Cake on a Spit with Bay Leaf-Scented Crème Anglaise

Imagine that you’re at a festive dinner in the Auvergne. In the center of the table there’s a two-foot-high, multi layered cake called affectionately the “pyramid of the Mountains.” It looks a lot like a bronzed fir tree. When it’s time for dessert, the host cuts the smoky-flavored cake in horizontal rounds, then serves them with a nice spoonful of bay leaf–scented crème anglaise.

This amazing cake took up to 5 hours to make. Cooked on a spit in front of the fire, it was patiently b