"Setsu, thanks for everything as always. By the way, I have a little favor to ask... I'm experimenting with a new creation right now. Would you mind tasting it?"
"Of course, I'd be happy to. I'll help as much as I can if you need me."
Back in my previous life, when I was swamped with work, I only remember colleagues and bosses dumping things on me like, "Do this while you're at it," and "Do that too." But I'm happy to take on requests like this that involve delicious food. It's a win-win situation for me.
"Great. Actually, I don't think it's quite ready to serve to other customers yet... I wanted to get some honest feedback from someone. Well, it's an unfinished product, so to speak, but please give me your frank impressions."
"New cake?! I want to eat it too!"
Sheena raises her hand with sparkling eyes.
Sylvie takes the cover off the plate she placed on the counter, revealing a small, dome-shaped cake coated in chocolate.
The surface is covered with a glossy chocolate glaze, and the top is decorated with a large berry and a modest amount of golden sugar confectionery. It's hard to tell at a glance whether the base is sponge or tart, but... it looks gorgeous enough.
"It's chocolate, but combined with a mousse that has a slight acidity. I also used a berry-based syrup... I'm aiming for a balance of sweetness and acidity, but could you try it first?"
As she says this, she cuts it into two slices with a knife and gently offers them to me and Sheena. Looking at the cross-section, the inner layer has a faint purple hue, creating a beautiful contrast with the brown of the chocolate.
"Well then, let's dig in."
"I'll dig in too!"
Sheena and I put our forks in at the same time. I scoop up the moist chocolate mousse, mixing in a bit of the berry layer... and put it in my mouth. At first, the mellow sweetness of the chocolate spreads gently, and before long, the acidity of the berries follows.
It's certainly delicious.
But--.
"Mmm, it's super delicious!"
Sheena relaxes her cheeks in satisfaction.
"Yeah... it's really delicious, for sure."
I agree with Sheena's opinion.
"Setsu, I can tell by your expression. Please give me your honest opinion."
It seems like Sylvie can see right through me. Thinking that I can't hide anything, I decide to speak without reservation.
"How should I put it? It feels like it's missing that 'oomph' factor."
As I choose my words carefully, Sheena tilts her head.
"Really? It's plenty delicious, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's delicious, but... compared to the other sweets in this store, what is it? I feel like there's a bit of a lack of something at the end. How do I put it? The impulse to want another bite! is a little weak."
As I give my impressions, choosing my words carefully, Sylvie gives a wry smile.
"I thought so too. When I made it, I thought it was 'delicious,' but it lacked punch somewhere... that was my concern."
The richness of the chocolate and the acidity of the berries match well, and it's visually cute. But it's true that it feels like something is missing.
Perhaps the result of aiming for a moderate goodness, not going all out with sweetness or acidity, has made it somewhat half-baked.
"If... you have any good ideas, I'd appreciate it if you could share them. I've tried various accents, but none of them have really clicked."
Sylvie looks a little dejected, so I think for a moment. I didn't have any special patissier experience in my previous life, but I've been experimenting with coffee and cooking since coming to this world, so maybe I can come up with an idea.
For example... adding a hint of bitter caramel to the rich chocolate? No, that might overlap with existing cakes...
After running through several combinations in my head, it suddenly hits me. How about daring to combine a "melting texture" with a "crispy texture"? Like adding crushed biscuit dough crumbs to the layers, if there was another stage of flavor between the cream and the crispness, it might give a different impression.
"Sylvie, would you mind if I made a slightly different suggestion?"
"Of course, tell me! I'll try anything I can think of."
I briefly explained my idea.
Sandwiching finely crushed biscuit crumbs between the layers of soft chocolate mousse, and then adding a very thin layer of salted caramel. The salty-sweet caramel would combine with the acidity of the berry syrup, adding a touch of stimulation at the end.
"I see... the crunchy texture of the biscuit and the accent of salted caramel! That's good, the current mousse has a soft texture all over, so it might be fun to add a crisp or crunchy layer there. You're going to use the salty-sweetness to create a sharp finish!"
Sylvie's eyes light up, and she immediately runs to scribble notes in a notepad. Sheena also looks intrigued, saying, "That sounds interesting!"
"I should have some ingredients left over... and I have some leftover salted caramel sauce. I'll try making it right away, so please wait just a little while?"
As soon as she says that, Sylvie disappears without hesitation into the back of the kitchen. It's a relatively quiet time in the store, so she can start right away as an experiment.
"As expected of my darling. You're so smart!"
"No, I'm just saying whatever comes to mind. We won't know if it works until we try it."
Still, with Sylvie's skills, she'll surely be able to make something good. Feeling a little excited, Sheena and I look at each other across the table.
◆
Before ten minutes have even passed, Sylvie returns saying, "It's still in the trial stage, but..." The cake on the small plate looks similar to the one before, but you can see a layer of small crumbs incorporated into the cross-section.
"The shape is a little rough, but please check the flavor image. I was careful not to burn the salted caramel too much, so I don't think it's too overpowering... how is it?"
Sheena and I exchange glances and immediately pick up our forks. We gently cut a piece of cake and put it in our mouths...
"...Eh?! ...It's totally different!?"
"It really is. The softness of the mousse from before is still there, but the crispy crumbs mix in halfway through, and the salted caramel tightens the sweetness and acidity."
On the tongue, the sweetness of the chocolate mousse and the acidity of the berries spread gently, with the slight bitterness and saltiness of the salted caramel acting as an accent. Because the crunchy texture comes before you get tired of it, each bite is fresh.
"This is delicious... yeah, it's rich but has a clean aftertaste, and I could eat it again."
When I unintentionally express my heartfelt praise, Sheena nods vigorously, not wanting to be outdone.
"Yeah, yeah! As expected of darling's advice!"
No, Sylvie is dozens of times more amazing for putting my advice into action and completing it so quickly.
That being said, Sylvie can't hide her joy and bursts into a smile.
"I'm so happy to hear you say that. Just a little ingenuity can make such a big difference... experimentation is really important. Thank you, Setsu! To think that your opinion would make it this good! Sheena, I was grateful for your frank impressions too."
"No, it wasn't that great of an idea. I'm glad if it was helpful."
"It looks like we'll have a new signature menu item again. I wonder what the name should be... 'Salted Caramel Chocolate Crumble Berry Cake' might be too long, hehe."
Sylvie is smiling so happily, and I feel a little ticklish in my nose. Being able to help people in small ways like this doesn't feel bad.
In this way, we shared a small moment of bliss, surrounding the newly created cake. I couldn't have even imagined such a time in my previous life. All I can do now is savor the gratitude.
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