Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Daring Bakers: Filbert Gateau OR as we called him, Strawberry Cinnamon Almond Cake with Pumpkin Seed Swiss Buttercream

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This post should have really been titled: my manifesto for procrastination. I have begun to think of the last weekend of the month as Daring Baker weekend. Whatever is planned, I expect a few late nights or more likely very early mornings accomplishing the assignment.

Even though procrastination got me in hot water last month (lets say June didn't end until July 7th at our house), I really believe Daring Bakering is more fun at the last minute. The reveal feels like part of the whirlwind of baking. The post mortum write up seems like you were just back from fighting a war. (Battle Opera Cake anyone?)

But, full of guilt from missing the June reveal, I decided this month, I was not going to be stuck baking at that last minute. I was going to be the embodiment of proactive. (Just call me that baking super hero, Proactiva. Oh, wait, now I sound like that brand of yoghurt. Nevermind.)

So, one week after making the Danish Braid, my husband and I spent three odd hours making our cake. We decided to split responsibility for the cake in half so that we could get most of the cake accomplished during Belle's afternoon nap. With some babysitting courtesy my mom, the gateau was accomplished. And, what were the pitfalls? What were our successes? Ummm, can't really remember. My brain is inherently prone to forgetfulness about certain minutae of life, and the making of my Gateau is one of those things.

From the DB forum, I know that there are hilarious, sad, uplifting, etc stories abounding today. I have the barest sketch of the making the Le Gateau in my head. Chris from Mele Cotte was kind enough to allow a 1/2 recipe and we obliged her. I had a vague desire to make 2-3 mini-cakes, but Maybelle's Dad vetoed me. (Lesson learned from the labor of mini-cakes in the Opera episode.) We decided to use one cake pan and slice it with dental floss into cross-sections. Most of the recipe worked out AOKAY, excluding the nut brittle. We used almonds and pumpkin seeds and I think that we got the sugar to nut ratio a little off. Also, we used no liquer (due to expense) but we added cinnamon to the frosting, sugar syrup, and the ganache; and strawberries between the buttercream and whipped cream.

I must say the directions were quite long and even after two read throughs I didn't read the part about not including fruit in between the layers. I just figured in out after many comments about me breaking the rules. What kind of rule breaker are you if you don't realize you are doing it.

I enjoyed the cake--it was moister than the opera cake from a few months ago. It was a crowd pleaser to boot. Thanks DB and Chris.
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44 comments:

KJ said...

That's quite a name your cake has there. it looks delicious!!!

OhioMom said...

I like the addition of strawberries and cinnamon ... yummy!

Rachel said...

It looks yummy with the sliced berries on the sides

Anonymous said...

such a pretty cake! i bet the strawberry slices lightened it up nicely too.

Chibog in Chief said...

im speechless your filbert cake is so mouth-watering!! beautifully decorated!! i love it! great job for this challenge!

Speedbump Kitchen said...

The strawberries look great, very summery!

Anonymous said...

Very cool! I'm always a sucker for fresh fruit.

Olga said...

I wish I would have thought about adding fresh fruit into the cake. But this was my first challenge, so I was afraid of breaking the rules :)

Looks delicious!

Anonymous said...

Mm..fresh strawberries, great idea!

NKP said...

Your cake looks great, I love the strawberry addition. I love fruit in cake. (Have the DBs done black forest yet?)

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Your cake looks wonderful! I love that version with strawberries! Really gorgeous!

Cheers,

Rosa

Anonymous said...

Very pretty, you rebel, you! :-)

Anonymous said...

Pumpkin seeds? Brilliant! I try to fit them in when I can for the iron! I love the strawberries, too!

Vegan_Noodle said...

Oh I love the way you decorated your cake with the fresh fruit! And adding it in between layers sounds delicious as well. You should feel no guilt after this challenge!! :-)

Michelle said...

OMG...the strawberries absolutely make the cake. I thought about adding some fresh fruit but opted to use some of my home canned goodies. But after seeing your cake, I wish I had done one of my minis with fresh fruit. DANG!

Your cake is gorgeous and how fun to cook with your husband. Maybelle is such a cutie!

Mary said...

Very pretty! The strawberry slices were a great idea and look delicious!! :)

Lore said...

Now that's one gorgeous presentation! Hats off to you

Laurie said...

I always wait till the last minute too, it's such a rush! No pun intended! I love your use of strawberries, they look beautiful!

Meryl said...

Good call on the berries--I'll bet that was nice!

Anonymous said...

Love the title of your post :)
Love that you used strawberries in the cake, makes it all the more summer-y

Natty said...

Too cute! I love your piping.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful cake. I wish I had thought to put fresh berries in mine. Yours looks like a show stopper.

Anonymous said...

Yum. Strawberries are so worth breaking fruit rules over.

pam said...

Oh my gosh! That looks amazing! So moist!

Mama Mia said...

wonderful! I love how you incorporated strawberries!

Y said...

I love that the cake was a joint effort. Great use of berries too!

Anonymous said...

Strawberries? Brilliant! This looks beautifully delicious!

test it comm said...

Your cake looks so good! I really like the use of the fresh strawberries.

Amelia said...

Mmm mmm strawberries! Your cake looks lovely and I bet it was just as good. Beautiful job!

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

You and your husband must be very happy with the effort that went into your cake. It truly looks lovely, especially with the fruit.

Andreia Sousa said...

Love the decoration. Strawberries is a nice option too. I agree with you. This one was better than the Opera one. Nice photos!

Shilpa said...

Wow..such an adorable cake. Love the strawberries in it.

Katy said...

looks awesome -- and it's actually summery! your alfredo pasta looks GREAT as well -- after looking at so many cake picture, it's a refreshing addition!

pixie said...

anything with berries is always better! yummy!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I love your cake! Adding the fruit makes it looks even better.
This was my first DB challenge, and I'm having fun looking at all the different cakes made from this recipe.


I learned a lot! Looking forward to August's challenge.

PAM said...

I bet the flavor was amazing. Good job you made it through. It was definately a daring challenge.

Thistlemoon said...

Wow it looks gorgeous! I think the strawberries and cinnamon must have really added something to the cake!

Vera said...

I love the strawberries as the decoration! Procrastination is what I'm famous for :)

Dragon said...

Strawberries are a great addition! Lovely cake.

Helene said...

What kind of rule breaker are you if you don't realize you are doing it.
That was priceless! Your cake turned out fantastic!

Temperance said...

It looks scrumptious and I bet the cinnamon was great in it.

Oh my! Apple pie! said...

Your cake is mouthwatering, love the strawberry addition.

Maggie said...

I love the idea of pumpkin seed and almond. Did you use pumpkin seeds in the cake as well?

Lauren said...

Ooo that looks amazing! Pumpkin Seed Buttercream. That is so cool, I love it! The strawberries on the side are beautiful. I love all of your decorations, your cake looks great!!