"Sweets And The City"

[Mooshmouse]

It's no mystery that I've been enamoured with Warm Gingerbread Pudding ever since I started posting about it in September. Ling and I both looooove the Chocolate Ganache Cake at Pane From Heaven. There's the lovely bits of pearl sugar crunch in the Gaufres de Liege at Chambar. And jam rugelach from Solly's.

But my latest and greatest dessert craving is for Neil's new special dessert at The Hamilton Street Grill: what he calls a "mini" Butter Tart with Maple Syrup Gelato (did I get the gelato flavour right?). Good God. Nothing mini about it at all. PeppermintTea and I sampled it last night, and we damn near had to triangulate and measure for equal portions. I foresee many, many more of these in my future.

Neil, please make this a regular menu item!!

[jamiemaw]

It's no mystery that I've been enamoured with Warm Gingerbread Pudding ever since I started posting about it in September.  Ling and I both looooove the Chocolate Ganache Cake at Pane From Heaven.  There's the lovely bits of pearl sugar crunch in the Gaufres de Liege at Chambar.  And jam rugelach from Solly's.

But my latest and greatest dessert craving is for Neil's new special dessert at The Hamilton Street Grill:  what he calls a "mini" Butter Tart with Maple Syrup Gelato (did I get the gelato flavour right?).  Good God.  Nothing mini about it at all.  PeppermintTea and I sampled it last night, and we damn near had to triangulate and measure for equal portions.  I foresee many, many more of these in my future.

Neil, please make this a regular menu item!!

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Just wait till you try the HSG House Signature Free Range Lemon Meringue Pie.

[Mooshmouse]

Just wait till you try the HSG House Signature Free Range Lemon Meringue Pie. 

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Made, of course, from rolling herds of Meyer lemons that migrate north from California and stampede across the open plains of Sardis and Yarrow. Neil's doing us all a great service, really, as he's rescuing Valley farmers from this menace to their indigenous crops.

All hail Neil Wyles, the great Meyer lemon rustler!

[Ling]

I've taken pictures of several desserts (ok...chocolate cakes) that I've consumed recently--but I'm missing the chocolate cakes we ate at La Petite France. Should I post pictures and reviews here, or start a new chocolate cake thread?

My favourite is the chocolate ganache cake at Pane from Heaven.

[*Deborah*]

I happened to like the Marc-David's grandmother's cake by Lorna, myself

Edited because I goofed your name and might as well have called you Jean-François, Marc-David! Sowwy!

Edited March 6, 2005 by *Deborah* (log)

[Daddy-A]

I happened to like the Marc-David's grandmother's cake by Lorna, myself

I'll second that! Along with lemoncurd's Pave! What a talented group

A.

[Ling]

Oh wow, thanks for the love! I'm doing pecan pies at the end of the month...so far I have 4 very different recipes lined up. I'll be relying on some of you to taste test them.

[Mooshmouse]

I've taken pictures of several desserts (ok...chocolate cakes) that I've consumed recently--but I'm missing the chocolate cakes we ate at La Petite France. Should I post pictures and reviews here, or start a new chocolate cake thread?

My favourite is the chocolate ganache cake at Pane from Heaven.

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Post away Lorna. After all, reconnaissance and much detailed analysis is how we found the chocolate ganache cake, is it not?!

[Adesso Chef]

Anything made by Cin Cin pastry chef Thierry Busset

Ciao

[transfattyacid]

Anything made by Cin Cin pastry chef Thierry Busset

Ciao

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yeah fair play there

[CanadianBakin']

Ling...still waiting for the chocolate cake pictures. I need to know where to go next time I'm in Vancouver. No hurry though, it won't be for a couple weeks.

[Mooshmouse]

Ling...still waiting for the chocolate cake pictures.    I need to know where to go next time I'm in Vancouver. No hurry though, it won't be for a couple weeks.

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Well, the way our reconnaissance played out, the Chocolate Ganache Cake from Pane From Heaven is the best we've found so far. Dark, rich chocolate flavour and extremely moist. Chocolate heaven. Address is 1670 Cypress Street.

Second place was the Moëlleux Chocolat au Rhum at La Petite France. Honourable mention goes to their Sacher Torte.

Film at eleven.

[Ling]

Sorry these took so long...

(Hope I'm doing this correctly)

As Mooshmouse said, the best we've found so far is the Chocolate Ganache cake from Pane from Heaven. It's thick, rich, bittersweet goodness--the ganache is thick and almost indistinguishable from the cake on the bottom...that's how perfectly the two meld together. If I had to pick out something negative about the cake, it would be that there appears to be a very slick apricot (I'm assuming) glaze on top, and the strawberry isn't set very well (often falling off the cake on the way home).

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11101397...3_910_60119.jpg

If I had to choose a second favourite, it would be the Moëlleux Chocolat au Rhum at La Petite France. (Sorry I don't have a picture.) The cake is very visually appealing; it's sort of encased in a chocolate ruffle. The cake and filling is less dense than the Chocolate Ganache, and more expensive, at $6. I think this would be my pick to bring to a dinner party.

Tied for second place, I would choose this delicious cake from Japan (by LeTao, a famous chocolatier) that a friend so kindly gave me. It's almost as thick and rich as the Chocolate Ganache cake (why am I comparing everything to this cake?!! ) but with a hidden surprise--lots and lots of rum-soaked raisins in the center! Unfortunately, I don't think you can get this cake in Vancouver, but I decided to post a picture of it since the packaging was so beautiful.

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11101397..._910_120875.jpg

I also had two good cakes from St. Moritz Bakery and Mix the Bakery. These were bought and eaten the same day, since the two bakeries are only steps from one another (on W. 10th). I preferred the Chocolate Truffle cake from St. Moritz bakery over the Chocolate Oblivion from Mix. The Chocolate Truffle cake is made from Cacao Berry (milk chocolate from Switzerland, I believe) and is quite a little work of art, as you can see from the picture. On the inside is a thick layer of milk chocolate mousse, followed by a thin layer of chocolate genoise (or sponge cake?), a thin spread of raspberry sauce, and then a thin layer of vanilla genoise.

Chocolate Truffle cake:

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11101397..._910_179475.jpg

Chocolate Oblivion cake:

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11101397..._910_366178.jpg

The Chocolate Oblivion cake also seems to be made of milk chocolate almond mousse, with pieces of toffee mixed throughout. It's covered in bittersweet chocolate ganache, and more pieces of toffee. The mousse sits on a vanilla sponge layer, if I remember correctly. This was probably my least favourite of the cakes, as the almond extract is quite strong. I thought the almond and the toffee didn't go very well together, but my bf quite enjoyed this cake.

Side by side comparison (the St. Moritz cake is quite a bit bigger, and it's also the more expensive of the two at $6).

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11101397..._910_287733.jpg

Sorry about the picture quality!

I also really enjoyed Deborah's Chocolate Oblivion cake (a cake that certainly lives up to its name!) and lemoncurd's Chocolate pave (from Pierre Herme's book). Wish I could buy slices of these cakes whenever I wanted!

And for those of you who are interested, I ate about 13 slices of chocolate cake in less than 2 weeks!

Edited March 7, 2005 by Ling (log)

[Mooshmouse]

If I had to choose a second favourite, it would be the Moëlleux Chocolat au Rhum at La Petite France. (Sorry I don't have a picture.) The cake is very visually appealing; it's sort of encased in a chocolate ruffle. The cake and filling is less dense than the Chocolate Ganache, and more expensive, at $6.

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Here's a photo of the Moëlleux Chocolat au Rhum from La Petite France's website as noted above which has a pictorial showcase of all their tasty treats. It really does taste as good as it looks!

[barolo]

Well I can't pretend to have done testing as extensively as Ling has, but the cakes at Ganache Patisserie on Homer are really good.

And the desserts at West are always extraordinary.

[Mooshmouse]

Ooooh. Ganache Patisserie. That's one of the stops on our cross-city dessert search!

And I'll certainly agree with you about West. There and Cru. Cru's Bitter Chocolate Torte with port-stewed rhubarb and crème fraîche is out of this world.

[Ling]

The Chocolate Tasting platter I had at West was amazing. I believe my favourite was the milk chocolate mousse (or was it bittersweet?) with sour cherry sauce sauce.

I believe we have Trafalger's lined up too--we meant to go last week, but were sidetracked by some of Moosh's incredible oatmeal cranberry cookies.

[snacky_cat]

I fell in love with the Cardamom Creme Brulée at Lumiere Tasting Bar during this year's DOV. Very delicate flavour, and the little dude was only about an inch in diameter so I was absolved of the usual custard-induced atherosclerotic guilt that usually goes along with eating a regular portion of that stuff.

My favourite low-rent treat is cupcakes from the Port Moody IGA Bakery. I haven't yet checked out whether the Marketplace IGA near my place offers the same treats (in typing that sentence, I suddenly realized what I ought to do after dinner tonight), but I usually end up in Port Moody once a week for family dinner, and it always ends with these cupcakes. I figure I've probably had about 200 of em in the last couple of years. Best 69 cent value in town.

Incidentally (though somewhat related to the "Sweets and the City" title), I just got back from New York, where I tried the Magnolia Bakery cupcakes. To put it mildly, they were crap. I think I may go explore the New York forum for opinions on these most vile of cupcakes.

Oh, and I hate Cupcakes' cupcakes too. They are far too sugary. If you put one in a cage with a lab mouse, I bet you could induce sucrose-proximity-associated spontaneous diabetes.

[Mooshmouse]

Taking barolo's advice, a group of us took on the arduous task of taste-testing some of the desserts at Ganache Patisserie on Homer Street in Yaletown. A tough job, to be sure, but we manage to suffer through somehow.

PeppermintTea, Ling, dUbVADER and I taste-tested five desserts between us. Following is a list of our preferences from best to merely okay; interestingly enough, we all ranked the desserts in exactly the same order. Descriptions are taken directly from the Ganache Patisserie website.

Caramel-Chocolat

Milk chocolate caramel mousse with hazelnut croquant, raspberry gelée, 75% Tanzanie dark chocolate mousse, praline crunch and chocolate biscuit. Awarded first place by all of us. Lusciously rich and smooth offset by the praline crunch 'crust'.

Concorde Framboise

Dark chocolate raspberry mousse, raspberry balsamic gelée, cocoa meringue. A very close second to the Caramel Chocolat; in fact, had we based our selections on strictly chocolate desserts, this would have been our number one choice. The raspberry balsamic gelée filling and the delicate morsels of cocoa meringue on the bottom really make this dessert.

Chocolat-Banane

Dark chocolate mousse, caramelized bananas, praline crunch, hazelnut dacquoise. Ranked third by all of us except dUbVADER who abstained from tasting this due to his aversion to all things banana. Lovely rich chocolate flavour; however, we found the banana flavour to be a bit overpowering and would've preferred it as a complimentary taste rather than taking centre stage.

Opéra à la Noisette

Dark chocolate ganache, coffee buttercream, hazelnut biscuit, praline crunch. Tasty, yet a bit lacking in depth of chocolate flavour.

Tiramisu-Chocolat

Tiramisu cream, 70% dark chocolate mousse. In hindsight, I should've taken a photo of this dessert to show the dark chocolate mousse centre after we had taken a few bites. Of all the desserts, this was the only one that we felt was just okay. Not good, not bad, just okay. We probably would've ranked it higher if the marscapone had a thicker, creamier consistency and the ladyfingers had been more moist (booze, that's it, more booze!). Personal preferences definitely came into play here as fellow eGulleter butter and her husband, who arrived just as we were finishing our desserts, declared the Tiramisu-Chocolat to be absolutely delicious.

As Ganache Patisserie's menu changes seasonally, we'll definitely be back to taste-test their new desserts!

[Mangoe]

I mentioned Ganache awhile back when someone was looking for a suggestion for bakeries...

[Daddy-A]

As Ganache Patisserie's menu changes seasonally, we'll definitely be back to taste-test their new desserts!

Thanks a bunch Moosh! I just gained 20lbs just looking at those pictures. I should at least get the pleasure of eating the dessert that goes along with all the guilt!

A.

Edited March 9, 2005 by Daddy-A (log)

[Mooshmouse]

Thanks a bunch Moosh!  I just gained 20lbs just looking at those pictures.  I should at least get the pleasure of eating the dessert that goes along with all the guilt!

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Don't worry. Virtual cycling makes short work of virtual weight gain!

[Ling]

Beautiful pictures, Moosh. You should take all the pictures from now on...mine looks so crappy in comparison!

I just wanted to note that Angela ranked the Chocolat-Banane as 2nd best, ahead of the Concorde Framboise.

I thought the Caramel-Chocolat was absolutely divine, and personally, much better than the Concorde-Framboise (though this was great also.) I would give both the Caramel-Chocolat and the Chocolate Ganache cake at Pane from Heaven a 9/10, and maybe the Concorde-Framboise a 7.5/10. Though the raspberry/balsamic flavour was definitely interesting, I usually prefer my chocolate straight up, without the addition of fruits or berries...this is a personal bias.

The luscious creaminess of the chocolate mousse in the Caramel-Chocolat absolutely amazing with the praline crunch! (Though if it were up to me, I would take out the raspberry. )

Here's my current Top 3:

1. (tie) Chocolate Ganache (Pane from Heaven) and Caramel-Chocolat (Ganache Patisserie)

2. Moelleux Chocolat au Rhum at La Petite France

3. Gingerbread pudding at the Hamilton Street Grill (sorry we don't have a picture of this...maybe Neil could provide one?)

Edited March 9, 2005 by Ling (log)

[PaoPao]

Wow, a lot of these desserts look pretty fancy.

As for my current obsession, it is the Buttermilk Chocolate Cake at Lillykate in Yaletown. They serve a very generous serving with no less than 3/4 inch thick of delicious frosting.

When picking up two pieces today, I also took home a delicious cupcake with cream cheese frosting.

Having these desserts practically at my front door is going to make loosing my winter layer very difficult.

This week I am also dropping off an Appolina recipe to the Italian Pastry Chefs at Yaletown Gelato. Hopefully they can refine these as good as when I had them in Florence. I'll be chief taster if they need the help. If they can get these right, watch out, they are sure to give Neil a run for his money on his patrons converting to a new addiction for dessert.

[spaghetttti]

Joie, there are several threads and blogs here on eG that are very tempting, but your magnificent photos for this topic have me almost licking my screen.

Some beautiful photos of some beautiful sweets by someone most beautiful!

Excuse me while I go lay down with a cool towel on my forehead.