Thanks to the popularity of TV shows such as The Great British Bake Off I’m sure that most of us would love to have a top patisserie chef on-hand to bake sweet treats whenever it takes our fancy. Unfortunately that isn’t a reality for most people (and if it is for you…can I borrow him/her for the day?), but last week I was invited to a private event at Cake Boy for a masterclass in baking with Eric Lanlard.
Joking aside I’d much rather learn how to bake than have someone do it for me, so I was over the moon when I received my invite. After a champagne reception we were sat down in the Cake Boy kitchen, where owner Eric Lanlard walked us through how to make his Red Velvet Cheesecake and West Indies Chocolate Tart. Along the way he gave us some handy tips for baking, and more than a few laughs. He told us how a red velvet cake should never be bright red, and if it is then it’s probably just a regular sponge with food dye in it (a sneaky trick used by a lot of supermarkets) – a top tip for those who like to source their cakes outside of their own kitchen. As for those who prefer to bake at home, Eric dispelled the age old myth of not opening your oven door whilst baking – good to know. Although my favourite tip of the night was when Eric explained that when baking with chocolate it should always be served at room temperature, “like a red wine it needs time to breathe.” Afterwards we were given our own mini (read: adorable) red velvet cakes to decorate with white chocolate butter cream. After a bit of a kerfuffle with my piping bag, I think it’s safe to say I won’t be leaving blogging for a career in baking anytime soon.
We left the event with a signed copy of Eric’s latest cookbook Totally Chocolate and a 9-Speed Kitchen Aid Hand Mixer so we could create our own beautiful bakes at home. I had a lovely evening and it has really inspired me to get back into baking, in fact I already have some cookies in the oven.
For more of Eric’s tips on baking head over to the Curry’s blog.
