Hector's Preview Three from "Rose's Heavenly Cakes"
Sep 07, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
I just LOVE Hector's take on my cake(s)! I think this one, in all its simplicity, is totally stunning. Of course simplicity is the hardest thing to achieve as one can't hide errors. Congratulations Hector--you have out done yourself. (And wait until the next one--it will be the grand finale!)
from Hector himself:
I have the honor to preview Rose's new wedding cakes, and one clause is to make the cake as written in the book. But, you know me . . . nobody said I couldn't rename the cakes and make them my own, so here is a "Slice of Heaven." The orange slice comes from the first orange tree planted in Hawaii, circa 1700s and perhaps the first in North America!
The cake is the GRAND MARNIER WEDDING CAKE from the much anticipated book ROSE'S HEAVENLY CAKES. My project: 4 wedding cakes to preview, 365 days in the making. The progress: 3 wedding cakes completed, 1 more cake to preview by October 3 right after the book launches!
You must be wondering how to pipe perfect beads? These are VALRHONA LES PERLES chocolate drops, 55% , dark chocolate, perfectly shaped pearls. Just place them one by one on the cake which indeed takes much longer than piping! I am renaming this cake (once again) as LES PERLES, for my yellow kitchen catalog.
Now, let's bake. The cake recipe calls for Valrhona Les Perles, which I used but semisweet mini chocolate chips are listed as an alternative. First, coat Les Perles with some flour, then mix dry ingredients and some ground almonds, add the wet ingredients, then fold in the Les Perles. The batter uses about 5 tablespoons of orange zest but instead I used orange oil as one suggested alternative. I was skeptical, especially since I am good friends with an orange farmer an authority in Hawaii! Results? When adding the BOYAJIAN ORANGE OIL to the cake batter, I smelled I was inside an orange! It was orange heaven (sans the pollution, of course). The feeling was so great that I saved my mixer's beater in a ziplock bag and took it with me to the restaurant where I had dinner that evening!
The cake baked flat gorgeous. I used ROSE'S HEAVENLY CAKE STRIPS: 3 strips folded and held together with metal clamps per 12-inch cake pan. The cake rose exactly to double and as flat as a lake, all across. The Les Perles rose beautifully together with the cake batter; the bumpy blisters on the baked surface are the Les Perles. I have never seen a butter cake rise so even, especially on the 12-inch layer. I told Rose she wrote this recipe "flat gorgeous."
The cake is frosted with Grand Marnier Ganache, yummy! The monogram I applied for this special occasion was done with the 3M MPRO 110 MICRO PROJECTOR. The projector is as small as my hand, and it is so practical for cake decorating! It comes with video and computer cables. Most definitely, I traced the monogram with Les Perles! You know I don't specialize in sugar craft nor cake painting, but considering during the day I am a computer guy, now it is time to use some of that to baking!
You may have noticed my writing style has changed, just feeling a bit exhausted, of course, but saving energy when the actual book is in my hands. Enjoy the Grand Marnier Wedding Cake, make it as soon as you get the book. This cake isn't difficult, the hardest part is to find the Les Perles, for which I would recommend ordering them from http://www.chocosphere.com Also, it isn't a bad idea to have a good night sleep prior to monograming. Instead, I was running on solar power rather than good sleep because I served this cake for an aloha party where I also carved the lechon and run a full service Illy espresso bar!
Tasting impressions: "the flavor of this cake is so extremely well balanced: not too sweet, rich yet light, I could tell the orange and the Grand Marnier. The ganache was right on to kill, I could have this cake with a thinner layer of ganache in the filling because it is that good. The pearls are intriguing and look too beautiful to cut, how did you make them so perfectly round? I can see how each wedding cake on the new book is special and distinguished, if I get married I would need to have 3 wedding cakes: the mac nut banana cake, the lacquer glaze chocolate cake, and this one." There was one observation that I puzzled about: if you look carefully at the picture of the cake slice, you will notice pockets of pastiness. I puzzled with Rose, and she agrees that the pastiness comes from chopping the almonds too fine in the food processor. I should have watched youtube as a refresher! Please watch the PBS episode for the Grand Marnier Chocolate Chip cake.
Special thanks to Valrhona, Boyajian, 3M, and to Rose's Heavenly Cake Strips. Extra special thanks to Ken Love from Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers, whom I will be honoring at my next wedding cake preview from the book!
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hector
09/18/2009 01:41 PM
Julie, I tell you one thing, it is worth carefully choosing and measuring according to Rose's book when you get results like this! All layer cakes from the wedding cake chapter of the new book are "flat gorgeous." The amount of leavening, tenderness, and of course the silicone strips, are responsible. The exception is the banana cake; it rises flat gorgeous, but towards the end of the baking time, the center domes because of the strenth of the banana fibers!
YES, I move my butter from the freezer to my 62oF cellar. 65oF is the ideal to work with butter, so I just take it out a few minutes rather than hours! In the cellar, I also keep things like buttercream ready to use, chocolate snacks, slices of cake or pie I will eat the next day for breakfast, etc. Of course, if your home is at this temperature, then you don't need my cellar technique!
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Julie
09/18/2009 07:05 AM
Hector, that is one beautiful, perfectly flat and evenly golden cake layer! Can't wait to see the end result. And I love your little "butter" fridge set at 62- just think, no having to leave the butter out for hours.
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hector
09/17/2009 09:54 PM
hi Shimi, thanks for the reassurance. indeed, the les perles look so honored! valrhona wrote me a thank you note =)
cake tastes as great w/o grand marnier.
wait till you taste the golden dream or lemon almond luxury cake, similar cake but with lemon juice.
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Shimi
09/17/2009 09:49 PM
How did I forget to comment on this beautiful cake?? It's gorgeous Hector! Love the way you used the les perles. Haven't seen them yet in Malaysia, hope the importer brings it in.
The Grand Marnier cake is so perfectly flat, amazing! I really like the cake (although I make it without the GM) and am glad Rose has given a layer cake version in her new book.
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hector
09/17/2009 07:32 PM
I ought to share this picture with you, this is the 12" layer for the Grand Marnier Wedding Cake. Bakes flat gorgeous, took Rose many tests to convert this tube pan cake into a layer cake.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=86560&l=aec7173a27&id=100000084691742
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hector
09/11/2009 07:53 PM
i haven't stopped baking, here is a teaser picture for my 4th cake preview, the Golden Dream Wedding Cake.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=80361&l=fbd88bcb66&id=100000084691742
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Bill
09/11/2009 08:50 AM
Thanks for the smoothing tip Hector! I learn something every time I log on!
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hector
09/11/2009 02:49 AM
Thank you dear's. I did tell Varhona I was going to make great use of their Les Perles!
I am thinking in offering this cake exclusive as 12" for monograming. Anything smaller wouldn't monogram well unless the Les Perles come smaller which wouldnt make any more sense.
Now, this is law: to completelly smooth the cake frosting, ganache or buttercream, do as best as you possible can, then refrigerate about 20 minutes (not longer) and pass your angled icing spatula gently once more. If you start with a well chilled cake, then the frosting will chill as you go, so you may not need to do the 20 minutes.
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Rozanne
09/09/2009 10:20 AM
Fabulous cake Hector! Love the perles. It must have been so time consuming to place them.
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Sherrie
09/08/2009 10:48 PM
Divine! The monogram is spectacular and I want a bite of the cake--it looks absolutely luscious.
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hector
09/08/2009 06:02 PM
Julie, so glad to have you here, and completely agree that the monograms is exquisite. I borrowed the monogram from my chocolate friends, it isn't my own design, but i am certain this is the first with les perles, which by the way, my niece loves snacking on les perles when she comes to visit my kitchen. i have a stash in my wine cellar, at the perfect chocolate snacking temperature. Valrhona outdid themselves with les perles, best tasting, but i've read that guittard will also make them. valrhona les perles is found only thru chef's resources in huge bags, but www.chocosphere.com will sell you their own repackaged quantities, a great service! YES, gm & chocolate goes well together, as done on cake bible all these years. i feel right now to make this cake again... i only have 2 slices in my freezer left!
Bill, so glad you stopped by, and so glad you have the book as per your forum posting, and already baked with it.
Daphne, you are very very welcome! shall I mail you a slice? I have 2 on my freezer! i am so bad!!!
Racheline, without a doubt, this cake is very similar to cake bible's lemon poppy seed cake and your fantastic wedding cake. the lemon poppy seed cake has been Rose's signature since cake bible, and is copied by starbucks and many many coffee shops! wait till you try the golden dream cake from the new book (or the lemon luxury almond cake which is the same). rush and make one as soon as you can.
Anonymous: for me (so far), the best non-chocolate cake is the golden dream wedding cake as done with the glorious white chocolate vanilla bean buttercream and the dazzling roses. the golden dream is the same lemon luxury almond cake but in wedding cake format. the best chocolate cake is the deep passion chocolate wedding cake. HOWEVER, it is a very subjective or inclusive question, because all the other cakes i've done from the new book, i absolutely ADORE, too! I am so in tune with Marie Wolf's cakes as she has done an excellent job choosing the first ones to bake and so well written, the coconut seduction, the red velvet, the mini rose ganache puddles, the shortcake, this almost feels like the war of roses (never seen the movie or read the story, but just sounds right).
FYI, I made a gorgeous and great tasting tropical fruit galette, with the best fresh white pineapple, lichee, and coconut meat you can drool for, under the best cared-for flaky pie crust. Everyone had 2 servings of this giant 18 inch fruit tart, but at the end, some one said: i do prefer the golden dream wedding cake, which i baked the day before. this golden dream must be really a dream cake. one more comment: my office manager who is very knowledgeable about cake crumb and baking with true cake flour, said "this golden dream cake is your best cake" and i didn't even tell him this cake uses bleached ap flour instead! this good!
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Anonymous
09/08/2009 02:33 PM
Which cake is your favorite Hector?
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Rachelino
09/08/2009 01:23 PM
Oh boy, this is right up my alley! My wedding cake was an orange poppyseed cake with grand marnier and poured ganache.
Beautiful job as always Hector. Love the Perles!
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Daphne
09/08/2009 11:13 AM
As always, Hector, it sounds absolutely and completely delicious, and I really wish I could try a slice of YOUR cake instead of one I've bumbled through. Your photos are, without fail, stunning. Love the first one with the slice.
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Bill
09/08/2009 09:00 AM
Great Job Hector...as always!
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Julie
09/08/2009 07:33 AM
Beautiful cake, Hector! I love the perles, the monogram, everything. This cake taught me that the combination of Grand Marnier and dark chocolate is better than either flavor alone!
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hector
09/08/2009 02:45 AM
Ceci: OHCF es el logo que me presataron la plantacion de chocolate Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory! Utilize las perlas de Valrhona, pero el ganache fue con el chocolate de OHCF.
Deanna, glad you stopped by at the blog! The microprojector worked very well, and all those copper pots were just there! My next cake is the last I am previewing and it is been photographed this labor day weekend. It is literally taken over the top. Will leave it as that, so tired now, need to catchup.
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Deanna
09/08/2009 01:09 AM
I'm glad to see the 3M Micro Projector in action! I was so curious to see how it works and now I finally know!
There's something to be said about simplicity. Somehow this cake is just as stunning and beautiful as the rest of your other wedding cakes!
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Ceci
09/07/2009 10:52 PM
Gracias hector, ya entendí. Y el monogram es tu logo?
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hector
09/07/2009 09:25 PM
U all are giving me the excuse to get more copper pots!
Ceci, gracias! Pastiness significa como pasta o masacotudo denso.
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Ceci
09/07/2009 09:16 PM
Hector que es esta belleza de torta! Esta absolutamente espectacular!!!! Te felicito. Me encanta la combinación de la tecnología aplicada a pasteles, buena idea. Además el monogram esta perfecto. Oye una pregunta, que quiere decir "pastiness"?
Ya casi me llega mi libro, no veo la hora de poder tenerlo en mis manos para ensayar muchas recetas ;)
Felicitaciones nuevamente.
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Barbara
09/07/2009 08:11 PM
absolutely gorgeous!
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Barbara
09/07/2009 08:10 PM
absolutely gorgeous!
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ButterYum (Patrincia)
09/07/2009 07:03 PM
I have to agree with Christine... I was drooling over the copper pans!
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hector
09/07/2009 04:31 PM
Thx Patrincia. Christine, these are Ruffoni pans and the bronze handles are traditional. The acorn lid knobs are a williams sonoma design. The pan I use most is the pizza pan and also makes fabulous tarts like the heavenly peach galette.
I love this cake, it is full of taste and tecture.
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Christine S.
09/07/2009 02:50 PM
Hector, I always love reading your comments and looking at pictures of your cake. THE 3M PRO Projector is nice, but gosh, those copper pans are absolutely gorgeous! Where did you get the ones with Chinese-looking handles? In China, perchance?
I'm thrilled that the Grand Marnier cake is now transformed into a wedding cake. I always thought it was a superb recipe, and I can't wait to try the latest version.
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ButterYum (Patrincia)
09/07/2009 02:26 PM
Fabulous write-up Hector. I love your descriptions, photos, and tips. Excellent as usual!!!!
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