Amateur Chocolate Cake Contestt

Seven lonely entries....mine is all the way at the top

This weekend in Carcassonne featured the 3rd Annual Chocolate Festival at Halle Prosper Montagne here in the Bastide.  One of the activities this year was a chocolate cake contest open to amateur bakers.  Since I had made a Guinness chocolate cake for St. Patrick's Day and it was well received, I thought I would make it and enter. Talk about brass! 

Nougat

You have to realize just how audacious an act this was!!!!  An American entering a French patisserie contest?!!  American style cakes are so NOT to the French palate; they like their cake dense, except when it comes to genoise, which they like on the dry side so it can fulfill its purpose of soaking up the surrounding liquids--syrup, cream, puddings.   The large looser crumb of an American style cake is foreign to the French palate.  And again, an American having the audacity to enter a French baking contest---sacre bleu!  

Nougats are nearly the size of tires

The bottom line is that I did not win.  There were only 7 entries, which stunned me.  There is a reason why there are not more amateur bakers in France--just look at all the patisseries in the neighborhood.  French leave baking to the professionals, I guess.  I did have a wonderful opportunity to talk with the head judge, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France patissier--and he gave me the run down on my cake, which apparently fit only for French garbage cans!!!!

Middle Eastern sweets--oh yeah!

He does not care for Guinness and certainly does not like it in cakes.  He cares neither for the appearance (the blackness of the Guinness leads the person looking at the cake to think it's burnt), the texture (not dense enough) nor the taste (refer back to the not liking Guinness part).  He gave me a lesson about what I needed to do if I am going to insist on using this recipe...as if I intend to go into business or turn professional.  That's how seriously the French take their chocolate cake.

Easter animals all in a row

I entered on a whim, and am glad that I did.  It is another step in integrating into the life here.  I had wonderful conversations with the two ladies on either side of me while we were watching the judges.  I did receive a lovely bag of toiletries for my participation.  As the first prize was a huge basket of chocolate, I am happier with the prize I got.  Because chocolate is not my favorite flavor.  Will I do it again?  Probably.  After all, life is too short not to be audacious.  

The judge who spent 20 minutes with me teaching me about French cakes

P.S.  I just had a slice of this cake and it is DELICIOUS.  And I am not a great fan of chocolate. It is much better than the one I made for St/ Patrick's Day.....Guess I have no palate.   

The winning entry--dense slab of chocolate