When the last cake was baked, I think everyone went into a bit of mourning—what were we to do? Some of us started other baking clubs but were never quite the same. I believe that the level of complexity in Rose’s cake is what gave the bakers a challenge, and thus our recaps are always interesting because of the difficulty factor in the cake making and the successes and major failures that each of us experience.
So, when Raymond, a past HCB and a present Gutsy Cook Club member, and I were reminiscing about this, the talk turned to cookbooks, and we were very surprised at how similar our tastes in baking authors were. I happened to mention that I had gotten a new book from Karen Krasne – “Extraordinary Cakes,” and that I was dying to dive into this world of more than three steps-needed-to-create-this cake recipe.
Raymond mentioned that Karen Krasne was a local chef, that he knew her, and that he also tasted some of these creations in her bakery. He was more than willing to join me if I wanted. It took us two more emails before we had a list of cakes and a baking date for the first one.
Our first endeavor?
Behold the Lemon Praline Cake Torte. A torte made from a sponge cake (Génoise) soaked with mild-tangy lemon syrup, covered in exquisite lemon buttercream, and with a French meringue (think macaroon) center for a crunchy surprise. All of this is encased in a hazelnut and almond praline shell.
2 days of baking and eight steps later, and I’m happy as a clam. My baking guru is jumping with joy. Sometimes you do need to make a complicated cake to be right with the world.
Raymond posted his experiences, and it’s a great recap, so I’m going to direct you to his post so you can read all about it in more detail and check out his décor, much better than mine. As for me, here are my quick thoughts on each of the steps:
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