Cake-off: Frédéric Cassel's Choux Vanille over Lenôtre's Feuille d'Automne

I got my cakes out of the order that I ate them, but figure I should report in order. So there was running to get the first cake bought, down to Shibuya Sta. and Shibuya Scramble Square, where I got a cake from En Vedette to confirm their promotion, and then tried to get a new cake from BE, but whereas there were two about a week ago, they've regressed back to the basics (or the season for the other two cakes ended), and I got nothing. At that pointed, I needed to get the first cake home, so I used the train, but since the route had me almost to Ginza anyway, I decided to continue there and get all my other cakes for the day rather than go home, run all the way back to Ginza and take the train again anyway. It was there that I got Frédéric Cassel's Choux Vanille and Lenôtre's Feuille d'Automne, which I have both down for as first sample in July (two and one year ago), for a fourth-round cake-off between two-time winners. These are both clearly great cakes, and I could have them again next week, no problem, so it's a shame that under the current system I'll have to wait a year. Anyway, no knockouts, so I have to make a judgement and I'll decide similarly to what I have in the past: the Feuille d'Automne suits my sweet tooth and has great texture, but the simply Choux Vanille is the only great Choux I know, and manages it will a simple form, so it has to get the win.

In Ginza Mitsukoshi news, the Sadaharu Aoki counter now has four of their cakes. Not sure whether this was true Saturday, but I saw it Sunday, so I'll note it now.

Cake-off: Frédéric Cassel's Breteuil over Lenôtre's Feuille d'Automne

Since yesterday was a hard running day (which isn't causing any particular problems other than general fatigue), I planned a lighter day today. I did my 25-minute weights indoor upper-body workout and then went out to Ginza Mitsukoshi by bicycle. I was prepared to get JPH's standard chocolate cake and then go on to a little shop for a third-round match of one-and-one cakes, but Frédéric Cassel was selling their standard version Breteuil again, so I got that and the Feuille d'Automne from the neighboring Lenôtre counter for a third-round match of shops from the winner's bracket, at match-up that had been delayed. I took them home, and after a little other morning shopping, I did the cake-off before the running (or lunch), figuring that after a long run I'm not actually a good judge of cake.

The smooth fruity pistachio nuttiness of Breteuil easily won. Fortunately, Feuille d'Automne is an excellent companion cake, with a simple mild chocolate flavor with a lot of sweet and texture (though I definitely want tea with it to cut the sweetness, even alternating with a creamy cake).

That's the last of this year's cake-off. Recapping the year, the 11 undefeated cakes after three rounds are the following:
Au Bon Vieux Temps' Marjolaine;
Éclat des Jours's Baked Cheesecake;
Frédéric Cassel's Breteuil, Inspiration Passion Framboise, & Tan Gram;
Jean-Paul Hévin's Mont-Blanc;
Paris S'éveille's Monsieur Arnaud, Saint Honoré Caramel, & Theatre;
Toshi Yoroizuka's Saint-Marc;
Yu Sasage's Perfum.
I look forward to pitting them against each other next year for a fourth round.

Worked on the neighborhood course, but didn't actually successfully do any loops. I was only out about 2.75 hours and took a number of pictures down around Aobadai area, where I've never actually learned the route and have only been crossing through them perpendicular to their orientation. Only had to make a could adjustments and hope to try tomorrow.

Cake-off: Lenôtre's Feuille d'Automne over Jean-Paul Hévin's Duja Pistache

Sunday, I finally got to the next cake-off. I started off toward Au Bon Vieux Temps a little after 8 am, which is not that early, since they open at 9 am. Still, I felt that I didn't have to arrive so early and I wanted to check out a couple things along the way. For example, I confirmed that I could do the revised Sendagaya central and south loops clockwise, though I altered the latter after the fact (the length looks the same and it eliminates two turns). Took a picture of the cake shop I found on Google. No sign, so I'm not sure that they actually sell things from there (though it does look like there is something on the table on the left), but there's a window where they could do, so maybe. Someone was in there working even that early, and poked his head out a second to see what I was doing. With those looks, it made for a long run, so I arrived maybe 10 am and, no surprise, they not longer are making their blue cheese cake (it seemed seasonal, but I had no definitely information and I've had other seasonal cakes from more prominent shops to deal with).

Still, I was hungry (I had only had one energy cookie), so I got a Pain au Chocolat there. It's pretty well done, as these breads go, but that's not a bad thing and this qualifies as excellent. The croissants were already sold out, but there were some other more elaborate things that might count as pastries that I could try in the future.

I was going to take the train straight to Mitsukoshi Ginza, but I missed the crossing due to a train going the other way and would have waited for the next local, so I ran two stations (not that far, in this case) to see what the shops near Jiyuugaoka had. Now I'm not sure whether PS still has the Giverny, which is not an immediate problem, though Dalloyau has definitely retired the L'Echiquier from individual cakes, which reduces the chance I'll get another cake from them. I think their reputation as a superb shop depends on a cakes made by a chef who's moved on, though at least they still make their Formage Cru and Croquant Fraise.

I was successful at getting one planned cake and the backup, where they know me well. I confirmed that FC had some new cakes, but the just returned Breteuil seems to been changed from chocolate to white chocolate coating, which is a mixed blessing. Also, since I was in the neighborhood within an hour of opening, I stopped by Sadaharu Aoki to sample their Croissant Chocolat again (also, I was really hungry, and almost asleep on my feet), and it was definitely fresher and definitely excellent. I can't say for sure it was great, but I liked it more than the Matcha (which seemed too sweet). Also I confirmed what cake was back in the line up through February (but I've already done three rounds and it's not enough of a winner to be a priority) and one new cake that I hope to get to this week.

The cake-off was a second round for two cakes from the winners, Lenôtre's Feuille d'Automne and Jean-Paul Hévin's Duja Pistache. Sorry JPH, but the combination of L's meringue and different textures of chocolate was a clear winner. Sadly, I don't have anything to match it for the next round yet (if I'm correct about Breteuil being replaced). Happily, there is a Rouge version available for this season as the reward cake that I'll be able to try this week (the brand does not seem established enough to sell out much). Not sure whether the Duga Pistache is seasonal, so it will have to wait. Actually, someone had posted on Twitter a Sicile from L'abricotier just after the shop told me that they we're making it, so I went out there by bicycle (I decided I was too tired to do more neighborhood loops) and, as I expected, the photo did not reflect reality. If I track down which person, I'll probably un-follow them, though actually they were reporting on a cake in the foreground.

Cake-off: Lenôtre's Feuille d'Automne over Pierre Hermé's Cheesecake Infiniment Citron

Not counting making a run for breakfast supplies by bicycling, my exercise began a little before 9 am, when it was still just under 30 degC. I ran for about 1 hour, though I was doing 2:7 walking by the second cycle, and I was taking pictures of sites (or confirming lack or sites), so I was making adjustments for another severe heat day. I had intended to finish in an hour to arrive at Ginza, but I got involved in tracking down sites to fill in detail on my map, so actually I walked the second hour to finish. Found a Starbucks I had missed in Akasaka and thought I would have to repeat the Akasaka loop again, but actually it's on a block with only one guaranteed continuous access point, so it will be another isolated loop. Really, it should have already been there for the Cozy Corner (by Akasaka Stn., the one by Akasaka-Mitsuke Stn. is not a drugstore, though you can probably still get low-quality cake from t he family restaurant on the second floor, and actually maybe it's the same cake, if they're in the same group). I could make this part of the Akasaka loop, since it touches it on a point, but I see that elsewhere I made a rule about not having to remember which side of the street to run on (either because either is okay or because there is no choice). I've gone through meticulously now and checked all the Starbucks overlapping with the neighborhoods of my map, and I did find another that's going to make me have to redo a loop, the Jinguumae central loop. I've actually been in that one, so I should have remembered it, but it's on the 4th floor, so I wasn't noticing it, but there is a sign outside, so it counts. Guess redoing that is next. I'll work in a cake from a place on that route to make it worthwhile.

After two hours outside, I was ready for a break and got Lenôtre's Feuille d'Automne from Ginza Mitsukoshi and then took the train to Isetan's Pierre Hermé to get Cheesecake Infiniment Citron.

After lunch, I went out again by bicycling to make another attempt at finding missing great cakes from the list, starting southwest. The first and lost shops were closed for summer holidays (5 weeks and 1 week) and the others had nothing I was look for. It took 4 hours and I still have two shops to the northeast to check, but it shouldn't take so long. One is closed on Mondays (national holiday or not), so I'll need to do it tomorrow.

Well, I wasn't surprised that the cheesecake was excellent, but didn't need to be on the great list. It was from 2015, before there was an excellent category between good and great or any idea about doing cake-offs. Still, for someone who likes cheesecake, it's got more different layers than any other cake I know and is worth checking out. So Lenôtre's Feuille d'Automne, which loos beautiful, but is actually rather simple, just chocolate and straight (sugar and egg) meringue, I think. As a chocolate lover, that's good enough for me, since the chocolate is good.

So I'm not longer feeling an urgent need to do an extra cake-off. I still want to find another great cake, in case the citron baba really is great, but I think I won't let it change how I choose new cakes. With one shop gone, one shop moved, and one shop with shorter hours, looks like there are 9 shops left among the quite fine contenders that I need a third cake from, two of which require a holiday visit, so I'll hit them Sunday and the Monday holiday, I think.

Lenôtre, Feuille d'Automne

Wanted to get back home earlier and get some stuff done (which mostly I didn't and most of what I did, I didn't need to), so I went by bicycle, which also allowed my feet to run after two days in a row following more than a week of no running. Since the first cake from a new shop was great, I went back to Lenôtre at Ginza Mitsukoshi. My first choice as the second cake was Plaisir, which is like a Saint-mark, I think, but it was sold out, so I went with my next choice, which was Feuille d'Automne. This seems to be their specialty and the only reason it wasn't my second choice, was that it looked the most chocolaty, and the first cake was their straight chocolate cake (since today's wasn't available then), but actually each other cake has their different take on chocolate. This was was meringue (as a core) and chocolate, where as the other two are caramel and chocolate and (Plaisir) vanilla and milk chocolate. Anyway, this is a great cake, comparable to chocolate and meringue cakes from JPH, my top pick, so Lenôtre looks to rocket up the cake chart, as it were, though I think they have 8 things that qualify as fresh cake right now, including the verrine (which I probably will have to in their case). It looks like in the short run, I'm going to be visiting the same few shops for a while, but I need to get over to Toshi Yoroizuka, maybe weekend after next, but the Annya is in for a third-round cake-off, maybe against the loser of this weekend's second-round cake-off (since Annya is one and one).