Cake-off: Toshi Yoroizuka's Annya over Frédéric Cassel's Konatsu Cheesecake

Saturday's cake-off was between two first-round losers, both seasonal cakes. Konatsu Cheesecake (though actually I got the Étoile version, which is decorated for Tanabata, I'm guessing, which is an upcoming festival. They've fooled before by this name change a minor decorating of a cake, so I looked closely at the card when I saw that the cheesecake can changed and so that it was the same. Plus, they know me, so they made sure that I knew it was the same cake. I'm explaining out of order, since first I walked to Isetan and Toshi Yoroizuka's Annya. I probably would have been more time efficient to cycle to Kyoubashi Toshi Yoroizuka and then go down to Ginza Mitsukoshi, but two cakes on a bicycle is even harder than running and I have tomoai points at Isetan, so it's like an 8% discount.

The Annya was as remembered, like a great piece of rhubarb pie, perhaps. The cheesecake was excellent, but I wasn't feeling the greatness, so I might not need to keep this on the great list. If it returns for the third round (probably not, though some other cheesecake will probably appear next year), I'll have to consider carefully.

Cake-off: Paris S'éveille's Saint Honoré Caramel over Frédéric Cassel's Konatsu Cheesecake

Lots of cycling today, when I learned not to go to shops so early. Paris S'éveille's Saint Honoré Caramel wasn't available until 11:45, or so they told me at 10:15. I didn't stick around, but ordered ahead (and paid). I'm recognizable enough that I didn't even have to give my name when I came back around 12:30. In between, I went to Ginza to pick up Frédéric Cassel's Konatsu Cheesecake for a first-round cake-off, take it home, and then get back to Jiyuugaoka for my other cake. Then I still had to get home again, but felt less hurried. There was some caramel cream stuck to the paper divider, but the cake was pretty well packed and it traveled well even by bicycle.

The actual result of the cake-off was another technical decision. The cheesecake is pretty mild, so maybe bitter caramel isn't the best pairing, but I don't have a lot of mild cakes in my great cakes list. What I also don't have is another Saint Honoré. I'm not even sure that I have another bitter caramel, as I think the Aigre-Douce one is pretty sweet and other ones have been unavailable. Anyway, this my evaluation is really about what my priority is for having a great cake again, I'm going with this Saint Honoré, though I need to remember to eat it at a lower temperature. Let it warm up for 5 min seemed good for the cheesecake, but I think the shape of the cream makes that less needed and the custard inside the balls is better colder.

By my rule, I should be following up with another cake from Paris S'éveille, but since they don't have another (non-coffee-flavored) untried cake, and Frédéric Cassel is my top shop among those with untried cake, I'll probably get back to there first, as well as Viron, for last weekend's cake-off. As a third shop for the next weekday cakes, I'd like to try Heritage for a fifth cake, working my way through under-sampled excellent shops, though I have a couple other choices there. Before that, Ryoura is the shop I'm most serious about promoting and I should spread around my selections to stay interested, so I think that will be tomorrow's destination (at the actual shop, though Tokyo Midtown had some at the one I just had from there also today, though I thought tomorrow was their other day; I'll check again tomorrow to finish my week's daily survey of them.

Frédéric Cassel: Konatsu Cheesecake

Cycled out to Ginza Mitsukoshi, which is not that convenient a ride (lots of lights and lots of big busy roads), but at least they have indoor parking on the same level as sweets (there's an elevator in the back to take your bike down). Since I've had great cheesecake from Frédéric Cassel before, I wanted to get the new Konatsu Cheesecake. Konatsu is a type of Japanese citrus fruit from the Kyuushuu Island that seems to be a sort of mild yuzu, though maybe it's as sour without the sugar. In some ways, it was perfectly ordinary (as a citrus flavored, rare/baked two-layered high-end cheesecake) but perfect in its way, so I'm saying it's great. Cheesecake used to always be handicapped, but I seem to have found several great cheesecake now, though I guess that's not a lot compared to the chocolate ones.