Hector Does Indeed Have a Big Heart
Sep 03, 2010 | From the kitchen of Rose
The day after surgery he completed this version of my Chocolate Apricot Roll with Lacquer Glaze for his paddling friend Toney's birthday. Awesome!
i transformed ROSE'S heavenly CAKES: Chocolate Apricot Roll with Lacquer Glaze (page 163), from a roll into a heart.
Sponge rolls are an adorable classic of fine pastry, and I love them! but I reshaped this cake into a heart for my paddling friend Toney on her birthday. Toney is a 5-star dear friend to everyone paddling. Toney always teases me that I shall start making her wedding cake, yet also find her a groom! So I designed this large chocolate black heart for Toney's as a symbol of her big heart and wedding fantasy!
I baked the cake on the 16x2-inch Wilton heart pan which volume equals to two 11x17x1-inch half sheet pans, so I whipped a 2x batch of biscuit roulade. I know from experience that biscuit cakes bake well at any width. The cake baked flat gorgeous.
Then, following the proportions of the original chocolate apricot roll recipe, I filled the cake with a 2x batch of apricot jam filling. I made a 4x batch of ganache so I could frost the heart to perfection. The cake was assembled a week ahead of time, so no syrup was necessary. The generous amount of ganache made up for any lack of syrup, too.
To "fill" this thin layer cake, I "julienned" the cake into 1-inch strips, reattaching the strips with apricot filling and ganache. The end results resembles Rose's charlotte pattern.
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Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from Diana Jimenez
09/23/2010 08:45 PM
diana, i have chocolate and yellow cakes in the cake bible and also in the new book so the choice is yours!
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Diana Jimenez
09/22/2010 04:09 PM
Hi Rose
I need to make a two tier wedding cake. One of chocolate and the other of yellow cake. What recipes you recommend me to use. Thank you.
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Kathy
09/16/2010 10:07 PM
I had a nice piece of this cake. Wonderful! The best cake I ever ate. The cake was moist and the chocolate ganache so creamy yummy and chocolatey! A perfect balance of all the flavors.
I was home sick with a bad cold but not bad enough to keep me from devouring Hector's brilliant cake. Is there any more???
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teri
09/07/2010 04:46 PM
That cake looks awesome! Bravo!
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JennEm in reply to comment from Hector
09/06/2010 09:19 AM
Hector, Your further tips are much appreciated. I was wondering how the biscuit would be as I agree that it can be a bit pedestrian if not complemented properly, so thx for clarifying - sounds very, very delicious.I have added this to my list of to-be-made recipes after I get one of those great pans - and of course the book.
Not quite sure what "plus la cuisine arome" is - another secret? : }
Left a further comment on your blog.
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Hector in reply to comment from JennEm
09/05/2010 03:29 PM
J, thx for the heartfull words. Glad you liked this take. My partner in crime, Kathy, whom has tasted all my cakes and has followed all my events, claims this is her favorite chocolate cake and she is chocolafilic. She says that the balance of the generous amounts of ganache and chocolate glaze are perfect on the otherwise plain vanilla biscuit cake. The amounts of apricot jam are very thin, so never to overpower tastes plus the stripes looks nicer (the first time I made Rose's ethereal pear charlotte, I spread too thick layer of raspberry jam, the flavor was too intense and the smears insightful!).
One more technicality, and sorry I share my secrets piece meal (took 7 years in a row to write my mother's thanksgiving turkey recipe, each year she will remember something!):
ganache: no apricot brandy and vanilla, replace both volumes (1 tb + 1/4 tsp, per 1x) with plus la cuisine arome (2 drops, per 1x).
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JennEm
09/05/2010 02:19 PM
Hector, what a beautiful cake and and touching inspiration. Big heart - I know someone, too, whom I would love to surprise with such a cake. I have been following your comments and posts via this and your own blog. Each of your cakes are so unique, imaginative and elegant (and look so tempting). The vertical layers on your heart cake are a great touch. Thanks for generously sharing your many creations and tips.
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Hector in reply to comment from missyjean
09/04/2010 12:22 PM
I used a ruler and my serrated knife.
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missyjean in reply to comment from Hector
09/04/2010 11:36 AM
I didn't notice that until you pointed it out. The cake looks very moist and delicious.
What do you use to cut layers?
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Cooking in Mexico
09/04/2010 09:19 AM
"Awesome" is the word!
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missyjean
09/03/2010 08:07 PM
Hector that cake is precision. You are unbelievably talented
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Hector in reply to comment from Hector
09/03/2010 05:57 PM
Let's talk technique: do you notice from the picture of the slice that the ganache frostig is thicker towards the center of the cake? To prevent this, first i would crumb coat with a thin layer of very soft ganache, refrigerate well, then apply more.
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Hector
09/03/2010 05:54 PM
Thxs SWEET friends! never knew today Rose posted this. Very happy how well this cake turned and how meaningful and timely. I always keep a big batch of lacquer glaze in my freezer, so it was a no brainer to finish this cake as soon as I got home from the hospital. It was shiny like silver, specially the small servings when plated (the picture of the slice we see on this posting was taken the day after from the left overs which i kept in the fridge and I was in no mood to do the extra mile, literally, and go get my hairdryer!).
I am recovering...
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Hanaa
09/03/2010 05:43 PM
That's what I call a die-hard baker!!! Great job, Hector. It looks beautiful, inside and out. Love your charlotte effect on the cake. Toney is lucky. Not only does she have a beautiful bday cake but also wonderful friend like you!!
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Ivy D.
09/03/2010 04:19 PM
I love that beautiful cake. Great work, Hector.
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Anne in NC
09/03/2010 04:11 PM
So beautiful, Hector! Truly lovely and amazing!
Glad to know you're recovering so well!
Happy birthday to Toney!
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Vicki B
09/03/2010 02:43 PM
Perfect cake Hector! Glad to see you are well on the mend.
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Bill
09/03/2010 02:15 PM
Absoulutely beautiful...as always. I bow to your amazing skill and talent! Great Job
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Julie
09/03/2010 01:04 PM
Hector, glad to see you're feeling well enough to bake! Beautiful cake, I love how you filled it, very creative.
Happy Birthday Toney!
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Que Serrano Serrano
Pesto Perfect