cake

France is one of the most creative places…pastry-ing-ly speaking. Last night for example I had a dessert called a baba rhum a light and airy rum infused cake drizzled with orange perfumed caramel sauce served with hand beaten Chantilly a delicious 14 seconds was spent devouring this morsel.

I have waxed eloquent about my love affairs with the pastry culture really to anyone who will listen-especially my utter lack of comprehension of how people can control themselves in their pastry consumption (I might need to start a help group).

In Paris, currently, here are some of the ‘trendy’ desserts…

Cheescake and wait for it…Carrot cake.

Cheesecake doesn’t shock me, I mean we have The Cheesecake Factory, and the city of Philadelphia (cream cheese)-so really not a shock…

But a dessert that was revived due to rationing during the second world war…a dessert that is typically served in all geriatric institutions, retirement parties, as refreshment after a funeral, a dessert with carrots in it?

After experiencing many disappointing cheesecakes in the restaurant scene here (I will still go for a fondant au chocolat), and declining to partake in carrot cake…I decided to thumb through the good old “Joy of Baking” and make a carrot cake.

Lacking cream cheese was no problem considering I live in the land of cheese…I decided to forego the marzipan carrots…it turned out…after hand-beating eggs and sugar until thick and cream colored (my work-out for the day)…

Well it turned out enormous and delicious. After eating slices of cake for breakfast three days running I gave away the cake to anyone who would take it..and surprise surprise everyone devoured the heavy geriatric wonder.

After explaining to those not on the trend train that un gateau des carrots had in fact carrots in it…I got a lip-puff, shoulder shrug…and a “baaaahhhhh c’est hyper bon!” or “weelllllll, it was super tasty!”

Amazing that the people who dare to sniff in disdain to a humble profiterole (bourbon vanilla ice cream enrobed in flakey pastry topped with slivered almonds and rich hot dark chocolate sauce) will rave about a simple 1960s cake.