Baking Sweet French Classics at the Ritz

After enjoying a light lunch on the patio of the Ritz’s Bar Vendôme, I was kindly guided down the elegant, toile-adorned staircase to the kitchens of the École Ritz Escoffier. I was on my way to attend their ‘Sweet Classics’ baking class. Earlier in the year, as I was planning this trip to Paris, I had discovered that the Hôtel Ritz had just re-opened after an extensive four-year renovation. Always on the look out for new French baking and cooking class opportunities, I began to wonder whether they might not offer some. Happily, a quick look at their website confirmed that indeed they do. So, of course, I had to register. And when better to attend such a class than on Bastille Day, France’s national holiday.

Upon being introduced to my three fellow classmates, I was delighted to learn that they, like me, were all from Toronto. It is a small world! The four of us then met our chef, Olivier L’aîné, and his assistant and translator, Emmanuel. After being offered a refreshment, we quickly set to work. Our goal for the day was to each make one Lime Cake and two Chocolate Hazelnut cakes. I love goals like this! I also love the amazing yet simple techniques that the French have mastered over time to perfect their baking results. The first of these that we learned was how to control where the top of your cake will crack as it bakes. The trick is to pipe a thin bead of soft butter along the line that you want the crack to occur. Brilliant!

We discovered two more great tips as we were decorating our cakes. For the Gâteau au chocolate et aux noisettes – Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, we piped a rick-rack design of thick, chocolate ganache on top, prior to covering it with a thin ganache coating. The trick to make sure that the rick-rack design held firm: freeze it before drenching it with the thin gananche.

And for the Gâteau au citron vert – Lime Cake: we drenched it in a lime glaze and then popped it back into the oven for a minute to crystallize the sugar in the glaze in order to have it set nicely. Again, simple but effective.

One of my favourite parts of the class was decorating the second Gâteau au chocolate et aux noisettes. We went all out for this one, adding kisses of chocolate ganache, pieces of hazelnut, and chocolate nibs then finishing it off with nothing less than feuille d’or – gold leaf! We even got to add little chocolate medallions stamped with the École Ritz Escoffier logo to our creations. With all of this, I was starting to feel a little like a professional.

Our baking complete, all that was left was the tasting. And oh, were they good – moist, so flavourful and not too sweet. I’ve always been partial to chocolate but I have to say, the Gâteau au citron vert was my favourite this day.

École Ritz Escoffier, 15 Place Vendôme, 75001 Paris

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