rose Levy Beranbaum
02/11/2010 12:19 PM

Im so so sorry to bother you again!! but i tried making ganache.. lets just say i dint plan ahead. i realised when the carmel was bubblign that my butter wasnt at room temp, so i quickly put it out. also i went through the ganache proportions like u said and i figured instead of 1/2 cup and 2 and 1/2 TBSP OF cream maybe i would need that plus 4 TBSP more. does that make any sense rose? please help , im so hopeless at this!!! anyway so my htermometer moved up and down and jumped out of the pan a couple o times when i was doign somethin on the counter nearby ( i have a small kitchen) and then there was a lot of sugar candy that had collected at the tip, i dont know if thats the reason but my caramel mix turned really really relly dark and started smoking!!!! much before it turned anywhere near the 188C MARK....it looks really really dark and it dint smell candyish anymore, started smellin horribly burnt, so i addded the cream and folowed on, but in the end when i tasted it , it tasted bitter and had this grainy texture, i gather this is cause of the temp diff, it was at that point i realised not only ws my buttr cols but so was my cream.sigh anyway... now i ve put everything out again to try again when my cream and sugar are at room temp, i so hope u reply soon! and im so so SO SORRY about the gargantuan post!

Rose in reply to comment from ninu
02/10/2010 04:49 PM

45 definitely won'ot work. 65% might be ok. check the chart on ganache and cream proportions in the book. you might want to add a little ceram.

ninu
02/10/2010 02:59 PM

hey rose, i ve run into a lil hiccup again today...unfortunately the only good quality chocolate i can find here right now is lindt 65 percent or lindt dark which is 45 %. Whereas the midnight ganache is supposed to use 60 % according to heavenly cakes...so ermm...will i be too dark if i use 65? and will the texture change if i go with 45 instead?

hector
09/22/2009 10:21 PM

Rose's new book has a great version of this cake in cupcakes. here is a short video segment when i baked these with my niece

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFOcjdhUJwY

Dana
03/10/2009 11:19 AM

I am interested in how you would construct a wedding cake from cookies.

Dana
03/10/2009 11:16 AM

So how would you make a wedding cake out of cookies. My piano teacher wants to have the wedding cake made of cookies. Any ideas? Dana

jennifer
10/20/2008 11:52 AM

HI Gail,
You won't have to use as much color and remember that the color will darken as it rests. Why not try and convince your client that their guests won't look very good with black teeth; that they should skip the black and go with the lovely rich dark chocolate? THis is the tack I take whenever someone wants black or dark red. Food color will always make a frosting more bitter. The darker the color the more flavor it will impart. This is also a feature you can express to your client.

good luck!

jennifer

Gail
10/17/2008 06:22 PM

I noticed you mentioned black cocoa. I've never heard of this but I have a wedding cake to do with black icing. My question is if I use the black cocoa will I need to use as much black food coloring?I've had people tell me they use chocolate icing so they don't have to use as much black food coloring but also if I use this will it make the icing bitter? Thanks for any help or suggestions I can get!!!

sonal agrawal
10/12/2008 11:29 AM

u did a grt job... cake seems so delecious............

Edmund Davis-Quinn
04/16/2008 08:14 AM

What a cool piece .. Wasn't able to get to my cousin, Alexandra Foote's wedding but that cake sounds unbelievable.

Edmund Davis-Quinn

Elicia
09/10/2007 09:51 PM

Thks Matthew, that was useful info. Will let you know the outcome of my test batch!

Matthew
09/10/2007 12:22 PM

Elicia,
Grapefruit has an acidity level about right in the middle between a lime and and orange, so you might try the average of the two recipes. I don't know about the zest--maybe just taste some and see what you think.

Elicia
09/10/2007 12:09 PM

Fruit mousseline seems to get requested by my customers all the time - they love the raspberry buttercream and the passionfruit curd buttercream... and now I have a specific request for grapefruit curd. Since I've yet to work with grapefruit, wonder if anyone can advise me on which of the curd variations in the PPB to follow? I think I can follow the Seville orange curd proportions as grapefruit is quite citrusy... What abt the rind - wld grapefruit rind be too bitter?

Elicia
06/15/2007 09:04 AM

Oh Matthew, Lovely mangolicious cake! I also search for new cake fillings and ideas from the PBB! I have a great mango charlotte recipe which wld be lovely if redecorated as per your cake. Am really tempted to attempt it next!

Patrincia
06/12/2007 10:49 AM

Matthew - thanks for the photo of the cake slice - I truly appreciate when someone takes the time to cut a cake properly (in my circles I think I'm the only person who cares about such things, but on this blog I know I'm not alone).

As for not knowing if you will fill the layers of your next mango passion cake with passion curd or buttercream, why don't you do a combination of the two.

Hector
06/12/2007 12:11 AM

Matthew, thank you for sharing a slice. I find a picture of a sliced cake as close as eating one. You can see the wonderful texture and shape as well as how it plates wonderfully.

Matthew
06/11/2007 11:12 PM

Cindy, yes I used an apricot glaze. You can find the full instructions for making the rose in the Pie and Pastry Bible. I would estimate the rose took 30 to 45 minutes including slicing the mangoes. My only tip beyond the P&PB instructions is to choose mangoes that are ripe but firm, with no soft places. This makes slicing the "petals" much easier. I used thicker slices for the outside and went progressively smaller.

I had another piece tonight and I liked the combination of the curd cream against the cake better, so perhaps I won't switch to all buttercream next time afterall--but a band of buttercream across the middle might be even better. Here is a picture of a slice from tonight--the mangoes hold up pretty well even after a day.

cindy
06/11/2007 08:46 PM

Bravo, Metthew, the mango looks so shiny with lust. Did you glaze it or not. Is there a tip of how the individual mango petal should be like to make such a wonderful "mango Rose" How long does the assembling takes? Thanks for sharing.

Matthew
06/11/2007 05:52 PM

Sure--I started from the outside and moved in. One more thing, if I make this again, I would use all buttercream. The curd cream is wonderful in the context of the tart. When the proportion of cake increases however, the flavor gets covered--but the buttercream held its own.

Patrincia
06/11/2007 05:34 PM

Matthew - one more question about your beautiful mango cake... did you start arranging the mangoes in the center or along the outside edge?

Patrincia
06/11/2007 05:23 PM

Matthew - good thinking!

Matthew
06/11/2007 05:09 PM

That's a good question. No, the design staid in place when cut with a sharp knife. I did not frost the top of the cake so any liquid from the mangoes or apricot glaze would be absorbed by the genoise. I think the genoise also gripped the mango slices and held them in place.

Patrincia
06/11/2007 04:18 PM

Matthew - was your Mango Passion Cake hard to slice? (without destroying your design)

Hector
06/11/2007 03:12 PM

Matthew, The simpler things can be the best. I like your Mango Passion Cake VERY much! You placed the mango slices similar to Rose's apple pie, making a Rose! signature dish. I am obligated to make this mango/passion delight since we can get very good mango and passion fruit locally. Thanks for sharing.

Matthew
06/11/2007 02:19 PM

The cake contains four 3/4 inch layers of génoise classique brushed with rum and filled with passion fruit curd cream. The outside is passion fruit mousseline buttercream.

Theresa
06/11/2007 02:09 PM

Matthew, that is a beautiful cake! What kind of cake/filling/frosting is underneath those mango slices?

Rose
06/11/2007 12:44 PM

agree--totally stunning and original!!!

Patrincia
06/11/2007 12:08 PM

Oh Matthew, your cake is just fabulous looking! Excellent-excellent job!

Matthew
06/11/2007 12:58 AM

Rose,
I wanted to share a photo of the Mango Passion Cake I made this weekend, inspired by your Mango Passion Tart in the Pie Bible. I made the tart last week, and it was out of this world! I also made the passion fruit ice cream from the Pie Bible and served it with this cake.

Hector
05/20/2007 12:53 AM

I've sent them an email almost right away. Will keep you posted if I get a reply. /H

Rozanne
05/19/2007 11:56 AM

Patricia,
I wasn't sure if you or anyone else wanted a copy but I knew for sure Hector did. I'll mention it in my e-mail now that I know.
Rozanne

Patrincia
05/19/2007 09:57 AM

Rozanne - why don't you mention that there are many people on the blog who would be interested in getting a copy.

Rozanne
05/19/2007 09:36 AM

Rose, thank you so much for that information. It's very helpful.

Hector, do you want me to mention in my e-mail that you are interested in obtaining a copy as well?

Rozanne

Rose
05/18/2007 03:34 PM

you could both try contacting the producer. maybe for a price they'd do it as they own the production and have the tapes so it shouldn't be such a big deal to make copies. they may not want to bother with it though. still--worth trying: marjorie@mpptv.com and copy alec@mpptv.com.

Hector
05/18/2007 01:05 PM

Hi Rozanne, I am after Baking Magic, too!! No luck so far, my local PBS don't have it.

Rozanne
05/18/2007 09:55 AM

Hector,
Did you have any luck getting your hands on the Baking Magic series? If you do let me know. I'd love to have a copy as well. I have been looking too but with no luck so far.
Rozanne

Rose
05/17/2007 06:37 PM

thanks hector!

Hector
05/17/2007 01:51 PM

I've just got the book A Passion for Chocolate. AWESOME!!! Nice job that Rose did as a translator/adapter after writing Cake Bible.

Rose
05/06/2007 07:44 PM

i have two terrific ones in my upcoming book fall 2008. thanks for asking.

A. Wood
05/06/2007 07:43 PM

I have not noticed a recipe for coconut cake in your book. You have recipes that use it as a filling, but not directly into the batter of the cake. Can you share a recipe with coconut flakes or coconut milk in the batter of the cake?

Rose
02/22/2007 11:33 AM

you need to add flour.

Juliana
02/22/2007 11:23 AM

Is it possible to make the Cloud Roll without any chocolate, just the sponge alone? Do I need to add something or reduce something?

Rose
02/22/2007 10:38 AM

chocolate has very little if any moisture but it does provide a lot of structure from the starch in the cooca solids. it can't be replaced with purée.

Juliana
02/22/2007 10:34 AM

Hi Rose,

Do you know the percentage of moisture in chocolate?
I am thinking of replacing the bittersweet chocolate in your Chocolate Cloud Roll recipe with strawberry puree. Can I just replace with an equal weight of strawberry puree or do I need to reduce the puree and add flour? I don't want to use wheat flour because I want to keep it gluten-free.
Could you give me some guidelines so that if I have to experiment with the recipe, at least I know I am going in the right direction?
Thanks.

bonnie mochun
01/31/2007 07:38 AM

I am learnig to make handcut donuts. Why do some of them rise upright and some rise looking like the leaning tower of pisa? I am careful about rolling the dough evenly.

Rose
01/25/2007 09:44 AM

i must have a sexy brain bc the names popped right out of it!

Jeffrey aka Johnny Blisters
01/25/2007 08:22 AM

Rose, Id like to see some desserts with a choolate // or oreo crust, covered in white chocolat ganach and a pre made 9 (inch) creme brulee bottom and a (royal) 12 yolks to a quart creame, second layer, and a white chocolate mouss for the third layer. Thanks. p.s. you never explained where you got some of those sexy names, in your early book,xoxox

Rose
01/24/2007 10:06 PM

and this time you MUST send a photo!!!

Christine
01/24/2007 09:46 PM

Rose, I am so happy you shared the photos of the process of making the cake. It makes me feel good to know that your work space looks like mine when I'm assembling a cake. I'm a passionate amateur, and I often get a case of the jitters when I'm making a cake for a special occasion. I thought it was just due to the fact that I'm not a professional, but I am now comforted by the fact that even professionals get nervous. Also, I can't wait for the chocolate glaze recipe to come out in your 2008 book. I designed and made a piano-shaped cake for my daughter last year, using recipes from Cake Bible. The cake looked fantastic (especially the keyboard), but I just couldn't get the ganache frosting to come out as smooth and shiny as I had hoped. So I did a bunch of Baroque-style piping all over the cake --- it looked good enough for Bach! When you finally publish that lacqueur recipe, I will make the cake again and this time it will be a Steinway :)

Rose
01/24/2007 09:01 AM

thank you!

the glaze has to set so that when touched it doesn't leave a fingerprint. the rest is all in the cake bible. i'm been accused of "too much information" but never in keeping secrets!

Su Ching
01/24/2007 03:49 AM

Dear Rose,

I'm amazed at your creativity and productivity! You're probably busy like crazy all the time with the amount of recipe testing you do. I want to say thank you for sharing all your findings so explicitly in your books, it has saved me tons of money taking courses or enrolling in expensive schools.

I'm very curious about one thing -- how did you manage to stack up the tiers after giving them such a perfect looking glaze, without somehow scarring the glaze on the lower tier? I'm making wedding cakes for friends this year and would love to know your little secrets. It's always the final stacking and decorating that almost makes me faint from holding my breath, and I often make horrible mistakes that I scramble to repair after!

Dianne, The Cake Lady , and Rose cake photographer
01/19/2007 07:05 PM

I agree with Rose ,Never Again, except that I have committed to do something special for the San Francisco Balboa Theater 70-ish birthday party in February. Last year I made a 3 tiered "cake" our of packaged shortbread cookies, thanks to Walkers. I never like to say what I am going to do until it is done, because in baking, and other things with deadlines, all the good ideas seem to come at the last of the project.

Rose
01/19/2007 04:29 PM

sarah you darling girl--i'm so glad you got to see it! wasn't that a great picture of you and the cake! i hope i get to meet you again and i know you'll do many interesting things in addition to making cakes when you grow up!

Sarah the flower girl
01/19/2007 03:54 PM

Hello Rose, I just screamed my head off when my mom showed me my picture on your website. The cake was so so so so so so so DU LI SHUS!! and good. I want to bake cakes like that when i grow up.

Rose
01/19/2007 03:32 PM

bc i knew it wouldn't have risen up so high in a 10 inch. and the main reason to make it in a larger pan is simply that it does shrink in--all cakes do to some degree so if you baked it in a 9 inch pan you wouldn't end up with a 9 inch round.

josh/anonymous
01/19/2007 03:25 PM

so THAT's why you say to bake it in 2 10 inch pans and cut it with a scissor!! i thought that idea was so crazy...why not bake it in the same size pan as the springform in which i'd assemble the torte? (by the way how did you know i baked it in a 9-inch pan???)

thx.

Rose
01/19/2007 03:14 PM

betty, by the way, looks sure are deceiving aren't they. in those pictures i see i looked calm as could be! and also by the way, we were talking about how much we admire YOU!

Rose
01/19/2007 03:12 PM

yo anonymous: where was it written (and it wasn't) that this cake could be baked in a 9 inch pan (and it can't be as you discovered) this cake is so low in flour it can't support a high rise without collapsing. but the bright side of having done it as that you will not forget! theory is one thing but nothing like the experience to teach us. actually a fallen chocolate cake can be quite delicious!

Rose
01/19/2007 03:08 PM

oh betty-- wish you had been there. only bob was calm though dianne was calmer than i was--actually that's not true, only i wasn't calm! after about 10 hours dianne was starting to say "can't we frost the cake tomorrow and go home now" but when paul, sommalier and daniel's partner started bringing out the wines bob was content, then diane joined him and when the cakes were finally out of harms way i had a glass too!

betty fussell
01/19/2007 02:52 PM

Rose and Dianne and Bob to lick the pan. What a triumphant threesome! Great to see you all looking so calm and collected in the face of this masterpiece of nature and art. As someone who hopes my pound cakes will come through without disaster, I'm full of awe at your achievements.

Anonymous
01/19/2007 12:48 PM

i baked the cake in two round cake pans, and when it was still in the oven, it was quite tall. once i removed it is when it began to shrink back. perhaps horrendously is a bit too strong of a word here...but the cake did loose about 2 inches in height. i didn't look over what you had written as to the height of the finished cake...and it is indeed about 1/2 inch. i didn't overbake it because it was very moist and flexible even when i removed it from the pan. what i was intrested in though is what causes the cake to shrink, and you answered that part. thanks.

Rose
01/19/2007 12:12 PM

what do you mean a beautiful tall cake--i give the finished size and the height is 1/2 inch. it's an egg based cake, i.e. high amount of egg so it will shrink back when baked. horrendously? maybe you over -baked it.

josh
01/19/2007 11:57 AM

when making the chocolate biscuit for your ice cream torte with cherries and kirsch, i found that as soon as i removed the cakes from the oven, they shrunk back horrendously. it all happend within 7 or 8 seconds...a beautiful tall cake, the sides began to pull away from the pan, and the whole thing deflated. is this supposed to happen (i know the cake is supposed to be short) and what is it that actually causes the cake to shrink so much?

Rose
01/18/2007 09:36 PM

glori,
that's certainly a good question. when i studied at wilton they told me the rule of thumb is to multiply the ingredients by 5 to determine the price. more if it's more elaborate.
the way i look at it, my effort far exceeded the cost of the ingredients which were all the very best available. if i had to charge for a cake like this it would be in the neighborhood of $5000. and you know what: if someone offered me that to make the cake i still wouldn't do it!
i suspect a cake like this is made either as a gift, or by the people getting married. or for people like donald trump who might be willing to pay the price!

glorianne p
01/18/2007 09:26 PM

rose, i hate to sound redundant with all the praise you have here, but that is such a lovely cake! the glaze has the most perfect sheen to it, and the willow branches are a marvelous idea.

i am a part-time baker, and i bake wedding cakes and special occasion cakes of the such for customers. the question i have is that i never seem to break even on the cost...sometimes i'll SPEND $100 or more on ingredients for a wedding cake. especially with all the wonderful chocolate you used, and of such a fine quality (you mentioned green & black), may i ask how expensive it was for you to bake this cake? i only find myself more and more frustrated in this area of my business...

regards,

glori.

Rose
01/18/2007 09:13 PM

thank you christine. never have i received so much delicious feed-back. i may have to reconsider my vow to do nothing larger than a 10 inch cake 1 layer cake!

Rose
01/18/2007 09:12 PM

myrna, what a thrill to hear from you! i was so happy to be part of your family celebration. it is an everlasting bond. you have a wonderful son and now a wonderful daughter-in-law. (who knows what treasures will come next!) so sweet of you to write.

Rose
01/18/2007 09:09 PM

thanks mari. the truth is i'm petite and i like to work small. i actually got out of breath when holding up the 12 inch and 9 inch layers to frost them.

Christine
01/18/2007 07:54 PM

Oh Rose!

That's a SPECTACULAR cake! That's simply, without a doubt, the most beautiful and yummy looking wedding cake I've ever seen in my life! I was looking forward to your new book before this, but now- I can't wait!

Myrna Patterson
01/18/2007 09:47 AM

Dear Rose

When you introduced yourself as "Rose" at the wedding, "the one who made the cake," and I, to you, as Daniel's Mom, I had no idea of what was forthcoming.

You are as modest as your cake was spectacular! (I knew the "twigs" were twigs, matching the stunning rustic decor). I have never tasted cake so delicious, or seen one so majestic.

Just when I thought that the wedding could not be more
exquisite, you arrived with the "piece de resistance."
Abundant thanks from an appreciative Mom.

Myrna Patterson
Cambridge, MA

Mari
01/18/2007 04:39 AM

I just wanted to say that it's good to know that you can still experience that a wedding cake can still be nerve racking even as a veteren. It looks like you did marvelous and sounds like you really enjoyed yourself, which is the point in the end. Good luck wrapping up your cookboodk, I look forward to purchasing it!

Rose
01/18/2007 12:07 AM

the recipe is a deep dark secret until fall of 2008!

Mark
01/18/2007 12:02 AM

Rose,
Wow! That is one incredible looking cake. The "twigs" were brillant! Do we have to wait for the book to be published, or is there any chance we could beg you to share the “Dark Chocolate Lacquer Glaze" recipe before the book is published? I don't think I can wait until 2008!

Rose
01/17/2007 11:49 PM

since i couldn't go to sleep without knowing i looked it up in my ancient cassels dictionary which, when i opened it just now for the first time in years, i discovered, was actually my brother's--at least it has his name written in it. but no pretzel! la rousse gastronomique, however, came through with the following: the french word for pretzel is bretzel! and it is defined as a crisp biscuit (cookie) from alsace, traditionally served with beer. i suspect that just as the origin of the croissant is claimed by many countries so is the pretzel.i guess a sure sign of greatness is when everyone wants to lay claim to it.

Rose
01/17/2007 11:39 PM

p.s. it finally sank in--all those comments about how the twigs looked like pretzels--why not decorate a cake with chocolate covered pretzels!!! (gateau au pretzels) i wonder what the word is in french.

Rose
01/17/2007 11:33 PM

what is that poem "...the best is yet to come."? i was about to turn off the computer so i could make it to bed before 1 am for a change and then saw your posting and am so glad to have opened it! thank you so very much. this glaze is truly a miracle. it so wonderful when taste does not disappoint despite the elaborate appearance. most cakes that require fussing aren't worth eating by the time one is done but this is an exception. i'm so excited about the book. in fact i'm meeting with the designer and editor tomorrow morning so i'd better get some sleep!

Renee Gleason
01/17/2007 11:23 PM

OH MY, Rose!! Just stunning! And I bet it tasted as good as it looked. I wish I had the recipe right now for the "Dark Chocolate Lacquer Glaze". No matter how hard I try, I can never make my chocolate glazes come even close to being that shiny and beautiful. I will be the first one in line to buy your new book.

Incidentally, I want to mention how much I have enjoyed baking out of your Christmas cookie book. This is my second Christmas that I've used it and I have to say that out of all the cookies and candies that I made this year (there were 17 varieties) yours were all on the top of the list as the best!! I have tried 8 of your recipes so far and they have all been fabulous!! It's so nice to have a trusted source I can go to for foolproof recipes. "Rose's Crescents", "Rugelach" and "Maple Macadamia Bars" are now new favorites to add to my holiday repetoire. And those "Lemon Butter Bars"--well, I'm without words! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Rose! It's a true pleasure to bake with you over the holidays. ;-)

And for those of you Christmas cookie fanatics like me out there, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is truly a treasure.

Rose
01/17/2007 11:03 PM

p.s.--one delicious tidbit i didn't remember to mention: diane boate is a docent at the conservatory in s.f. and a brilliant arranger of flowers so i asked her the day before the wedding how i should arrange the chocolate twigs. she is also a very spiritual person hence her reply: "the cake will tell you." (and indeed it did.)

Rose
01/17/2007 11:01 PM

thanks virginia, reeni, and jennifer. and by the way y'all--i didn't mean to torture you showing the cake when it's recipe is months away from publication but i HAD to share it and the wedding story NOW. i remember the days when people kept their best things secret. my assistant woody is instructed that if anything should happen to me before the book is out he will finish it so i promise it won't go with me to the grave!
funny story--the president of william morrow who published rose's christmas cookies wouldn't let me go rafting down the grand canyon until i handed in the manuscript. i didn't think he was kidding either so he had me really scared!

Rose
01/17/2007 10:55 PM

carla, the dean in high school told my mother i was a late bloomer or would be one and i thought she was just being polite. i'm glad you're keeping the dream alive. stay in good physical shape--this is strenuous work that requires stamina!

Rose
01/17/2007 10:53 PM

melinda, my single friends are all bakers so they can make their own wedding cakes! the fact that daniel so generously gave diane boate all the pans used for the cakes speaks volumes! he watched me make it and no doubt decided he was not going to be doing any in the near future! my friend caitlin at miette, when i was complaining to her of all the difficulties of constructing a wedding cake said "that's why we don't do them!"

Rose
01/17/2007 10:50 PM

amy, i secured each base to a larger base using a loop of strong packing tape. then i slipped a piece of double sided tape inbetween the loop to keep them from lifting should we hit a bump. probably unnecessary but after all that work i wanted to feel as secure as possible.
by doing this, the larger cardboard could move and touch the sides of the box but the cake layer sitting on the smaller cardboard would not.

Rose
01/17/2007 10:48 PM

roseanna--thank you for your enthusiasm--so sweet! yes the new book will include 5 wonderful new wedding cakes and it will be a miracle that it comes out in 2008 as doing accurate original recipes is mega laborious. the chocolate wedding cake pictured above is 9 single spaced pages long. the glaze recipe has been tweaked about 50 times by me and two friends: zach townsend in TX and woody wolston in MN. and that's just the glaze. the cake took numerous tries as well. and that's just one recipe. there are over 100 other ones! 2008 feels like just a moment away!

Rose
01/17/2007 10:43 PM

jeanne the raspberry twigs sound wonderful. glad to hear my friend albert uster continues to have such great taste in products!

Rose
01/17/2007 10:41 PM

josh, i have no idea if coconut butter would work but i doubt it. if you want to pipe the creme ivoire without using the cocoa butter version you need to keep your piping hand well iced--dipped in a bowl of ice water to avoid heating it up. but you should be able to find it--these days it even comes in small bits much easier to use than big blocks. try the chef warehouse--it's a great resource.

Rose
01/17/2007 10:37 PM

for all those of you who mentioned pretzels i have to say that in the photo i also though they resembled them! but in "real life" they really did look twiggy!

Rose
01/17/2007 10:35 PM

faye congratulations--i'm very proud to have inspired you to write your own book as my mentors before me (paula peck, maida heatter, james beard, and julia child) did me!

Jennifer
01/17/2007 09:03 PM

Oh Rose, this cake is so amazingly gorgeous--I can't wait for your next cake book! Do we really have to wait until 2008?

Reeni Espino
01/17/2007 07:04 PM

every mention of another cake from your new book is a little peek into a treat! I love chiffon cakes for tiering and I am looking forward to your treatment, especially the milk chocolate syrup! This incarnation is stunning and I'm sure you had more than one enthusiastic onlooker as the cake gots its willow branches.

Virginia Van Vynckt
01/17/2007 05:41 PM

What a marvelous cake! That chocolate glaze is a work of art in itself. I'm really looking forward to the new cake book. I've used the Cake Bible so much it's in tatters.

Carla Cooper
01/17/2007 05:09 PM

As an aspiring baking & pastry artist, I love reading and seeing your work! B&P classes will (I hope) begin for me next fall. I am also a later bloomer, but that's ok - seeing what you accomplish with the gorgeous cakes, etc. that you create helps keep the dream alive. [Now, I just need to nudge those kids aside so I can get in there and stick MY finger into that cake!;) ]
Keep 'em coming, Rose!
Carla

Amy
01/17/2007 04:54 PM

Wow!!! So how did you pack it so it wouldn't touch the boxes?

Melinda Pickworth
01/17/2007 04:14 PM

Rose, The cake is simply spectacular! What a wonderful wedding present. All your single friends will be lining up to get married, just so they can have a cake made by you. Cheers, Melinda

Roseanna D'Amico
01/17/2007 03:40 PM

Oh Rose, My first thought is that they were pretzels too. But aftering pondering for a few seconds I knew that couldn't be so. Thank you for all the useful info.

For those living in Southern Cal Surfas sells the cocoa butter in chips.

Rose, I understand your new book will be about larger cakes: is that true?? Do we have to wait for such a long time for it to be available? Honestly next fall is just too long!!

I am a self taught baker and very late bloomer. But Rose your books have helped me along the way. You have been one of my mentors along with Sarah from 911. Thanks,again Roseanna

Jeanne
01/17/2007 02:12 PM

Albert Uster carries the chocolate twigs - in an addictive dark chocolate raspberry version and a new milk chocolate version. They are wonderful to nibble on :) and I have to remind myself to only allow myself to eat the broken bits that aren't used for decoration on my mini-pastries, cakes and tarts!!

josh
01/17/2007 01:58 PM

hi rose!

i'm in search of cocoa butter for making creme ivoire deluxe, and so far, my search has turned up coconut butter (it's solid). is this a permissible substitute...i don't know about the melting point of coconut butter, as the low melting point of cocoa butter is the reason for its use in your recipe.

thank you.

ps. should i not find cocoa butter anywhere, is it still possible to pipe decorations using the regular creme ivore?

dianne
01/17/2007 01:25 PM

Here is the latest news about the cake episode: the pans used for making the cake are now Mine Mine Mine. Visiting the Coi restaurant yesterday I actually had the nerve to take Daniel some new soup I made.
Dianne, The Cake Lady

r Meyer
01/17/2007 01:21 PM

Anytime you want an onsite licker, let me know

Bob

Josh
01/17/2007 12:29 PM

this was just too funny to leave out: i ALSO thought the willows were made of pretzels! what an unusual and delightfully marvelous approach to a wedding cake!

Lola Lee Beno
01/17/2007 12:17 PM

Wow . . . the cake is gorgeous! I too thought these twigs were pretzels . . .

Anna
01/17/2007 11:26 AM

I actually thought those were chocolate covered pretzels on the cake before finishing reading the enty. Wow! I'm sure it was as delicious and it looks!

faye
01/17/2007 11:25 AM

Hi Rose,
I have just finished my first cookbook (FAYEFOOD) and I was thinking about all the people that have inspired me as a cook and a chef, and I wanted to thank you for the amazing job you do on your own cookbooks. I aspire to make people feel like I am in their kitchens with them to encourage them to cook a little, bake a little and get to know how good it can make you feel to do it yourself. Your books have taught me everything from the hard and fast science of what makes a recipe work to how to make a cookie crumb as delicate as the first snow. I knew nothing when I started working 14 years ago, and having a book I knew I could trust to read over and over again, gave me the confidence to make a career out of cake (and cooking). Thank you. Faye (fayefood.com)

Baby Bread--A Great New Technique

Away Until January 11th

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Welcome to Real Baking with Rose, the personal blog of author Rose Levy Beranbaum.

Spend A Moment with Rose, in this video portrait by Ben Fink.

Heavenly Cake Bake Along

Hector's Take on Rose's Cakes

Deep Chocolate Passion Cake/The Foote-Patterson Wedding