Heavenly Cake Bakers: Bernachon Palet D'or Gateau

Such a 'proper bakery cake.' Single layer of rich cocoa sour cream cake, coated with chocolate ganache, and dripped with the lacquer glaze that made its previous appearance on the Chocolate Apricot Roulade. Rose's version, which is the cover cake on the book, is draped in currants and gold leaf. I didn't have any currants, and was about to run home for my fake gold leaf when Lily pulled out a few sheets of the real stuff, and we had fun peeling it on, although my technique was less than deft. Still any gold leaf is good gold leaf...and the cake was a Mother's Day hit at the bakery.

I didn't wind up tasting the finished cake, because I couldn't bear to take the first piece, but I did get enough of the scraps and bits of ganache to know that it was moist, with a hint of sharpness from the sour cream, and very good indeed. A very simple cake, really, under a few layers of fancy.