Sometimes simple is better and my Melody Cake from Pierre Herme was a prime example. All it took was 20 hours of baking apples, 1 hour of folding and setting the caramel Bavarian cream, 1 hour of whipping and baking the sponge cake and 3 hours of layering and then chilling. A real piece of cake, no pun intended.
Regardless of the time investment, my beef was not with the prep time but rather with the finished product. While I was making cake and whipping creams I discovered that the tastes were turning out very bland. So, while I wasn't altogether surprised that the sum of the parts produced equally unexciting results, I won't deny that I was disappointed.
I will mention at this point that I didn't follow the recipe exactly, leaving out the cinnamon pastry base, choosing instead to top the cake with a simple cinnamon whipped cream. I really don't feel that this would have turned things around, but I could be wrong. I've had that happen from time-to-time.
So the real problem was that the majority of the flavors were just too subtle. The buttery, orange flavored apples and the sponge cake were completely overpowered by the caramel Bavarian cream that reminded me a lot of pumpkin pie filling. And let me tell you these flavors did not work together at all. Of course there were two people that really enjoyed it, so maybe it is me.
If I was to make this again I'd experiment with a Bavarian cream flavored with Calvados or apple wine, which I think would better compliment the apples. I still have a lot of apples left. What to do, what to do.
Wow! Too bad this recipe didn't turn out. It sounded so interesting. I am all into overly ambitious recipes with layers of different flavours and had I discovered this recipe before I read this post I may have ended up doing the same. Your biggest accomplishment here would be warning others before they begin.
Posted by: S.L. Plant | September 10, 2005 at 12:20 PM
I'm sorry this didn't work out how you wanted. I'm impressed that you even attempted such a laborious feat. :) Better luck next time!
Posted by: Beth - The Zen Foodist | September 10, 2005 at 02:16 PM
Hey S.L. Plant,
You win some you loose some, so they say. I just better win the next one!
Beth,
Thanks for the encouragement. It wasn't all bad, I had fun making it anyway.
Posted by: Liz | September 12, 2005 at 10:50 AM
It looks good though, very ethereal.
Posted by: randi | September 13, 2005 at 11:32 AM
Randi, it's great to see another Canadian Food Blogger! Good luck. Thanks for the compliment, but you can't judge this book by it's cover. :o)
Posted by: Liz | September 18, 2005 at 10:17 PM
Happened upon your site as I made my rounds of some of the other food blogs today...Nice to see that Canada does indeed cook. I will check in again and see what's new.
Cheers and Best Wishes from the (soon to be frozen) Canadian Prairies,
Geraldine
Posted by: Geraldine | November 05, 2005 at 04:50 PM
Hi Geraldine it's great to hear from you. I've been having some internet problems so the blog has not been updated much of late. Yup, winter has arrived in Calgary, it was -9 this morning. What's sad is that I will think -9 is warm in a few months.
Liz
Posted by: Liz | November 07, 2005 at 12:19 PM