I’ve noticed a trend in my blog writing so far, I tend to write about school when I like school. Correction, when I like what I’m doing in school. Like most people, (come on admit it), we tend to like what we’re good at. And since I wasn’t (as) good at making cakes to start, I didn’t like doing them. I’m a bit of a poor-sport when I’m not good at things, it doesn’t happen often.
Crushed my dream of being a famous wedding cake designer. Well one of my dreams, but a dream none the less. In fact, it helped me narrow my prospective job search down …
I hated cakes. Notice that I said “hated” not “hate” because I’m trying really hard to like it, and get good at making them. They’re the building blocks of parties, I HAVE to get good at them, and think I will in time. But in the interim of between horrible and fabulous, I’ve chosen not to write about it … until now.
Tomorrow on the Eve of my Christmas vacation our class has a cake exam. A written midterm of all we’ve learned so far, and the completion of a 6″ cake, with a randomly assigned crumb, filling, and topping. I got genoise, bavarian, and fondant.
Tonight we have to prepare a “plan” of what our cake will look like tomorrow. If the cake does not resemble our sketch at the point of completion points are deducted. I’m already nervous.
A genoise is a simple French cake. Its an egg foam cake, which means the cake is leavened by creating air within the egg protein structures. No baking powder, baking soda, or box. Its very easy to deflate, and more importantly very simple. Simple in taste … which is why the sponge is soaked in a simple syrup liquor. I’m choosing to soak mine in a lemoncello simple syrup.
The inside must be filled with bavarian. I’m not a big cream person, so I’m choosing to create a bavarian cream, a lemon one, in fact.
I’ll crumb coat the cake, which means to put a thin layer of buttercream on the cake before covering it either with a second layer of buttercream, marzipan, or fondant.
Next, I’ll cover the cake with white fondant (hand made not from the package) and decorate the cake with daisies.
The cake design is simple but since everything is from scratch and in four hours, I think creating a perfect cake is better than making an extravagant one that’s less good. Especially since this isn’t my forte.Remember I’m not good at being “bad” at things?
My sketch is above, I’ll show you the real thing tomorrow. Good, bad, or ugly, one thing is for sure, once it’s done, it’s Christmas!
