Daring Bakers are Pretty in Pink

I’m back from my fantastic trip to St. Croix ….and just in time for my 1st Daring Bakers Challenge. Today I am proud to state that I am officially a Daring Baker! Over the past year, I have noticed the Daring Baker logo proudly displayed on many of my favorite blogs and often mused who are these bakers and what can I do to become one? After some searching, I learned that together Ivonne, from Cream Puffs in Venice, and Lisa, of La Mia Cucina, decided that they wanted to try making new things and challenged themselves to attempt something new once a month…the humble beginnings of The Daring Bakers.

The Daring Bakers are a courageous group that love to bake and are not afraid of a challenge. Each month, their mission, if they choose to accept, is to bake a recipe chosen by one of the members. However, the recipe must be followed exactly. This allows us to easily share questions, failures and successes, as we are all going through the same things with the same recipe. During the month we share our experiences, and, ultimately, aim to improve our baking skills. The recipe, our photos and experiences are then officially posted on a specified day.



Thus far the group has challenged themselves with bagels, Gâteau St. Honoré, Martha Stewart’s Darkest Chocolate Crepe Cake, red velvet cake, flourless chocolate cake, croissants, biscotti and pretzels. I admired their successes and their camaraderie within the confines of a single recipe. I wanted to be one of the Daring Bakers, so I sent Lis an email expressing my interest, and, much to my delight, she was pleased to invited me to join the group. So, thank you Daring Bakers, and without further ado, here is my first (of hopefully many) challenges.

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July’s challenge, as chosen by Peabody, is a Strawberry Mirror Cake. For me, summer is all about fruit desserts, and as strawberries are currently in their prime, this is the perfect time for this sweet cake.

Only admired in the windows of pastry shops (particularly those swoon-inducing cakes seen from time spent in France), I had never made a mirror cake before. And this challenge presented the perfect opportunity. Looking at the recipe, I knew this was something I wouldn’t normally attempt. A layered mousse cake…sure, no problem. But a mirror cake? It just was not in my repertoire…yet.

With four pages of instructions, this recipe seemed a bit daunting at first glance, however, in the end was not very complicated at all. Just slightly time consuming. This cake, a classic French patisserie gateau, consists of two layers of soft, tender sponge cake layered with smooth and creamy strawberry Bavarian and then topped with a clear strawberry gelatin layer (in other words, the mirror). I also have a hard time strictly adhering to recipes, but, as is set forth in the Daring Bakers rules, all recipes must be followed precisely unless allergies and other conditions call caution to the original. And, after all, without partaking in the original challenge, nothing would be learned. However, all Daring Bakers are allowed and encouraged to put their own creative spin on the final touches of the said recipe. Instead of the usual single large cake, I did opt to create several miniatures, as I tend to prefer smaller, more individual desserts.

The sponge cake recipe definitely produced a light, moist sponge. Deliciously flavored and subtly sweet, this is a reipce that I will be sure to use again and again. I noticed that several other Bakers had problems with their sponges...so I hope I can help. With any sponge cake, the most important thing is to beat your eggs correctly. First, you really want to beat your yolks and sugar to ribbon stage, approximately 7-10 minutes, to ensure a stable, yet elastic and aerated base. When whipping your meringue, it is important that you incorporate the sugar slowly into the whites, only after they are frothy, and also to make sure you do not over beat them. They should be glossy and hold firm peaks, but not weap or separated. The cake flour is then sifted into the voluminous yolks, and then the meringue is folded in last. Just take caution not to fold too much or you will deflate your precious batter.

Although it appeared the most challenging, the Bavarian cream was actually quite easy to make. It is basically a crème anglaise finished with gelatin and whipped cream. As with any custard, care must be taken to assure that it never comes to a boil, or else it will inevitably curddle. And, overall, the cream proved delicious – smooth with a rich yet light and airy mouthfeel – and I would love to see how it would turn out as an ice cream (minus the gelatin of course).


Once assembling the cake layers and filling with the Bavarian cream, the cake needs to chill for several hours to firm up. I typically like to have all of my mis-en-place prepared in advance, and found that it was quite convienent to make the fruit puree and juice ahead of time so the assembling went a lot quicker. The cake and mirror can also be made in advance (just remelt the mirror when ready for use), but I think the Bavarian cream is best when used fresh.

Once chilled and set up, I began the strawberry mirror. Very simple, very tasty. Basically like making homemade J-ello. Once the mirror set, it was quite easy to unmold the cakes using my hand-held mini blow torch. I also decorated the sides of my cakes with some toasted coconut, as the combination of strawberries and coconut makes me weak.


I highly recommend this cake…it was not too difficult, just an elaborate process, but its taste and vibrant color is well worth the effort. Beautifully complimenting the fragrant strawberries of the season, this cake is perfect for sweetening backyard barbeques or lazy day picnics. For more lovely strawberry mirror cakes, check out the other Daring Bakers’ blogs here. Can’t wait to see everyone’s cakes!





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