Rebecca from Madison, WI (2018 Week 4: Desserts)

Baker

Rebecca

Location

Madison, WI

Baking Challenge

Layered Meringue Dessert

Give your dessert a clever name – and tell us about your recipe.

Short But Sweet Cake – I used the Smitten Kitchen blog’s recipe for Chocolate-Hazelnut Macaroon Torte, but the meringue layers were not as tall as I’d expected, and piping the ganache on top was more difficult than I thought it would be. I didn’t achieve a showstopper appearance, but the cake is delicious.

What was the biggest surprise during your baking journey? Did you use any unconventional approaches? What did you learn along the way? Tell us about it!

I’ve never made caramel before, so after seeing many contestants struggle with making it on the show, I was pleasantly surprised that it worked on the first try. Mary Berry’s advice to avoid stirring the caramel while it cooked was spot-on. I also learned that putting caramelized hazelnuts on a cake will cause my friends to ignore any other imperfections.

How did you add a Wisconsin twist to your flavors or decoration?

I used lots of Wisconsin cream and eggs to make the cake.

How did you do?

Pleasantly satisfied.