The story begins in Food Wars, when Alice took him home.

"However, they're all second-rate chefs. Aren't there any more skilled pastry chefs here?"

As she spoke, Liu Yu turned to look at Misaka Mayumi, whose expression had changed from initial excitement to indifference.

Looking at the company members in front of her, who were either preparing raw materials or cooking desserts, a subtle expression appeared on the girl's face.

Although they did their best, there were still quite a few flaws in the cooking, including some obvious mistakes that even she wouldn't make...

Clearly, these club members who focus on desserts are generally not very capable, and are probably not even as good as her.

"Ah...the best ones are all upstairs, it's a pity I'm not strong enough to go up."

Misaka Mayumi scratched her face awkwardly, somewhat embarrassed. To get to the second floor, she had to create a first-class dessert.

"not qualified?"

"Yes, you need to make a first-class dessert; that's the necessary entry ticket."

Liu Yu was stunned for a moment when she heard Misaka Mayumi's words, but she quickly understood what had happened and nodded in understanding.

The same applies to the world of dark cuisine; members whose skills haven't reached the top level rarely see the leader.

They are only able to communicate so intimately with him now because their leader is in Far Moon and has few people around him.

But that's precisely why she needs to seize the opportunity and try to make a good impression on him. A few casual words of advice from him then will be enough to benefit her for a long time!

"May I go up to the second floor and see if they can prepare a first-class dessert?"

The people below her were even less skilled than her, so she couldn't learn anything useful. Therefore, Liu Yu looked at Misaka Mayumi and asked her.

"Sure, if you can cook a dish that satisfies Xiaotao, Xiaotao will let you go up and take a look."

"President...President? When did you get back!"

A crisp sound rang out from the side, and Misaka Mayumi exclaimed in surprise. Liu Yu followed her gaze and saw a petite girl.

The girl was holding a purple plush toy in her hands. Her head had two slightly bulging horns that looked like cat ears. She was a little chubby and looked very cute.

"You're the president of the Dessert Research Club?"

Looking at Momo Akane, who was half a head shorter than her, Liu Yu leaned down slightly, trying to meet her gaze at the same level as much as possible.

This is basic courtesy, not to mention that I need to ask her for a favor now.

"Yes, I am the president. You are quite good. Didn't you want to go up to the second floor? As long as you serve first-class desserts, I will personally take you up."

Noticing Liu Yu's gaze, Akane Momo nodded, then pointed to the kitchen counter behind her, where all the ingredients were readily available.

"can."

Knowing that Akane Kubo Momo had the intention of testing her, she also wanted to gain something from Akane Kubo Momo, so she readily agreed.

He created a first-class dessert to gain her approval, and then spent the next few days in the dessert research club, focusing on cooking to defeat Yukihira Soma.

This was her simple idea.

Since it's a competition, and it concerns the dignity of the dark cuisine world, she has to go all out no matter what, and she absolutely cannot fall in the mere semi-finals!

With that in mind, Liu Yu stepped to the counter, looked at the prepared ingredients, and quickly formed a recipe in her mind.

These are common questions in the onboarding assessments for French pastry chefs.

Opera cake.

Because it's not complicated to make, the ingredients are all quite common, and it tastes really good, she once made it for her mother on her birthday.

If you think about it, it's been several years already.

Thinking of this, Liu Yu was momentarily lost in thought, but she quickly came back to her senses, sighed softly, and then began to cook.

First, take 2 eggs, 80 grams of almond flour, and 60 grams of granulated sugar, weigh them on a scale, and then beat them with an egg beater at high speed until they are fluffy and white.

Take another 100 grams of egg whites and add 30 grams of sugar. Use an egg beater to beat until stiff peaks form.

Add the whipped egg whites to the egg mixture in two batches, and stir them together with a spoon until smooth. This will create a smooth, silky egg white mixture.

Pour the beaten egg whites into a 2/8 baking pan, smooth the surface with a spatula, and bake in a preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.

After baking, remove the cake base from the oven and let it cool. Then, use a cake knife to trim the edges to make it square. Finally, cut it into three equal-sized pieces for later use.

"boom."

Flames ignited beneath the stove.

Heat 80 grams of heavy cream in a small saucepan to 70 degrees Celsius. Then pour it into a bowl containing 80 grams of chocolate. Use the heat of the heavy cream to melt the chocolate, stirring with a spoon until it becomes silky smooth.

Add 4 egg yolks, 30g granulated sugar, 10g coffee powder, and 100g milk to a pot in that order, and heat over low heat until thickened. Stir them together with a spoon.

After mixing thoroughly, pour into a container and allow to cool naturally to 20 degrees Celsius.

On the other side, pour 100 grams of butter into a bowl and beat it with an electric mixer until smooth.

During the stirring process, add the coffee cream sauce in several batches until the two are fully combined, resulting in a glossy appearance and a firm, upright texture.

Only buttercream in this state will not feel greasy when eaten. If it's made quickly and superficially, it will be a fatal blow to the taste of the dish.

"Next comes the most important part..."

Liu Yu murmured softly.

After completing these steps, it's time to work on the core of the opera cake: the coffee syrup.

Put 10 grams of coffee powder, 60 grams of hot water, 30 grams of sugar and 10 grams of coffee liqueur into a large bowl and stir well to make coffee sugar water.

All that's left is assembly.

Brush a layer of coffee syrup onto the cake base, pipe on a layer of ganache (chocolate sauce), smooth it with a spatula, and then add a layer of coffee buttercream.

Repeat this process three times to create a layered cake texture, then refrigerate it.

With the main body of the cake sorted out, all that's left is the glaze.

Liu Yu took 20 grams of cocoa powder, 80 grams of granulated sugar, 100 grams of milk and 4 grams of gelatin and set them aside for later use.

First, melt the cocoa powder and granulated sugar in milk. Then, add the soaked gelatin, stir well, and strain. When the temperature drops to about 30 degrees Celsius, it is the best time to pour the sauce over the cocoa powder.

After measuring the temperature inside the glaze with a thermometer, and seeing that the thermometer read 31 degrees Celsius, Liu Yu took the refrigerated cake body from the refrigerator and placed it on a strainer.

Next, the glaze was poured over the cake base, instantly turning it into a layer of chocolate black, making it look incredibly tempting!

However, now is not the time to taste it.

Suppressing her appetite, Liu Yu put it back in the refrigerator, froze it for ten minutes to set, and then cut it into neat rectangular blocks.

"Please taste it."

After saying this, Liu Yu personally handed the spoon to Akane Kubo.

"It's a truly classic dish, the Opera Cake, which has been known as a century-old French pastry. Its distinct layers and incredibly rich, layered flavors make it exceptionally delicious."

"This cake is a basic one. I don't know many desserts, and I'm good at even fewer. This just happens to be one of them."

Looking at the crystal-clear little cake in front of her, Momo Akane couldn't help but praise it. Then she used a spoon to scoop out a small piece of the edge and began to taste it.

"tasty!"

The next moment, the girl closed her eyes and began to savor the flavor with her tongue.

The cake base is light and fluffy, with a subtle almond aroma and just the right amount of sweetness.

The infusion of coffee syrup adds a rich coffee aroma to the cake, along with a hint of sweetness and liqueur, making the cake more layered.

The rich, smooth chocolate sauce complements the aroma of the coffee syrup perfectly, adding a touch of rich chocolate flavor to the cake.

Its delicate texture melts in your mouth, creating a striking contrast with the lightness of the cake base, allowing you to experience the richness and sweetness of the chocolate.

The next layer of coffee buttercream is the essence of the entire cake. It combines the smoothness of butter with the rich aroma of coffee, resulting in a rich and delicate taste.

With every bite, you can feel the creamy butter and the rich aroma of coffee intertwining in your mouth.

The final layer of cocoa powder glaze gives the cake an enticing chocolate-black hue. Its subtle bitterness and cocoa aroma create a perfect balance with the cake's internal layers!

"This is not only a first-class dessert, but also the best of the best. You have undoubtedly passed this test. A very good opera cake."

After finishing the opera cake in front of her, Momo Akane opened her eyes and looked at Liu Yu with a hint of appreciation in her eyes.

"May I go up to the second floor?"

Liu Yu spoke up, explaining that she had come to witness the top-tier level of Totsuki Culinary Arts' dessert-making skills, and of course, it would be even better if she could see the highest level.

"Okay, come with me."

Putting down the spoon in her hand, Akane Momo gave Liu Yu a deep look, and then led her and Huang Mei upstairs.

Huang Mei passed her test last time and is now a member of the second floor, but she hasn't come back since...

Chapter 203 The Semifinals Begin, A Deadly Move Hidden in the Calm

"Da da da."

The sleek little leather shoes made a crisp sound as they stepped on the wooden floor. Liu Yu and Huang Mei, led by Qian Jiubo Momo, arrived on the second floor.

The second floor is much smaller than the first floor. There are five cooking counters on it, with stoves, ovens, mixers and other equipment needed to make desserts. Various ingredients are piled up around it.

At this moment, four people are making desserts at the kitchen counter. Judging from the sweet aroma emanating from the dishes, it is easy to tell that these desserts have reached the first-class level!

"President!"

"The president is back! Come and try my newly developed pine cone chocolate dessert, it tastes amazing!"

A dessert that looks like a pine cone but is actually made of fried potato chips and chocolate sauce is presented to Momo Akanekubo.

A girl with short, light purple hair and a rather spirited appearance spoke to her, her big eyes filled with anticipation.

"And my Forest Tree, compared to last time I added crushed Brazil nuts..."

Another girl stepped forward. She was wearing black stockings, had a tall figure, and was carrying a plate containing a section of dead tree trunk.

More accurately, it is a withered tree trunk made of cake and cream, its surface covered with roasted nut crumbs, exuding an incredibly pure aroma.

"Let the chairman rest. The food can be enjoyed anytime; there's no rush."

A girl dressed in loungewear and wearing black-rimmed glasses spoke up, bringing a glass of wheat tea with ice to Momo Akanekubo's side.

Momoko Akane, however, had a knowing look on her face. She took the barley tea from the girl's hand, gulped it down in one go, and a satisfied expression appeared on her face.

Add a little honey to barley tea and top it with ice cubes for the best cold drink in summer!

"By the way, who are these two?"