Food Challenge: Gift-wrapped Chocolate Cake

Having just finished my master's program on Tuesday, I decided I was entitled to a baking challenge. I selected a recipe from Marlene Sorosky's holiday cookbook Season's Greetings that I would never in my right mind have selected while in school, and frankly, should not have selected even with this newfound post-graduate freedom. I thought this cake might be hard, and I was initially up for the challenge. But I had no idea just HOW hard.

This was a multi-step project. First, I had to make the actual cake, which would be one sheet of chocolate genoise (a sponge cake made by folding in lots of stiff-peaked egg whites), and cut into thirds to stack. In between those layers I would spread a rich white chocolate buttercream. The assembled cake would be chilled until firm. Meanwhile, using a double boiler, I made two different doughs, one dark chocolate, one white chocolate, by melting a whole lotta chocolate with a few tablespoons of corn syrup. Each dough had to set for over 4 hours so that I could roll it out and wrap the cake like a present. From beginning to end, including wait time, this cake took probably half a day! Fortunately, it had the wow factor. I also got to try my skills at fondant-like decorating. And the delicious taste was there, too.

But I think it's safe to say that my sense of entitlement to go crazy in the kitchen is out of my system. At least, until next weekend.