My palate definitely favours savoury flavours over sweet, when I want a snack I will reach for nuts or crisps over chocolate. This preference means that I rarely make dessert. When hosting a dinner party I would probably serve seasonal fruits with cream for dessert with some chocolate to follow. Desserts also make me nervous - the precision required and the ease with which things can go wrong have meant that until recently I had not cooked a cake in years, in fact, I don't remember how long ago it was.

After spending several hours In the (Pastry) Kitchen with Gregoire Michaud, pastry chef of Four Seasons Hotel (Hong Kong), I am starting to review my reluctance for making sweet treats and have already begun looking at cake pans to buy.

Dish: Chocolate and Yuzu Cake

First Impressions

When deciding what to give me to attempt Gregoire consulted some of my previous In the Kitchen columns and figured that after killing a crab, prepping a pigeon to be baked in salt crust, and manning the wok in a Michelin kitchen, that a simple sponge cake would not be enough of a challenge. Instead I was being asked to make Chocolate and Yuzu cake, a cake with six components - chocolate cake, crispy base, ganache, yuzu creme brulee, yuzu juice, chocolate glazing. Gregoire has recently developed the cake, which will be served in The Lounge this summer - if you can't wait until then to try it Gregoire will make you one to order; 24hrs notice is required.

After taking a lift down to the subterranean pastry kitchen the first thing that hit me was the smell...whether it is the sweet scent of cakes and pastries or the salivating aroma of bread baking...all the smells coming from the kitchen were extremely appealing. The next thing was how busy it was...staff as busy as bees...the kitchen operates 24hrs to ensure it meets the needs of the hotel's guests and diners. We worked (we made a cake each) in the overnight bread making area - the only quiet spot. 

Things were off to a five-star start when Gregoire offered me something to drink - tea, coffee, champagne - I was tempted by the champagne but opted for mint tea served with lemon and honey - a wonderful combo - served on a silver tray. Gregoire talked me through the three pages of instructions and gave me an apron - a wise move - my apron at the end of the baking adventure resembled an abstract canvas painted with chocolate. 

Increasing Confidence

I have included the recipe (below) so I won't go into the details of each step, instead I will share the tips and hints that I picked up along the way, plus a few mishaps.

The first part of the recipe we did was the creme brulee as it needed time to set. I was nervous before I began as I have never attempted a creme brulee but Gregoire made it look easy so I just went for it. Tips: when the recipe calls for you to boil the cream (or the milk in other components)...it means bring it to a rapid boil...pouring in a little hot cream into the egg yolks before adding them to the mix tempers the egg so it does not scramble...and cooking it in a water bath slows the cooking. 

The ease with which I completed this step upped the confidence and I was ready for the next step, making the crispy base. The first step of the method reads, "Melt both chocolate...," to my surprise we headed to the microwave. Gregoire said it is an easy and convenient way to melt chocolate and that it is common practice in professional kitchens. The chocolate can burn easily so best to keep checking and adjusting the time accordingly. Combining the ingredients was a cinch but spreading the sticky mixture to a 1cm thickness with a spatula and a rolling pin proved a little tricky.

Chocolate Tasting

Next up was the ganache - surprisingly easy - and oh so yummy - in addition to using in cakes the recipe can be used to make your own chocolates and other delicious chocolate treats. Making the glaze was also largely uneventful and like the ganache I found that several taste tests were needed. Well, that was my excuse for eating almost as much as I made.

The final step was to create the chocolate cake batter. With the use of a professional mixer the whipping of the eggs and sugar was easy, as was whisking the whites and sugar. If you don't have a mixer a stick blender will also work. Combining the parts together took a little care as it is important to maintain as much volume in the mix as possible...I was being a little too gentle and Gregoire commented that I was not making a souffle so I could mix it with a little more force. The mix was spread on a tray with a spatula, which had to be done evenly to achieve a good result...we would then cut out the cake rounds once cooked.

Throughout the process Gregoire looked to me to take charge of my own cake...instead of pointing out if something was not done correctly he would ask me what I thought, and if I thought it was okay, which I appreciated. 

The Masterpiece Assembly

With all the components done it was time to assemble the cake. The idea was to create even layers of cake and ganache, with the creme brulee in the centre, surrounded by more ganache and finally glazing and decorating the cake. This was great fun and I was probably having a bit too much of a jolly time so I didn't take the perfectionist route, which the professionals do, the result being that my layers were not even and the chocolate ganache final layer was almost as twice as thick as it should be. Although delicious, the desired balance of texture and flavour was out of whack. This also made it difficult for the cake to set properly making it hard to de-mould, even with some instant freeze in a can sprayed all around it! I also forgot to add yuzu juice to one of the cake layers so the citrus punch was not as strong as it should have been. 

We also had some troubles with the glaze and because it wasn't perfect we used some macaroons as part of the decoration process to cover up drips. The constant strive for perfection is something I have witnessed in all the kitchens I have spent time in.

Gregoire asked me if I would like to make something out of marzipan to decorate the cake...I opted for an old-fashioned rose...which I am thrilled to know how to make; below is a link to the images. Although it was clearly a long way away from the perfection of Gregoire's I thought it did resemble what it was supposed to be.

Finally the taste test. I thought it tasted great, with a big chocolate hit being cut with the zing from the creme brulee and yuzu juice. It was easy to see how it could be improved (more even layers and more yuzu) but overall I was happy with the result. Gregoire, Tom Wan, (chef de partie), Herve Fucho (the hotel's executive chef), and Angela from the PR team, also seemed to enjoy my efforts.

Overall I found the experience a relaxing, somewhat meditative one...I mentioned this to Gregoire and he replied that yes, spending three hours making one cake is relaxing but that in a professional kitchen taking this long on one cake would mean I would probably be looking for a new job.

Working with Gregoire was a real pleasure, his friendly and happy nature completely put me at ease. When I get back from holiday I intend to honour his request of cooking the cake again at home and sending him a picture of the result. I encourage all of you to have a go at this recipe...if you plan well, get all the prep (measuring etc) done before you begin, and use quality ingredients, you will produce a cake with a real WOW factor that tastes fabulous.

Gregoire's Review

The techniques were followed carefully and the execution was fairly smooth considering it was the first time ever that Vicki attempted such a cake. 

If I had to say anything of a critical nature, it would have been on the precision of the layers, like the thickness of cream versus sponge cake, and perhaps a more intense yuzu flavour would have been nice, but then again, it was far from disastrous. The lack of practice is probably what made the layers less even in distribution. Indeed, more practice makes one's gesture more confident and thus a winning strike! Using quality ingredients and baking them the right way was already half of the battle won. I liked the fact that Vicki was willing to actually do each step by herself, trial and error is what makes us more experienced. 

The marzipan rose could have been a bit more elegant, but for me too, the first rose I ever did looked a little like Vicki's, (which my apprenticeship chef would have said looked more like a cabbage). Overall, the cake achieved was good and according to all four people who tasted it, including myself, it was very good. 

Score: 8/10 

Gregoire is almost as passionate about writing as he is cooking - he has published three books and regularly blogs (and shares recipes) on his website (http://www.gregoiremichaud.com) and writes a regular column, What's for Dessert? on WOM.

Recipe 

For the complete recipe click here. 

Making a Marzipan Rose

Click here for a pictorial journey of making a marzipan rose and leaves; both Gregoire's and mine.  

Image Credit: I would like to thank chef de partie, Tom Wan for the images. A talented photographer, he tirelessly and creatively took pictures throughout the whole process, even styling the shots by rearranging shelves, etc.