Table: Ganache Patisserie
I went to Ganache Patisserie to get a cake for my dad's birthday last year. This year, I was thinking up cakes to get for another friend's party when I thought to try Ganache again. The first experience I had was pretty good, but I hadn't had the cakes for a while and didn't recall the flavour profiles.
The bakery is located in Yaletown and they've renovated and expanded their shop a little. Though their staff seem helpful and kind of friendly and their offerings (for the most part) enjoyable, I find their attitude a little pretentious. The first time I was there, I ordered their "Pamplemousse Litchi et Rose" by asking for the "grapefruit", to which the clerk replied "oh, you mean the pamplemousse?". I remember deadpanning in response "yes. the grapefruit please." It just seemed so unnecessary to me to have to refer to all the names of the items in French, and then act like the customer (me) didn't understand the French. Sheesh.
I remember the first time I went there I bought a few different cakes to try, but ultimately settled on the Mango Chocolat for dad's birthday. This time I bought a selection of cakes that I thought would fit the tastes of the birthday party to sample and then decide on the "winning" flavour. Clockwise from bottom left: Concorde Praliné, Opéra à la Noisette, Noisette Chocolat, Blanc Fraisier.
Tiramisu and Mango Chocolat.
I sectioned these individual cakes into smaller servings for tasting purposes, and Anata and I went through them and critiqued them. For the most part, they were all enjoyable in their own rights. Ganache is very skilled with their layering and balance. The only cake that I've tried so far from them that I straight out did not enjoy is the "Pamplemousse Litchi et Rose" which I find absolutely too sweet. I mentioned this to the clerk on my second trip and she said that most of the feedback is actually that it's too bitter from the grapefruit, which I found greatly surprising compared to my experience.
Concorde Praliné
Love the nutty flavour and chocolate balance in this one, brilliant that it's not too sweet. Downfall is the guimauve layer which is basically a type of marshmallow - Anata and I didn't like the springly and chewy texture and felt it was out of place in the cake.
Opéra à la Noisette
I don't really taste the coffee buttercream in this one, but I enjoy the slightly richer flavours due to the dark chocolate. Anata said that the opera cakes at L'Opera Patisserie are yummier.
Noisette Chocolat
I liked everything about this one. The slight crunch of the biscuit with the mousse and ganache layers were fantastic, and the sweetness balance was spot on. Slightly decadent, but not overly so.
Blanc Fraisier
Love that you can actually taste the pepper in this one. The sponge is light and fluffy and the cream adding sweetness without being overly so. Again, well balanced, and the berries adding freshness in flavour and a bit of acid to bring everything together.
Tiramisu
Though as an individual component the Tiramisu cream is wonderful and light, I think the balance of this cake to be too much cream compared to the spongy layers, and their just wasn't enough of the coffee flavour. It was very light which was good for the "pick me up" part of the cake, but I didn't like the abundance of cream in this cake.
Mango Chocolat
The mango gelée is such an attractive component of this cake, and I love how it adds a wonderful intensified mango flavour. The mousse is lightly done and not too sweet. I like the cocoa dusting. The "fun" part I suppose is the spherical moulding of the gelée though I think in terms of portioning it might be more practical to have a layer rather than gelée half circles dotting the cake.
Our pick for the birthday party ended up being the Blanc Fraisier, which was a huge hit.
Overall I find the offerings really tasty here, and in the future I may ask for some custom cakes :) the flavours are well done, bar a few too sweet ones, and I like how they decorate and add touches of visual artistry to their confections.
The bakery is located in Yaletown and they've renovated and expanded their shop a little. Though their staff seem helpful and kind of friendly and their offerings (for the most part) enjoyable, I find their attitude a little pretentious. The first time I was there, I ordered their "Pamplemousse Litchi et Rose" by asking for the "grapefruit", to which the clerk replied "oh, you mean the pamplemousse?". I remember deadpanning in response "yes. the grapefruit please." It just seemed so unnecessary to me to have to refer to all the names of the items in French, and then act like the customer (me) didn't understand the French. Sheesh.
I remember the first time I went there I bought a few different cakes to try, but ultimately settled on the Mango Chocolat for dad's birthday. This time I bought a selection of cakes that I thought would fit the tastes of the birthday party to sample and then decide on the "winning" flavour. Clockwise from bottom left: Concorde Praliné, Opéra à la Noisette, Noisette Chocolat, Blanc Fraisier.
Tiramisu and Mango Chocolat.
I sectioned these individual cakes into smaller servings for tasting purposes, and Anata and I went through them and critiqued them. For the most part, they were all enjoyable in their own rights. Ganache is very skilled with their layering and balance. The only cake that I've tried so far from them that I straight out did not enjoy is the "Pamplemousse Litchi et Rose" which I find absolutely too sweet. I mentioned this to the clerk on my second trip and she said that most of the feedback is actually that it's too bitter from the grapefruit, which I found greatly surprising compared to my experience.
Concorde Praliné
Love the nutty flavour and chocolate balance in this one, brilliant that it's not too sweet. Downfall is the guimauve layer which is basically a type of marshmallow - Anata and I didn't like the springly and chewy texture and felt it was out of place in the cake.
Opéra à la Noisette
I don't really taste the coffee buttercream in this one, but I enjoy the slightly richer flavours due to the dark chocolate. Anata said that the opera cakes at L'Opera Patisserie are yummier.
Noisette Chocolat
I liked everything about this one. The slight crunch of the biscuit with the mousse and ganache layers were fantastic, and the sweetness balance was spot on. Slightly decadent, but not overly so.
Blanc Fraisier
Love that you can actually taste the pepper in this one. The sponge is light and fluffy and the cream adding sweetness without being overly so. Again, well balanced, and the berries adding freshness in flavour and a bit of acid to bring everything together.
Tiramisu
Though as an individual component the Tiramisu cream is wonderful and light, I think the balance of this cake to be too much cream compared to the spongy layers, and their just wasn't enough of the coffee flavour. It was very light which was good for the "pick me up" part of the cake, but I didn't like the abundance of cream in this cake.
Mango Chocolat
The mango gelée is such an attractive component of this cake, and I love how it adds a wonderful intensified mango flavour. The mousse is lightly done and not too sweet. I like the cocoa dusting. The "fun" part I suppose is the spherical moulding of the gelée though I think in terms of portioning it might be more practical to have a layer rather than gelée half circles dotting the cake.
Our pick for the birthday party ended up being the Blanc Fraisier, which was a huge hit.
Overall I find the offerings really tasty here, and in the future I may ask for some custom cakes :) the flavours are well done, bar a few too sweet ones, and I like how they decorate and add touches of visual artistry to their confections.