I’ve been a long time fan of La Maison du Chocolat‘s sublime French chocolates and pastries, founded by chocolatier Robert Linxe in 1977. I even had the privilege to have a tour of their factory in Paris two years ago because they were aware of my fanaticism.
Even though their name does mean (when translated from French) “The Chocolate House” they are more than just chocolates, they create the most sublime and beautiful cakes, eclairs and French macarons. Since we’ve known each other for a few years shy of a decade, they’ve known of my graduation from graduate school and gifted me this amazing seasonal Andalouise cake!
I arrived at their Upper East Side location in the morning. Despite being familiar with the layout of their gorgeous boutique, I’m still in awe of how immaculate everything looks. They were also trying to change their seasonal display, getting ready for summer. While I was waiting for the cake to be glazed, I had a cappuccino to sip on while waiting. I stood on a corner of their marble bar, sipping my cappuccino and watching the staff setting up for the day and seeing a few Upper East Siders coming in to purchase chocolate gifts.
After refrigerating overnight, since I had to be out for events, I had this divine cake for breakfast. The Andalouise cake is a layered cake made of chocolate macaron biscuit, lemon crémeux (pastry cream), chocolate mousse, and chocolate glaze. The macaron biscuit gave it an ethereal crisp texture. The dark chocolate mousse and lemon cream gave it a smooth, creamy texture that it felt like a dark chocolate cloud with a little bolt of acidic lemon. It was an intensely flavored but very balanced cake that a modest slice can satiate anyone’s sweet tooth. All you really want was a cup of coffee or tea to accompany this cake.
I would like to thank La Maison du Chocolat again for this most wonderful cake I ever received. This means a lot to me, especially during the time of my graduation of graduate school. I am deeply humbled and honored.
To view more photos of this amazing cake, please click through the slideshow (or view my Flickr set: link):
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Information:
La Maison du Chocolat
Official website
1018 Madison Avenue (at E 78th St)
New York, NY 10075
Map
Telephone: (212) 744-7117
To find other La Maison du Chocolat boutique locations
A slice of Andalouise cake is $8; a whole cake is around $68. Only available at their boutiques.