My Challenge To You - French/Afghan Cake

Score: -1

I need your help.

The best cake my lips have touched lies in the bowl of the Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan, at a French restaurant called Le Bistro. I tried to make this cake and failed. If you find a way to recreate this masterpiece please let me try it; the recipe is posted below.

During my first visit to Kabul, I discovered Le Bistro. It became a frequent stop to try their amazing soups, bread, and salads. Then I tried the Very Rich Chocolate Cake. It was divine. When I came back to Spokane I went searching for something similar to this cake. Mizuna has a flour-less cake—wonderful, but not what I was looking for. I found myself spending my 23rd and 24th birthdays in Kabul during two hot summers, and of course I went out to Le Bistro for the best birthday cake I could dream of.

The owner of Le Bistro keeps his recipes top secret, but, after spending many days at his restaurant’s tables, he decided, with a bit of a snicker, he could give me his cake recipe, eluding I would not be able to recreate it. He did provide some advice to use only the best ingredients, preferably from his motherland, France, and only use farm fresh eggs. American chocolate or butter was not recommended.

I came back to Spokane and sought out the best chocolate, farm fresh eggs, etc. I could find, but failed at creating a cake even remotely comparable to his. If you dare to make this cake and succeed please let me know. If you fail and want to find Le Bistro, follow these directions:

Fly to Kabul. Then find the Shar-e Naw District. Le Bistro is located behind the Ministry of Interior, on the unmarked street parallel to Chicken Street. Coming down from the Kabul City Center with Kabul Park on your left, make a right on the street at the end of the park, across from the gas station, then make the next left. You should see the small sign for Le Bistro hanging at the corner. Turn right; the restaurant is on your right. Then call 0799-598852 when you get lost.

Recipe:


Melt chocolate and butter using a double boiler. Add sugar, salt and flour. Then add the eggs one by one. Put it all in a pan and bake at 200 degrees Celsius.

To make the yellow sauce the owner said to follow what he called a basic Frech technique, a heavy cream and sugar sauce.