TWD: Savarin

I'm finally back on track with the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group. Even though I was all geared up to make Madeleines and Savory Brioche Pockets, I just ran out of time and was unable to get either recipe made by the time posting Tuesday came and went! Not to mention, I type a lot slower nowadays...

However, I was thrilled to discover that Savarin was the next recipe in the rotation because it was such a straight-forward, uncomplicated recipe that incorporated pantry staples to create something so elegant and delicious.

The cake itself was a breeze to put together. A couple minutes in the mixer, a brief rising period, dumping the dough into a bundt pan, another brief rise, and then a quick 20-minute bake and the cake was finished! After cooling the cake to room temperature, I wrapped it tightly in plastic and let it sit on the counter overnight where it would be ready for us to soak, fill, and serve for breakfast the next morning.

I had a couple pounds of fresh strawberries in the refrigerator, so I chose to stuff and fill my Savarin with them. Luckily, I had some leftover raspberry syrup from a cake I had made for Emma's baptism a few weeks ago that I had stored in the freezer. We never keep Pear Brandy in the house, so I chose to skip that component, opting to toss the berries in a bit of kirsch instead. My husband was an excellent assistant and dutifully spooned the simple syrup carefully over the cake. It was the perfect job for him at such an early hour in the morning - he had not yet had his cup of coffee yet and thus his movements were rather robotic.

The finished Savarin was a sight to behold and a pleasure to eat. The cake perfectly absorbed both the simple syrup and the berry juices while lending its own pleasantly butter flavor. Neither to sweet nor too bland, the Savarin tasted indulgent yet sat light in the stomach. Paul enthusiastically declared, with a full mouth: "This is a keeper!"

If you would like to try baking your own Savarin, and I highly encourage you to do so, please pick up a copy of the book Baking with Julia.