Tuesday, June 4, 2013

BWJ - Savarin


Two months ago, I had no idea what a Savarin was.  Fast forward to now, and I have made two of them.  My first effort was for Daring Bakers in April.  Now I have made a Savarin again, this time for Baking with Julia.

The Baking with Julia version of Savarin was much less of a production than the Daring Bakers version.  Instead of six hours of rising time, there was just under an hour of rising time all up.   The finished product was smaller, but was therefore easier to work with.  Instead of soaking the cake in cooled syrup while the Savarin was hot, in this recipe, the hot syrup is spooned onto the cold cake until it can't hold any more fluid.  I found that the Savarin was moister and spongier than the Daring Bakers version because it was smaller and therefore it took less syrup to saturate it.  For the syrup, I added a tablespoon of Chambord to give it a slight raspberry flavour.

Although the recipe called for whipped cream to fill the middle, I used the same crème patisserie as we used for the Daring Bakers version.  This time, I used blueberries and cherries to top the Savarin.

Here is the end result:


While this Savarin is not on such a grand scale as the Daring Bakers version, I liked it better because it was much easier to make, and the Savarin itself was softer and moister because of its smaller  volume versus the amount of syrup.  I had dreaded making another Savarin so soon because I knew the amount of effort that went into the last one, but I needn't have feared it this time - I could have easily made the entire cake, filling and all, in an afternoon.

To see what the other BWJ bakers thought, visit the LYL section of the website.

18 comments:

Susan @ My Wholefood Family Essentials said...

That looks wonderful! I didn't get around to making this one but it's now on my list to make later.

Jill said...

Lovely, and I like the idea of using pastry cream instead of whipped cream. This was my first savarin, and I was surprised how easy it was to make.

Cher Rockwell said...

The DB savarin was fresh on my mind when this came up. I am pretty sure I groaned out loud
Yes, this was so much easier and WAY less complicated. I liked them both, but for different reasons.

Teresa said...

We're going to hold off on this one, as we're having trouble scheduling a baking time this month, but I'm looking forward to it! I like your ideas for filling the cake and your addition to the soaking syrup. I'm thinking Grand Marnier, but added earlier, so that the alcohol burns off and we can share it with my Dad (who has been sober for as long as I can remember).

yummychunklet said...

Looks delicious! I'll have to try it but probably not in time to post for TwD.

Karen @ Lemon Grove Cake Diaries said...

Looks amazing, I like the addition of Chambord - sounds delicious!

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Oh, yeah...the custard was a decadent tweak! Beautifully done :)

Finla said...

Looks super super beautiful and yummy and i wish i had them with my afternoon coffee which will b ein half hour.

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

I think I'd prefer this version because it sounds easier and more moist! :)

Marlise said...

Love the idea of using creme patisserie with this cake. I have to check out the Darling Bakers version. Your cake looks delicious!

Have Apron....Will Bake said...

Beautiful savarin. Now I wish I had made pastry cream! I thought about it, but went with the easy whipped cream.

sunshine x 2 said...

Pastry cream sounds great. And your end product looks delicious!

Andrea_TheKitchenLioness said...

What a beautiful savarin filled with delicious crème pâtissière and fresh blueberries! Very nice presentation!
Have a wonderul Wednesday!

Anonymous said...

This looks lovely. Chambord sounds like an interesting variation.

Anonymous said...

Your savarin looks fantastic, nothing beats pastry cream! And I love cherries, just perfect!

Kayte said...

Love making and eating Savarin...first introduced to it when we were doing Le Cordon Bleu at Home in Whisk Wednesdays and I make it now and again when I feel like maybe I could splurge a little with the calories as this one really packs the calories...but that's why it is so good! Yours is lovely.

Kathy said...

Your savarin has such a lovely texture. I really enjoyed making this. It was so good. The pastry cream sounds divine!

Sweet and That's it said...

I am so glad that with less effort you still made such a yummy and beautiful Savarin.
Looks wonderful.