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Every so often, a gift comes along that is truly a special occasion. More than a box of fine chocolates or great cookies, in this case, it’s a cake: Lady M’s Peach Cobbler Mille Crêpes Cake.
The cake is a limited edition for the month of May, making it even more special. We’ve tasted upwards of 10 flavors of Lady M’s Mille Crêpes Cake, and this is an unusual, delightfully surprising variation.
Bravo to Lady M! We’re so happy that we had the opportunity to try the Peach Cobbler Mille Crêpes Cake.
This special flavor is available for pick-up at Lady M boutiques in New York City and Southern California. More about it follows.
> The history of the Mille Crêpes Cake.
PEACH COBBLER MILLE CRÊPES CAKE
Silky smooth, the 20 layers of impossibly thin, delicate, handmade crêpes are filled with a special version of Lady M’s pastry cream made with blonde chocolate (more about that below) and flecked with peach pieces.
Another feature that makes this crêpes cake different from the other Lady M flavors is the toppings: succulent sliced, glazed peaches in the center and a finely-grained, cinnamon-accented streusel* around the edge.
While the pâtissier calls it a “vanilla crumble,” we know cinnamon-accented streusel crumbs when we see them and taste them! For us, the crumbs make the flavor profile more crumb cake than cobbler—a traditional cobbler is topped with biscuit-like “cobblestones” (see the difference here).
But call it whatever, we have no complaints. Just give us another slice, please!
AN IMPORTANT CAUSE
The new cake flavor is inspired by the classic Southern dessert, Peach Cobbler, and was created in collaboration with “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Sutton Stracke, a Georgia native.
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month (May), 10% of all sales of the Peach Cobbler Mille Crêpes Cake will be donated to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
It’s an organization that’s near and dear to Sutton and her family.
NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. The partnership with Lady M will strive to have a positive impact by emphasizing the importance of speaking out about mental health, and aligns with Lady M’s mission to “Share Cake, Share Happiness.”
And the happiness?
Just take a bite!
WHAT IS BLONDE/BLOND CHOCOLATE?
Blonde chocolate, also known as caramelized chocolate and toasted white chocolate, is a relatively recent addition to the types of chocolate: the classic dark (1847), milk (1875), and white (1930) varieties and the newer ruby chocolate (created by Callebaut, it was launched in 2017, five years after blonde chocolate in 2012—see photos #6 and #7).
> The history of chocolate.
Blonde chocolate is cooked white chocolate which uses the Maillard reaction† to create a caramel-like flavor and a tan hue (photo #6).
In addition to cooking finished white chocolate until the Maillard reaction occurs, blonde chocolate can be made by using “caramelized” milk powder (i.e. milk crumb) in the initial recipe. Either way, the flavor of the milk used to make the chocolate is changed.
Created by Valrhona Chocolate and trademarked as Blond® chocolate, the new flavor was introduced by Valrhona under the product name Dulcey.
Blonde chocolate was created by accident. Frédéric Bau, the executive chef and director of Valrhona’s Ecole du Grand Chocolat, had melted white chocolate in a bain-maire (water bath) for a demonstration. He inadvertently left the remaining chocolate on the stovetop overnight.
Coming back to the kitchen some 10 hours later, he found that the melted chocolate had turned light tan in color and gave off aromas of shortbread, caramelized milk, and unrefined sugar.
He found the result of his oversight to be delicious and set out to recreate it as couverture chocolate and produce it on a larger scale. (It took eight years to perfect the recipe.)
Valrhona’s Blond/Dulcy has 35% cacao solids chocolate, a unique blonde color, and, per the brand, intense biscuity notes, a light sugar taste with a hint of salt, and a creamy texture.
Whether it’s used for bars, bonbons, or in pâtisserie, blonde chocolate pairs beautifully with caramel, toffee, and hazelnut flavors, and with mildly acidic fruits such as apricot, banana, and mango.
If you haven’t yet tasted blonde chocolate, it’s easy to pick up a bar at Amazon.
While you’re at it, if you haven’t had ruby chocolate, pick up a bar of that as well.
Different artisan chocolate makers use Valrhona’s couverture to create their own blonde chocolates.
> See our Chocolate Glossary for more chocolate types and terms.
ABOUT LADY M
Lady M is a New York City maker of luxury confections, with more than 50 boutiques worldwide. Established in 2001, Lady M is the creator of the world-famous Mille Crêpes Cake. Lady M marries French pastry techniques with Japanese sensibilities, resulting in delicate cakes that are a touch sweet and perfect for every occasion. All cakes are handmade and prepared fresh without food additives or preservatives. The crêpes cakes are a very special treat, although Lady M makes a variety of delectable cakes and confections. Learn more at LadyM.com.
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*Streusel is a crumb topping made from butter, flour, and sugar. It can also contain chopped nuts or rolled oats. It’s used on cakes and pies alike. Pronounced SHTROY-zul, the word derives from the German “streuen,” meaning to sprinkle or scatter. The American mispronunciation “STROO sul?” Fuggedaboudit.
†The brown caramel color in certain foods comes from a reaction that occurs when sugar reacts with amino acids under heat. Called the Maillard (my-YARD) reaction after the French physician and chemist Louis-Camille Maillard who first reported it in 1912, it’s a form of non-enzymatic browning that [usually] requires heat. Each type of food has a very distinctive set of flavor compounds that are formed during the Maillard reaction. The color and flavor of toasted bread and nuts; barbecued, roasted, and seared meats; and roasted coffee (and many other flavors) are the result of Maillard reactions. And of course, caramel candy is the result of a Maillard reaction.
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