So here it is..  I misstepped on the mis en place - so I had extra sugar.  I felt the cake was a little dry—- thinking it was in oven 90 seconds too long.  Also, the color was lighter than I expected—not dark like the cake photo…and not as moist looking as the cake photo.  I will make again and try to eliminate my mistakes (working late and night and before going to work has it hazards). 

It was good….it is chocolate after all.  Some felt kind of rich….some thought a little dense.  Some said good.

CRenee - 03 November 2011 05:23 PM

I have not mixed chocs before.

Maybe I’m not supposed to but I often cannot find chocolate with the recommended cacao%.

CRenee - 03 November 2011 05:28 PM

So here it is.. .

Looks delicious to me!

Edit: I do recall that mine also looked slightly lighter than the photo. It also had a very moist and airy texture. Still looks delicious to me!

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. The cake looks yummy to me. I like the chocolate note. How did you do that?

Your feather bed looks wonderful!  Love the chocolate notes, where did you find them?

I think pictures in books are hard to judge color from, they are often manipulated a bit (like the devil’s food cake, which has a very dark, almost black ganache but just looks like regular brown in the picture). 

Was your cake more moist after sitting for a day?  I often make this combination as a roulade, and everyone loves it, but it definitely has a lot of frosting compared to a “regular” layer cake so I can see how some might find it too rich or dense.  For me, it’s perfect

Re: chocolate brands, I love Green and Black’s or Scharffenberger, or if I’m feeling flush, Valrhona.  In a pinch, I’ll use Ghiradelli 60% bittersweet chips, for grocery store chips they’re pretty good.  You can mix chocolates to get the sugar/chocolate liquor percentages to come out right, but you can also just alter the choc amount and add/subtract sugar. 

For instance, I often use G&B 85% chocolate for ganache, and I reduce the chocolate quanitity so that the grams of chocolate liquor are the same as what the recipe calls for.  If a reicpe calls for 100g of 60% chocolate, that’s roughly equivalent to 60g of chocolate liquor and 40g of sugar.  To get the equivalent with the 85%, I’ll use about 71g of chocolate (which gives me 60g of chocolate liquor- same as the recipe calls for, plus 11g of sugar).  And then I’ll add 29g more sugar to the hot cream to bring the sugar up to where it should be.

Julie - 03 November 2011 07:47 PM

you can also just alter the choc amount and add/subtract sugar. 

For instance, I often use G&B 85% chocolate for ganache, and I reduce the chocolate quanitity so that the grams of chocolate liquor are the same as what the recipe calls for.  If a reicpe calls for 100g of 60% chocolate, that’s roughly equivalent to 60g of chocolate liquor and 40g of sugar.  To get the equivalent with the 85%, I’ll use about 71g of chocolate (which gives me 60g of chocolate liquor- same as the recipe calls for, plus 11g of sugar).  And then I’ll add 29g more sugar to the hot cream to bring the sugar up to where it should be.

That’s great information to have Julie, thank you. I didn’t realize the calculation was so simple. I won’t avoid buying the higher % chocolates now.

It looks great, Renee!

I havenn’t made this cake yet, but I always look for the right situation for it.

I like your idea of a tiny version, also!

bean2002 - 03 November 2011 07:06 PM

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. The cake looks yummy to me. I like the chocolate note. How did you do that?

from a candy mold and it is only candy coating chocolate…..couverture chocolate can be used however.

Sophia - 03 November 2011 05:37 PM

CRenee - 03 November 2011 05:23 PM

I have not mixed chocs before.

Maybe I’m not supposed to but I often cannot find chocolate with the recommended cacao%.

Anne does that too I will save this for my notebook.

Julie - 03 November 2011 07:47 PM

Your feather bed looks wonderful!  Love the chocolate notes, where did you find them?.

    Thank you, Julie.  Chocolate notes from a candy mold, probably online somewhere….maybe even Amazon (first place I look). 

Julie - 03 November 2011 07:47 PM

I think pictures in books are hard to judge color from, they are often manipulated a bit (like the devil’s food cake, which has a very dark, almost black ganache but just looks like regular brown in the picture).  .

Julie - 03 November 2011 07:47 PM

Was your cake more moist after sitting for a day?  I often make this combination as a roulade, and everyone loves it, but it definitely has a lot of frosting compared to a “regular” layer cake so I can see how some might find it too rich or dense.  For me, it’s perfect  

  the cake was not allowed to sit for a day, I baked last night, composed the next morning, took it too work.  I cannot keep in the house.  I just wanted the experience. 

Julie - 03 November 2011 07:47 PM

Re: chocolate brands, I love Green and Black’s or Scharffenberger, or if I’m feeling flush, Valrhona.  In a pinch, I’ll use Ghiradelli 60% bittersweet chips, for grocery store chips they’re pretty good.  You can mix chocolates to get the sugar/chocolate liquor percentages to come out right, but you can also just alter the choc amount and add/subtract sugar. 

  For instance, I often use G&B 85% chocolate for ganache, and I reduce the chocolate quanitity so that the grams of chocolate liquor are the same as what the recipe calls for.  If a reicpe calls for 100g of 60% chocolate, that’s roughly equivalent to 60g of chocolate liquor and 40g of sugar.  To get the equivalent with the 85%, I’ll use about 71g of chocolate (which gives me 60g of chocolate liquor- same as the recipe calls for, plus 11g of sugar).  And then I’ll add 29g more sugar to the hot cream to bring the sugar up to where it should be.

I have not tried anything but G&B white chocolate, I will consider that.  Although I looked for milk choc. recently and store was out.  I use Ghiradelli bars in a pinch but am trying to keep Scharffenberger on hand.  I just purchased some Valrhona to make the milk choc. ganache.  Re: changing the sugar is interesting, one day I will be bold or so pressed. 

I have to come back and copy these to my notes.

Anne in NC - 03 November 2011 08:55 PM

It looks great, Renee!

I havenn’t made this cake yet, but I always look for the right situation for it.

I like your idea of a tiny version, also!

Thank you, Anne, I like the idea of a test run to get the mistakes all out.  I make more when I am baking and should be in bed or on my way to work (so I can keep affording my baking addiction).

Sophia - 03 November 2011 05:40 PM

CRenee - 03 November 2011 05:28 PM

So here it is.. .

Looks delicious to me!

Edit: I do recall that mine also looked slightly lighter than the photo. It also had a very moist and airy texture. Still looks delicious to me!

Thank you Sophia, it was yummy, but I will have to repeat this to get the light and airy.  I think I also miscued on folding in the meringue.