Baking FAIL

So I don’t know what has gotten into me lately but I’ve fancied myself a baker. I think it started with attempting to make cream puffs, (pate choux). Well they came out beautifully the first time. I figured that must be the hidden talent I’ve been searching for. While my sisters and mom are the masters of the stove, I would be able to tackle the science of pastries.

I am so confident of my new skill that I am going to make cream puffs for every occasion. But that one instance of beautiful tall cream puffs failed to reoccur. Well, maybe pate choux is just too difficult to tackle for a novice like myself.

Then there was the soufflé. I’m going to just erase that one from memory. It was bad…

I forged forward. I still envisioned myself a baker extraordinaire. As I mentioned before thanksgiving, I set my sights on the elusive crepe cake. The last time I made it the taste was awesome, but it looked like a gloppy mound. This time, it would be BEAUTIFUL, worthy of bakery display case.

I was diligent in my goal. I carefully made the crepes, froze them, thawed them, layered them with the mousse stacking carefully and glazed it all with a beautiful ganache. I even fretted over transporting the thing.

In all my worrying, I messed up the mousse! I didn’t beat the egg whites long enough, it got warm, or the weight of my stress was too much for that light hazelnut concoction to hold up. The mousse fell and ran.

In the end, it did look better than the last one but it was just a stack of crepes with ganache on top. It was chewy and disappointing.

Not to worry, I will forge ahead. I will make a better cream puff!

Oh by the way, check out a suggested christmas gift for me…..