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Opera Cake. I have great success with Dorie Greenspan's recipe (which is out on the web somewhere...). It's divinely rich, makes enough to serve your crowd, and can be assembled and even frozen ahead. The only day-off (not even last minute) attention is to glaze the cake and through a little gold leaf on there for glitz. ← Ruth, are you going through with the trouble of tempering the chocolate? ← Errmmmm.... tempering which chocolate? You've got cake, buttercream, syup, ganache & glaze -- no tempering there. ← Well, the Opera Torte that I've seen made and in my recipe file, has a tempered chocolate glaze. That's one of the reasons I have not made it yet. But I've been thinking, who cares if its tempered or not, I'll just go for it. ← How curious. I never think of a glaze as being tempered -- because you're adding cream or shortening (or, if you're Alice Medrich, maybe water) to the chocolate to make the glaze, right? And if you're adding liquids or shortening to the chocolate, you're not really going to be tempering it in the standard sense. I'd be curious to see your recipe! If you're interested in investigating a new recipe, the Dorie Greenspan one posted higher up in this thread is really fool-proof. ← You know, I don't have it in front of me, so I will have to wait until I'm home. I think there was one on Great Chefs or similar program, maybe even Wofgang Puck. I might be able to find it, so stay tuned, I might even be wrong all this time. Well, I was wrong after all. One of my recipes combines Coating Chocolate, Couverture Semi-Sweet Chocolate, and Vegetable Oil. The other recipe is a ganache as you stated.

Wow, thats beautiful. It looks exactly, down to the exact style decoration, like the French Pastry Series books.

Opera Cake. I have great success with Dorie Greenspan's recipe (which is out on the web somewhere...). It's divinely rich, makes enough to serve your crowd, and can be assembled and even frozen ahead. The only day-off (not even last minute) attention is to glaze the cake and through a little gold leaf on there for glitz. ← Ruth, are you going through with the trouble of tempering the chocolate? ← Errmmmm.... tempering which chocolate? You've got cake, buttercream, syup, ganache & glaze -- no tempering there. ← Well, the Opera Torte that I've seen made and in my recipe file, has a tempered chocolate glaze. That's one of the reasons I have not made it yet. But I've been thinking, who cares if its tempered or not, I'll just go for it.

The key to making Dobos look spectacular is the burnt sugar. Having made it many times in the past 30 years, doing the traditional topping separates the men from the boys. It does take a nak to make but well worth it.

Synchronicity, Ladybug -- I also made a batch today! I concur: that recipe beats all others I've ever tried. AND, I also concur that the rolls are neither too rich nor two sweet, the two top cardinal sins existing in most cinnamon buns. I want mine to be intensely cinnamony, nongooey, and barely sweet; they should pay a warm and fragrant tribute to the world's most popular spice by perfuming the air for several feet in every direction. These CI non-yeasted babies do just that. Thanks, nightscotsman!! ← You mean, you like them better than Nancy Silverman's Pecan sticky buns?

Opera Cake. I have great success with Dorie Greenspan's recipe (which is out on the web somewhere...). It's divinely rich, makes enough to serve your crowd, and can be assembled and even frozen ahead. The only day-off (not even last minute) attention is to glaze the cake and through a little gold leaf on there for glitz. ← Ruth, are you going through with the trouble of tempering the chocolate?

I've made the linzertorte many times and it is as Abra describes. It is rich and does have a wow factor. I just make it for Christmas and the colours are very festive. It was on the cover of a late 90s Bon Apetite magazine.

You know its been some years now, I'd have to go over the discussions to tell you. FC stands for Fine Cooking, available on your newstand.

Is this the recipe you're referring to? ← Yes

At another site (FC) for some years now, Sue B.'s Moist Chocolate Cake, has been the default chocolate cake. Many different cakes were tried and this one was won and since then most everyone who tries it, agrees. The only other cake that occasionally ties with Sue B is Spago's. So there you have it, 2 cakes that have gone through strenuous, vigorous trial by fire tests, with old time chocolate lovers leaving with chocolate crumbs on their shirts.

I can't find lychee puree in the markets here and don't necessarily want to order any, so I was wondering if I take lychee nut in the can, can I just run it through the blender or food processor to make lychee puree? Thanks

my kinda breakfast

I don't know if this is the one, but it comes from finecooking T&T file. It makes 1 full sheet pan *30 oz a/p flour (6 cups) *1 1/2 lbs unsalted butter(cut up) *1 1/3 cups sugar Bring together flour and butter in cuisinart and pulse to resemble a rough cornmeal. Add sugar and mix wel. Press into greased sheet pan and bake at 325 for 15 - 20 minutes until firm but has change colour. *16 eggs *8 cups sugar *1 1/2 cups lemon juice *5 oz a/p flour (1 cup) Whisk eggs lightly and mix sugar and flour together in a different bowl. With wooden spoon, stir flour/sugar into eggs be sure not to create air bubbles. Add lemon juice and stir to combine. Pour over shortbread base and bake for about 20 minutes until topping is firm. When cold, cut into portions and sift powdered sugar over top.

Well, I think its my style of strawberry cake, that I don't have to worry about squishing. I cut 2 genoise cakes in two, so I have four layers. One layer has just strawberries and its juice, followed by another cake layer soaked with berry juice and a layer of custard, followed by another cake layer with berries and finally topped with last cake layer. I just use the whipped cream on the outside.

The process of melting the gelatin, I've got that, no problem, but I was wondering when, at what stage, do you pour the gelatin into the whipped cream -when it's at soft peaks or before that? I've heard someone pouring the gelatin in before you've even begun beating the cream, so thats why I am wondering from you guys who have done this many times before. T ←

I would like to know, of those of you out there, that use gelatin in whipped cream, when do you add your melted gelatin - at the beginning, middle or near the end? T

I am thinking of trying the "Zio Ciccio's Cassata" from Desaulnier. Someone's birthday is coming up, and this is a good occasion to make a cassata. This one is unglazed, what would you suggest - leave the cake unglazed or should I glaze it with something?

Near me is a King's Hawaiian bakery and restaurant. Their cakes are all basically a sponge cake base and they just change the frostings, fruits and colours. You might try a plain sponge cake and see if that isn't what you're looking for.

Your pictures look fine, and the tart looks delicious. Good job, and welcome! ← I really like your pics, I just hope mine will come out like that.

Wendy, do you think its " is a type of Bavarian, its probably from Pierre Herme pastry book, there's a photo of one in there but no name or caption." This is quote is from a well known pastry chef, who wrote to me about my inquiry on the Lemon Praline Tarte. I don't have Pierre Herme's book, perhaps you do. Take a look and tell me if the photo in the book is the same as the one posted here?

By the way, here is another fraisier that I did today. The sides came out looking really nice... Very nice job, but I was wondering what did you use to get the clean sides? I know for a round cake, you use a cake ring, but for a rectangle, do you use a rectangle ring?

Inquiring minds want to know, "how do you do that"?

You'll love them. I've made them many times, and I have to say they are my default buns. The only problem is they take so long to make, with the rise and punch down times. It is awesome. Nevertheless I am still willing to look at other recipes, just to see if I can get close to these pecan sticky buns in flavor and texture without having to take all day to make them.

I have a big barrel of cocoa powder I got from a Mormon co-op in 1984, and I still use it whenever I have a recipe that needs cocoa powder. I have not noticed any deterioration in any of my baked goods. So perhaps I am loosing my sense of taste but I am still going to use it until someone in the family says something. I just don't know how long it will last but its works for me. Is there someway of tell when it is no longer good?

Can this cake be made without using the "10" tube cake pan, just a regular cake pan?