Cake-off: ABVT's Marjolaine over L'Abricotier's Le Piemont

Did a cake-off despite the heat warnings, but left very early. The cake was from Au Bon Vieux Temps, which opens at 9 am, thankfully. They do not have everything ready that early, but their Marjolaine was, so that worked out well (another I'll want to get to some time soon was not ready, so maybe I'll go a little later that day). Strangely, I was hottest around 8:30, but more on that later. Running was about 12 km at 9 km/h.

The primary great cake whose turn had come for a cake-off review was Le Piemont from L'Abricotier. I arrived close enough to opening time that nothing seemed to be sold out and I got home before noon despite not using the nearest station (which is a less convenient line for me). This run too felt less hot than late in my early morning, but when I checked the weather station at home, it was a few degrees hotter than when I had started; it might have increased while I was on the train, but probably not that much. Some of it was humidity that burned off, maybe (at least, I often have the same sensation running early in the morning), but I suspect it's more that my body adjusts (if it had been sunny, that would have been more difficult). The mystery is whether my body really cools itself down or just I become insensitive to the heat, but if anything, I increase my water intake over time. I should keep in mind, though, that I might not be able to trust my sense of the heat and still make sure that I drink enough any limit my running during high heat. But no symptoms at all suggesting anything like overexposure to heat, so I think my running plan was sound. The late morning runs was another 10 km (by the time I got to my preferred station for the return) but still closest to 9 km/h, despite walking in the underground from Isetan at the intersection of Meiji-dori and Shinjuku-dori to Yasukuni-dori and the Yamanote Line underpass (it's not that less hot underground, but no stop lights and a lot fewer people, so it might not actually be any slower).

Both of these cakes were great and very similar in ingredients, being nutty and a little (relatively) chocolaty. The Marjolaine has the coarser crunchier texture and caramel, whereas Le Piemont is mostly smooth with some biscuits for texture. It was very difficult to decide, but I need to, so I'm siding with the stronger caramel flavor of the Marjolaine. I seems to have some bias for certain iconic French cakes.