Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~ - Chapter 77

Chapter 77: The Pinaru Honey Cake

“Tina, Chloe, are you ready?”

“Leave it to us, Kurt-sama!”

“I’m ready too, Kurt.”

The three of us gathered in the kitchen of my house.

Our purpose: making sweets.

We’re going to open a shop in the city of Eclava, governed by Count Fernande, and these sweets will be our flagship products. Later on, we’ll hold a tasting event for everyone in the village.

“Hey, Kurt, what are we making?”

Chloe, the elf, asks eagerly.

“We’ll make two main items: cookies with a long shelf life and a dried fruit cake. Let’s start with the dried fruit cake.”

I reply, considering these two as our main offerings.

Both are aromatic baked goods.

“Yeah, I prefer something fluffy, soft, and loaded with cream.”

Chloe says.

“But those spoil quickly.”

I remind her.

“It’s fine, we can sell everything we make on the same day.”

She suggests.

“It’s not that simple.”

I chuckle.

Fresh sweets go bad quickly, especially in an era without proper refrigeration.

Moreover, it’s inconvenient for buyers, especially as souvenirs, and if someone gets sick from spoiled sweets, it could cause trouble.

Additionally, there’s a problem on the seller’s side.

“In reality, we can’t predict how much merchandise will sell at first. Running out of stock initially leaves a bad impression, so we need to prepare extra. Making a large quantity of fresh sweets is very risky. Plus, they take up space because they’re soft and prone to squishing.”

I explained.

I’m planning to visit the shop next week to inspect it and give instructions for interior work while checking the actual space.

Therefore, it’s desirable to have items that can be stacked and stored in a small space.

“Too bad, I thought we could snack on them.”

Chloe laments.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make delicious baked goods too. I’ll let you taste those properly.”

I reassured her.

I’m also skilled at baking.

In reality, most profit in pastry shops comes from baked goods rather than cream-laden cakes. As I explained earlier, they have a longer shelf life, produce less waste, and can be made in advance, not to mention they have lower costs.

That’s why I focus on profitable products. A shop with baked goods as its flagship items is unlikely to go out of business.

In my restaurant, the special dried fruit cake was a popular item. Customers who enjoyed dining at the restaurant often bought it as a souvenir.

“Now, let’s begin. The special dried fruit cake.”

I said with a smile.

My special dried fruit cake doesn’t actually use dried fruit.

You might be confused by this statement.

A dried fruit cake typically uses preserved fruits for longevity.

In other words, there’s no need to dry them if they’re already preserved.

I retrieve what I prepared before going to the Lenaril household, one of the Four Great Dukes.

“Kurt-sama, is that…”

“Oh, it’s Pinaru honey preserves. These can last a while.”

I explained, I planned on using fruit honey preserves instead of dried fruits.

Honey preserves are excellent for preservation. When sealed in a jar, they can last for about a year, and even after opening, they can last for a month thanks to honey’s excellent sterilizing properties.

“We’re using Pinaru. Kurt, there’s no way we can make bad sweets with Pinaru from the spirit village, right?”

Chloe remarks.

“As Chloe says, this Pinaru is really amazing. Not only is it delicious, but it also gives you energy.”

I added.

Pinaru is a fruit similar to peaches, grown with the blessings of the elves in the spirit village.

As a token of gratitude for saving the village in the past, a portion of the Pinaru harvested from the spirit village is sent every year.

We can’t not use it. After all, it’s a fantastic ingredient with low cost.

By preserving it in honey, we can offer it year-round in abundance.

I thinly slice the Pinaru honey preserves.

“Shall we make the dough?”

The process isn’t too difficult.

We mix freshly laid eggs from the village, walnut oil, and plenty of honey from the Pinaru preserves, soaked in honey. Instead of sugar, using the honey soaked with Pinaru imparts a faint Pinaru aroma throughout the dough, making it moist. We add a touch of alcohol for aroma.

Then, we add wheat flour and grated yam and mix until smooth.

“Alright, the dough is done.”

I declared.

“Kurt-sama, it seems quite simple.”

Chloe remarks.

“Otherwise, we won’t be able to mass-produce it. However, getting the right balance of ingredients is crucial; it can make or break the taste, so experience is necessary.”

I chuckled, sliding the batter into the oven.

I instruct Tina on the heat setting and leave her in charge of baking.

I give instructions step by step.

In the future, I plan to determine the daily ingredient proportions myself, with the villagers making the dough and Tina handling the baking. I want to establish the village’s industry as quickly as possible. As a lord, I have many duties, so I can’t be fully devoted to this.

“Alright, they’re done.”

Tina announces.

“Yes, the aroma is wonderful.”

I replied.

When we took them out of the molds, beautifully browned rectangular pound cakes emerged.

“Oh, Kurt, did you forget to add the Pinaru? Even Kurt makes mistakes!”

Chloe teases.

“No, it’s not a mistake. I intentionally left out the Pinaru. I preserved it in honey so it stays fresh, and it seemed wasteful to bake away its moisture.”

I explained.

Usually, in a traditional fruitcake, the fruits are mixed into the batter and baked together.

But since it’s Pinaru, I want people to enjoy its freshness.

I slice the pound cake horizontally, placing slices of Pinaru honey preserves between the layers. I spread jam on top, using Pinaru jam for the front half and a grape-like Papuru jam for the back half to add variety.

Then, I stack the layers together. The jam acts as glue, holding the layers and Pinaru slices together firmly.

Finally, I sprinkle powdered dried cranberries on top for both visual appeal and flavor enhancement.

“There we go, it’s finished. One of our main products, the special Pinaru honey cake. For its name… How about ‘Pinaru Honey Cake’?”

I suggested.

“Kurt-sama, that’s a very straightforward name!”

“Kurt, be more creative!”

I chuckle at the completely different reactions from the two.

“Well, simplicity is key. When we sell them, we’ll offer whole cakes and slices.”

I explained.

With a smile, I began slicing the rectangular Pinaru honey cakes into individual servings.

Placing them on plates, I brew some tea with the hot water I had prepared.

“Now, let’s turn this into a tea time tasting session.”

I suggested.

At my words, Tina wags her fox tail, while Chloe twitches her long ears.

We’ll also offer this to the villagers.

Now, let’s see their reactions…

As I sip my tea slowly, I observe the two carefully.