Triple Chocolate Bavarian

We seem to have driven all the pastry chefs out of town. Chef H has gone on vacation and now Chef F has left for a contract in Singapore. Thankfully, Chef J toughed it out and agreed to teach us again for the week. The first lesson of the week was the Triple Chocolate Bavarian cake, which is really quite difficult.

Three layers of white, milk and dark chocolate cover a thin layer of sponge cake with dark chocolate glaze on the very top. The trick with this one is that the outside of the cake is left uncovered by the glaze, so you have to be very precise in laying down the layers of cream. They have to be exactly the same thickness. We made a ruler guide to help direct us, but even so I botched the job.

Chef J's Triple Chocolate Bavarian - what it's supposed to look like

Chef J seemed poised to stop by at precisely the wrong moment and I was a mass of jitters. My hands were shaking so badly and I was too timid in pouring the bottom layer of mousse that the bottom layer of sponge was peaking out underneath. The layers are not even close to be the same thickness. And the cherry on top of it all? The glaze all stuck to the top of the ring mold and pulled off when I removed it. It's a chunky looking mess.

My sad mess