Cake-off: Sadaharu Aoki's Moelleux Chocolat over Toshi Yoroizuka's Monsieur Kitano

Saturday, ran to Tokyo Midtown to get a Moelleux for a second-round cake-off, and was surprised to see Monsieur Kitano (the cake) at Toshi Yoroizuka there. It's not convenient to take a train home from there, so I ran. I stopped at SweetsHolic, along the Minami-Aoyama south loop of my neighborhood course for the first time and got a Chocolate Chip Cookie. I put away the cake and ate lunch and cookie first. It was hard, as I was warned, but that was find with me, and a great improvement on the near-raw one I had recently in Harujuku.

Then I went out by bicycle to finish up photographing sites along the main Hiroo loop of my course, which actually didn't take long, relative to other projects. Then I went down to Jiyuugaoka to check what the line-up was at Dalloyau, but nothing I'm looking for. I would have checked out Paris S., but it was late on a Saturday and there was a huge line, so my expectation of useful information, as well as my patience, was insufficient for the wait and I went home, stopping at Bien E. to verify that they had nothing new this weekend.

The cake-off of chocolate versus chocolate went find. This time they gave me an explanation sheet, and I had already planned to microwave the Moelleux, so I was really comparing a different cake. It could have been warmer, but I'm not sure that I don't prefer it cold. I like moelleux but not so interested in fondant, maybe. However, though was still interesting, so excellent seems reasonable, I wasn't feeling the greatness from Monsieur Kitano, so it's getting retired from the list. The Moelleux will have to remain undefeated for now, unless they manage to hold it over until Friday, which is longer than the announced plan (but they aren't ones for wasting cake, so they will probably keep it going until they're all gone, so I'll try to check in before I get something else).

Sadaharu Aoki: Moelleux Chocolat

Tuesday, I thought I would get a Moelleux Chocolat from Sadaharu Aoki and maybe workout inside, out of the rain, but they were sold out. Also, the rain mostly stopped, so not a big deal to run. After some other quick shopping, I went home, changed clothes, and (after stretching of course) went running to the Marunouchi Sadaharu Aoki looking for the same thing, though I was reluctantly willing to settle for the mille-feuille azuki, or whatever it's called, which sounds terrible, but is probably at least good if they make it. However, both were sold out, so I ran to Tokyo Midtown, which is open until 9 pm and it had (only) the Moelleux Chocolat. I walked it home.

Moelleux Chocolat (Sadaharu Aoki)

Even though the online advertising mentions microwaving it and shows the inside melted, they didn't make any recommendation at the shop, so I just ate it cold from the refrigerator. It was still soft (moelleux), just not fondant-like. It was not dramatic, but it really seemed like a perfect chocolate cake, great cake. There is a visible core that obviously would melt first if warmed up, so I'm curious how they make it. In fact, I'm curious enough to look for it in a Sadaharu Aoki cookbook, if I can find one.

Ryoco and laps

Went over to Ryoco early, earlier than I intended, but I rid harder than my usual easy pace, so I had 25 minutes to wait, which was longer than necessary, but shorter than if I had tried the last two times I went by there. 10 minutes before opening might have been enough. There was one other person earlier than that and a few people by the time they opened, with people arriving after that. There was a sign on the door saying that they were no longer able to take orders for things like birthday cakes, at least until things calm down.

This time I got the Terrine Chocolat for 540 yen, which was very good, soft rich chocolate, although too soft for the vibration of cycling. Next was the Moelleux Chocolat for 380 yen, which is also soft chocolate, but the soft part is a core inside the cake, so no problem with vibration, although the whipped cream (?) dome did shift a little. This is always great, maybe their greatest. Finally, the Merveille for 540, which was chocolate and raspberry, but too much raspberry for me.

The running cake later. I went down to Meiji Ginju Gaien and did laps, this time with 8:30 as the goal and this time for 5 laps. Actually, I was under 8:00 each, so no problem speeding up things a little over last time (target 9:00/, actual about 8:40/; no wait, that was last time: this time was 8:30/, which I definitely did), although I started at about 7:30 and found myself slowing down after 3 laps. Maybe next timed laps will be 8:05/ or 8:10/ for 6 laps. Even though total, I did not do much more than 10 km, I could feel it afterward, so the speed was probably better than usual. I already decided yesterday that I did not need to do a long (35 km) run Wednesday, and now I'm thinking I don't need to do one Sunday either. I'd like to do something more like 20 or 21 km, still to a new cake shop, and time it with the intention of trying to maintain a pace. I'd have to pause it at red lights and navigation-check stops to get anything consistent, but I can do that.