Monday, September 20, 2010

Hubby's Birthday 2010: Durian Cream Cake & Dark Chocolate Truffle Cherry Cake

My husband's birthday was here again. I wanted to make something special & different for his birthday cake and had been pondering over this matter for quite sometime. ;P Reason was his favorite fruit was Durian, so making a durian cake seems like a super idea. However, the kids were not fans of durian so they won't get to enjoy their daddy's birthday treat. :P So that falls back to chocolate cake again, similar to that birthday cake I made for him last year. And since I couldn't really decide on one, I decided to go ahead and make both! Call me crazy but I think it'll be crazier if I made a durian chocolate cake, lol! So on his Lunar birthday (based on Chinese calendar), I made him his favorite, Durian Cream Cake.

A simple 6 inch square cake, containing 6 layers of vanilla sponge and 6 layers of durian cream. Well, you would wonder if there is any significant meaning in that? No, lol! It's just so happened, that's all. :)
I had made it so small because only my husband and I will be enjoying this cake, so better not make it any bigger then necessary.
Here it is, a slice of the durian cream cake. :) Pretty tall for such a small cake I must say. Well, it almost looked like a cube, lol! But a delicious cube that is. :) The vanilla sponge cake was nice and soft, so when it's sandwiched between the thick luscious durian cream, it was perfect! Each bite is light and yet packed full of flavors...a dream desert for durian lovers, well besides the real durian of course. :)
I am actually rushing to post this up, so I'll skip posting the recipe this time. Will try to post up the recipe in future if opportunity comes. Overall, very satisfied with this simple cake, and dear hubby was delighted too. :)
The other cake I made for him on his actual birthday, which was yesterday is....drum-roll....Dark Chocolate Truffle Cherry Cake! Never heard of it? Well, that's because I came up this cake "combo" myself, lol! I wanted to make something deep, dark and chocolaty, but yet I wanted to add that bit of moisture to the cake, so can cherries seems appropriate. :) Almost like black forest but not exactly because of the truffle layer. :P
As you can see, it has a number of "rough edges", not that well decorated...*sigh*. Reason was I only started working on it on that morning and even went out lunch and shopping in between before even completing it, lol! Well it's a Sunday fellows, ...heehee. ;)
Although I had the idea of making a dark chocolate truffle cherry cake, but I have no clue what so ever how am I gonna decorate it! I had to browse through all my bakery books for ideas, but still couldn't piece up to a nice picture. :P In the end I just went with the flow, and went with more melted chocolate and thus this not so fantastic looking cake. :P
As you can see from this cut out slice, this is just a simple 2 layer chocolate sponge cake with a thick layer of dark chocolate truffle (yes, thicker then the sponge cake, lol) and sweet cherries sandwiched between, yummm! And considering I use purely Valrohna 70% cocoa baking chocolate and powder, you can imagine now deep and chocolaty this cake will be. ;)
I think I can have a slice of this any time of the day or year, lol! Hubby? Of course he loved it too! Luckily the rest of the family enjoyed it very much too and complimented it was chocolaty and not too sweet. :) I was glad I made this 2nd cake for the rest of the family to enjoy. Although much more work involved in making 2 birthday cakes....but isn't 2 better then one? Lol! But I told my hubby...just this once, hahaha!

Have a great great week all!

31 comments:

ann low said...

Hey BeeBee, the durian cake looks really tall with 6 layers!! I can even smell the durian from here...hahaa...
I love that dark chocolate cake..I don't mind having two cakes too :))

busygran said...

Lucky hubby! And wow! Skyscraper cakes! Yummy with all that creamy durian and chocolatey cakes!

Bakericious said...

Bee Bee, your Ang so lucky leh to have 2 birthday cakes, some more both looks so pro, beautiful and delicious. Hard to choose , I love both. Your durian cake is so tall, I just love tall cakes. And gosh, 6 layers, you are really patience to stack up these layers but it looks so gorgeous. I love the dark chocolate truffle cherry cake too, look at the thick layer of chocolate truffle, wish I can have a bite hmmm... not enough I need a big slice! Pls pls pls share the recipes :)

Crumbs N Crust said...

Hi Bee Bee

Can you please post the recipe for the Durian Cake ?! Would appreciate it very much as we don't have durian cake here.

Thank you and Blessings
Christine

MaryMoh said...

Happy Birthday to your hubby! He is sure a very lucky man! I love both cakes....looks pretty and delicious.

Allie said...

Wow, looks sooo delicious! The dark chocolate cherry truffle cake is so decadent! I think cherry and chocolate makes a fantastic combination...yummy!

Edith said...

Both cakes look so delicious!

Cooking Gallery said...

Look at those cakes....!! I would especially like to taste the durian one ;)!

ICook4Fun said...

Wow, I love the thick layers of the durian cake. Wish I can sink my teeth into it. Carlos b'day is just around the corner I wish i can bake this cake or the choc cake for him but too bad both not his fav. Now I have to crack my head on what to bake for him :(

Happy Homebaker said...

Both cakes are so impressive! It must be hardwork frosting the 6 layers of durian cake. I like your chocolate cake, it looks really rich and chocolatey!

x3Baking said...

Love the layered cake. It looks very elegant. The chocolate cake looks so rich and luscious = delicious. The chocolate on the sides make it look very pretty. And wow, your husband's birthday was yesterday! My dad's birthday was yesterday. The month of September sure has a lot of birthdays. (my grandma, several friends, uncle, dad, almost one after the other :) Will you be posting recipes for both cakes? If so, I can't wait. Thanks for sharing.

Passionate About Baking said...

Firstly, happy belated birthday to your wonderful second half. :)
Secondly, both your cakes look so good! I love the tall and small durian cake. And your dark chocolate cake too! I love anything that is dark chocolate! It really looked very rich and intense...something that I would die for!! Any leftovers? :p

ReeseKitchen said...

WOW!! You are super great Bee Bee>>:) Both cakes were so nicely done! I LIKE the durian cake, it must be very very delicious. Then I LOVE the way you decorated the chocolate cake. So BEAUTIFUL, my friend..:)
Wish Wilson a very HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY..:)

Kitchen Corner said...

WOW! That's very tall durian cream cake! It's truly for durian lover, like me hahaha...
Beside, your chocolate cake looks really nice, I like dark chocolate with cherry. It's just so mouth watering!

LimeCake said...

oh my gosh i would KILL for a slice of that durian cake!

DG said...

6 Layers??!! I bet this is the tallest cake made from you, right? Hahaha ... I love both cakes, both durian & chocolate are my favourites :)

Sweet Tooth said...

What can I say, it is durian cake. It tastes heavenly. Not everyone shares the same enthusiasm. But that's ok, more for me.

I must say I had many chocolate cakes and is not easily surprised. But if I have to pick a word to describe this chocolate cake, it will be " Wow".

It is many times better than a black forest cake.

I am sure everyone had wasabi with sushi. This chocolate cake had that kind of coco explosion that flood your nasal and your taste bud simultaneously. And just like wasabi, it brings tears to your eyes but this time tears of prue chocolate indulgence. The cherry in the cake is a stroke of genius. The refreshing cherry allows your taste bud to rest temporarily before they experience the chocolate indulgence all over again.

Unknown said...

bee bee you are really hardworking, one cake I cut 3 layers already not easy, you cut 6 layers.... salute.

Make one cake I almost want to faint, and you made two... salute again...

Honey Bee Sweets said...

@Anncoo: Thanks Ann. ;) Me too! But I doubt anyone will buy 2 cakes for me, let alone make for me *sob*, lol!

@busygran: Yeah horr, he so lucky!

@Jess: I think my Ang "身在富中不知富“ leh! Actually I managed to make six layers is because I used a rectangular baking tray pan, not those square ones...that's why so thin, heehee. Ok ok...will try to find time to post if not will email u.

Honey Bee Sweets said...

@Christine: Welcome to my blog first of all! Yeah, if demand is high, will find time to post it. But I am hoping to post the mooncake festival post tomorrow. ;P Patience...

@MaryMoh: Thanks for your support! ;)

@Allie: Welcome!! Thanks for dropping by my blog and sharing some "love". ;P Yes indeed, love cherry and chocolate combo. :)

Honey Bee Sweets said...

@Edith: Thanks for your kind support!

@Cooking Gallery: Heehee, is it? Actually I like the chocolate cake better...but since I am a chocoholic, it's no surprise, lol!

@Gert: Really? Your hubby doesn't like chocolate cake? Wow...that would be a challenge! :P Looking forward to seeing your post! ;)

@HHB: Thanks so much for dropping by. :) Yeah, I think I can eat the chocolate cake any day or everyday! Lol!

Honey Bee Sweets said...

@x3baking: Heehee, if you count back 9 months, you will notice it's Dec timing. And in the old times, Dec month is a popular time for marriage, lol! :D

@Jane: Ai ya, if the durian cake got left over, also spoil already! Used only fresh durian meat and cream, so cannot da han so long. But all gone btw. The chocolate cake still have 1/4 left...but you will have to go against my 2 kids and the birthday boy for it, heehee.

Honey Bee Sweets said...

Dear Reese, thanks so much for your wishes. Yeah he had a great time, especially this year with so many family members celebrating with him. Ai ya, you didn't notice the chocolate is melting on the side? Lol!

Thanks so much Grace. :) Yeah, he nearly had an OD of heatiness with both these cakes! Had to make cooling herb tea for him . :P

@LimeCake: Thanks so much! ;) BTW, just bought the pasta OO flour, will attempt to make cut out pasta shapes soon. ;)

Honey Bee Sweets said...

@Sweet Tooth: Thanks so much for your detail descriptions of the wonderful taste of both cakes. :)I bet the readers will benefit from your comment, heehee. :D Will try to do even better next year...;)

@neyeeloh: Hahaha, ai ya, so embarrassing!!(sound like someone) But in fact I enjoyed makes both cakes..so it was a win win situation. ;)

Pei-Lin said...

Bee Bee, I can't imagine you LOL'd as you wrote the post. I had to LOL, too! HAHA! Durian + Choc = Overheated!!! You wanna kill people ar? HAHA!

Kudos to you for making 2 cakes in 1 shot! I'd love to have the chocolate one ... with that overly thick truffle layer. HAHA! Hey, your combo reminds me Queen Anne's milk choc-coated cherries in the States. Mmmm ...

I've gotta admit the durian "tower" looks "tall" though was just a small cake. Well, visual deception. HAHA!

中秋節快樂!

Angie's Recipes said...

That's a real TALL layered cake! Marvelous!
中秋节快乐!

Bakericious said...

Bee bee then our Ang sama sama, my Ang dun fancy cakes though he always entertain eating my bakes n 'give' face praising me :p. Next time invite me over I wil help u to clear stock hahaha. I shall wait for your recipes, thanks in advance n happy mid autumn festival to u and family!

WendyinKK said...

The durian cake is a work of wonder!!! I love all the layers and how even they looked!!! No layer was too thick or too thin compared to each. Really nice!!!
Wait..... I am looking closer at it, the layers are not sliced, but baked thin like a swiss roll style, sliced into half horizontally and stacked!!! Sometimes it seems like more work to bake so many layers, but actually I prefer this way too, the cake layers will be more even.

And the 2nd cake, oh yes I remember you telling me u made a cake with canned cherries. It's fun to experiment and sometimes the result can be very surprising........., surprisingly good. Hahaha!!

Honey Bee Sweets said...

Hahaha, Pei-Lin, I know, I think my lou gong getting nose bleed already lol!! Heehee, smart girl, indeed the durian cake is small, so the 6 think sponge layer seems really tall! Playing with the pictures, heehee. ;)

Thanks Angie! Happy mid-autumn festival to you too!! ;)

Hey Jess, actually horr, my husband has a sweet tooth leh. And most of the time he will eat anything I make....not bad larr, quite supportive of me, heehee. ;)

@Wendy: Smart girl! Great minds think alike!! That is exactly how I did the durian cake, heehee. Secrets out!!!;D

Bakertan said...

hey Bee Bee,

your husband is very fortunate to have 2 spectacular birthday cakes. These cakes look even better than the ones in bakeries. I am sure they taste really good too!

wah sei, there's tons of durian cream for the durian dream cake definitely a must have for durian lovers. Both cakes happen to be my favourite flavours, yummy yummy =]. I cant imagine myself making 2 layer cakes in the same week. its too time consuming, haha. Maybe I should make a durian dream cake for my birthday =]

Honey Bee Sweets said...

Thank you Zhou yuan, your compliments made my day! I guess most guys love durian and chocolate, same for my BIL too, lol! Woo...will be looking forward to see ur birthday cake!! Is is coming soon?? I think I am too lazy to make a cake for myself on my birthday, lol!