"The cake is based on a recipe from Helen Corbitt, who was hired as Director of Food Service at the Driskill Hotel in the early 1950s. It is, based on the recipe, a fairly simple cake at its heart. It's been described as looking like a grocery store cake, which isn't necessarily an insult, but it certainly doesn't evoke feelings of decadence. Instead, it's a little more homey and welcoming."
"Once the cake is baked, however, it begins to shine. The moist, airy cake is covered with a layer of 70% chocolate ganache. That high cocoa percentage serves as a balance to the rest of the sweetness and packs a good punch of chocolate flavor that won't get lost in the sugar. After the ganache, a chocolate mirror glaze is poured over the top. The sides of the cake are then decorated with chocolate shavings, completing the presentation."
The Driskill Hotel's signature 1886 Cake derives from a Helen Corbitt recipe and has been on the hotel's menu for over fifty years. The cake itself is a fairly simple, moist, airy chocolate sponge that looks homely rather than decadent. The finished dessert features a layer of 70% chocolate ganache, a poured chocolate mirror glaze, and sides decorated with chocolate shavings. Single-serving pieces are iced with 1886 on top to mark the hotel's founding. The Driskill Hotel was built in 1886 in Austin and was once among America's most opulent hotels, costing $400,000 to construct.
Read at Tasting Table
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]