Sometimes imperfect things can be even more beautiful than perfect ones. Take a look at the Japanese art of pottery repair known as Kintsugi, for example. Broken pottery is fixed with lacquer mixed with gold or silver dust, oftentimes leaving a more visually interesting piece.
This cake mimics the beautiful pattern of a kintsugi pot. It’s a vanilla butter cake with three layers of banana custard and two layers of semisweet chocolate ganache. The icing is vanilla buttercream. A thin layer of fondant veils the three layers, contrasting nicely with the yellow cake. If I were to make this cake again, I think that I would opt for using an icing glaze instead of fondant. The yellow lines have a chunkier look than what I was aiming for. I’d love to make this cake again and decorate it with an icing pattern similar to the markings on Mille-feuille pastries.
I think that the perceived flawed elements in a person’s life have the potential to be transformed and overpowered. In a way, we are given the chance to show our true colors and turn those flaws into gold. Obviously, this cake has given me some New Year’s resolution food for thought!