I’m a week late with this post (a busy schedule was the reason). This cake was my son’s present to his daddy on the Father’s day. About a year ago Tim brought a book from his kindergarten. He had just started reading on his own and was excited about every new book. This one was lovely. It was called “The Hedgehog bakes a cake” by Maryann Macdonald.

The Hedgehog decided to bake a cake. His friends showed up, everyone with very “useful” tip how to make it better. It’s not difficult to predict what followed next. Yes, with all the “help” of the “experts” the cake turned rather terrible and the kitchen – messy. But not ready to give up (the first moral to be learned) the Hedgehog started all aver again, this time - on its own. This time he followed the recipe precisely and measured the ingredients carefully (another great tip for kids to remember). And, of course, the cake baked beautifully. The Hedgehog threw a tea party and all his friends were invited. Everyone enjoyed a slice of cake believing that the baking success was entirely depended on their participation. The kind and loyal Hedgehog let them think so…(the best part of the story, I think). If you are still here I’m about to conclude. Tim loved the story. But he was absolutely delighted to find the recipe of the cake the Hedgehog generously shared on the last page of the book. Sure, Tim wanted to bake it right away. And he did, with some of my help. I resisted an urge to change the recipe a bit here and there, and we made it as is. It turned out to be delicious. May be the secret is in the little child’s light touch… Tim copied the recipe and the cake became his very own specialty. He really mastered it over the time, the cake doesn’t have an egg-shell crunch anymore.

I found it to be a great project to do with children. The book is definitely worth to read and the recipe is just the right complexity for a little kid. If you have a child of a certain age I encourage you to find and read this story. There is probably a good chance your local library has it available. Below is the typed Hedgehog’s recipe if someone decides to give it a try.

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Well, I wouldn’t call it a “cake”. But the author is the one who decides. I found the recipe in Nancy Silverton’s “Pastries from the La Brea Bakery”. It sounded like a perfect accompaniment for a cheese platter and I wasn’t disappointed in the flavor. The initial presentation was quite impressive but, as I suspected, the “cake” was not easy to cut through the whole almonds in the middle of rather soft layers of figs. We ended up serving it from the bowl. Nobody complained, the flavor was still delicious. But the next time I make this thing (and I will, it’s definitely worth it) I’d use chopped or, better yet, sliced almonds instead to ensure easy and neat cuts. The cake can be made a couple of hours in advance but I would not recommend assembling it a night or so before – the almonds will lose their crunch.

Adapted from Nancy Silverton’s “Pastries from the La Brea Bakery”

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I should have mentioned in my previous post that the rhubarb I used came from my dear and very generous friend Olya. She presented me with a huge bag stuffed with beautiful, bright red organic rhubarb stalks fresh from her garden. I’m extremely grateful to her for such a wonderful gift. And below is another recipe using the rhubarb. The sweet and crisp meringue layers contrast nicely with the creamy and tangy rhubarb-strawberry filling. The whole thing is frozen in a ring mold or a springform pan without any ice-cream maker involvement. Serve the torte with some macerated strawberries for a refreshing summer treat.

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There’s something very comforting about upside down cakes. Maybe it’s their rustic appearance, homey simplicity, or a possibility to eat them warm, almost right from the oven. There’s probably thousands of variations on this theme. And I find most of them being quite good; yes, even the one with canned pineapple rings on the top (ok, I, myself, always use fresh ones). Sometimes, though, these cakes can be a bit too sweet. Well, this is not the case with the rhubarb - it’s sour enough to balance the brown sugar sweetness perfectly. As for anise, it goes miraculously well with the rhubarb. And even if you are not very fond of the licorice flavor, as I am, still - give it a try. The anise flavor is very subtle here, it just leaves you puzzled about what is in this cake.

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Following the French and white chocolate idea introduced earlier I’m offering this cheesecake. No, this cake is not as sweet as the previous one. The white chocolate here doesn’t dominate, it leaves you wonder and beg for more.

The cake is so simple and so chic! This is a European marvel at its best. You can serve it with fresh berries or raspberry coulis. And that’s exactly what the author (Fran Bigelow) suggested. Or, if you are not pressed for time, you can make the Fleur de Sel Hazelnut brittle to decorate the cake or serve alongside. I found them to be the perfect match for the cake. Extra time spent in the kitchen will certainly be highly appreciated at the end of your dinner, I promise. If you decide to make the cookies, make sure you have enough of them to offer separately, despite your plated presentation. Everybody always looks for more to indulge.

And the last but not least. Please, don’t ruin it by a graham crust, or any crust…

Adapted from Fran Bigelow’s “Pure Chocolate”

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This was my debut in the Daring Bakers Challenge. The baking task was the white chocolate l’Opéra, which in this interpretation was not the French classic, to be exact. The shape of the cake and the flavorings were left up to the challengers. While thinking about the flavor to choose I stumbled upon some breathtakingly beautiful pink grapefruits. That’s when I made my choice. I flavored the soaking syrup, buttercream, and the mousse with the grapefruit zest and Pink Grapefruit Liqueur (made in France, by the way) with, surprisingly, very nice, definite grapefruity flavor. It gave the mousse a pleasant light bitterness and very interesting taste. Since the whole white chocolate idea was already quite a deviation from the original, I had let myself to go even further and used Swiss buttercream instead of French one. I baked the joconde in two half-sheet pans, and then cut out three 8-inch rounds. Then I assembled the cake in a ring, mainly because I wanted to pour the mousse on the top before it sets and then let it set undisturbed. This way the mousse preserves its wonderfully light airy texture. As a decoration I placed a white chocolate rose on the top of the cake.

I really don’t recommend to attempt making this cake in one day. The rush will affect the quality of the end product and you will certainly be exhausted. It took me 3 evenings to put the cake together. Was it difficult? I’d say, no. But my husband will definitely disagree since it was him who had to put our dear son Tim to bed three nights in a row. And this, of course, included the full program: bath, tooth-brushing, night-story reading, etc.

This is my cake preparation plan spread over few days:

• Evening 1: make the joconde; make the soaking syrup
• Evening 2: make the buttercream; fit the joconde into the ring mold and spread with the buttercream; refrigerate for 1 hour; make the mousse (chop the chocolate while the cake is chilling); pour the mousse over the joconde; put the cake in the fridge until the next day
• Evening 3: make the white chocolate glaze; make the chocolate plastic decorations
• Next day: unmold the cake; put the rose on the top of the cake.

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