In The Pink: Pink Passion Cake

These wonderful cakes were Sydney’s creation, we have a friend/customer each year who hosts a Mardi Gras party, and this year she asked us if we would design the desserts. (she has always wanted to go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras) I am not quite sure why she has yet to go, but until the day she has a New Orleans Mardi Gras she will keep hosting her party.

I did it again and went off topic; Sydney knew the pastries needed to have a “WOW’ factor, to my surprise Sydney had a vision in mind. She wanted the cake to be a joconde with a tulip paste and pink. From the moment Sydney started describing her vision of the outer  cake I just knew what the inner cake should be.

I had a wonderful Taittinger Rosa over New Years Eve and Valentine’s Day, I remember thinking it might be perfect in a mousse, but I would need the right dessert and celebration. When Sydney kept elaborating how she pictured  these Mardi Gras cakes, I just knew the mousse had to have a rosa champagne note. I must admit Sydney and I were completely in sync working out most of  the components. All that was left to work out was the top layer, sounds easy, but no.

Neither one of us had an ah ha moment, we were mystified. I began to panic, until my husband accidentally dropped a jar of red currant preserves, looking at the deep dark red currant preserves now all over the floor, the idea jumped out at both of us: berries.

A crème fraîche berry mousse.

Joconde Sponge with layers of Berry Parfait, Pink Champagne Mousse, and Parfait with Berries and Neutral glaze

Pink Passion Cake for Sydney:

 

The Joconde Paste:

113 grams/ 7/8-cup icing sugar, sifted

113 grams/1/2 -cup butter, softened

100 grams/ about 3 large egg Whites

113 grams cake flour, sifted

Pink Food Coloring, or powder food colorant (the color is of choice)

This recipe make 1/2 sheet jellyroll pan.

Use flexipan Labyrinth for the jocund paste.

Cream the butter for about 1 minute in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, then sift the icing sugar into the butter and cream until smooth (no lumps). Remove the bowl from the standing mixer, whisk by hand with a balloon whisk, add egg whites one at a time (if you put the egg white liquid in a measuring jug it is easier to control). Now add the flour in 3 batches, with the second addition of flour add 4-6 drops of food coloring or a dash of colorant powder. Continue whisking until a paste texture forms and all the color is evenly distributed.

With an offset spatula spread a thin even layer of paste, making sure to cover the entire silpat. Here is where your artistic person has car blanche; you can use a stencil, free form a design with a knife, or I used a fondant matt placed in the freezer.  Use a sharp blade to cut the pattern out.

Almond sponge:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/ 355ºF

150 grams/ 1 3/8-cup almond flour

150 grams/ 1 ¼ cup icing sugar

150 grams/ whole eggs about 3 eggs

80 grams/ about 4 yolks

120 grams/ 1 1/8-cup cake flour sifted

275 grams/ about 8 egg whites, room temperature

100/ ½ -cup super fine sugar

In a bowl of your standing mixer with the paddle attachment, add whole eggs, egg yolks, and tant-pour-tant, beat until ribbons form and the mixture is light!  Set aside.

Whisk up meringue and incorporate the raspberry essence. Sacrifice about ¼ of the meringue and beat in the standing mixer to loosen the paste.

Carefully add meringue with a large spatula in two batches. Add the flour.

Fill flexipan rounds evenly.

Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Strawberry syrup, recipe on linked post.

Pink Champagne Parfait:

220 grams/1-cup super fine sugar

79 grams/ 1/3-cup water

170 grams/about 7 egg yolks

25 grams/1-tablespoon superfine sugar

300 grams/ 1 3/8-cup heavy whipping cream

300 grams/ 1 3/8-cup crème Fraîche soft p

10 grams/ 5sheets gelatin

70 grams/1/4-cup  good pink champagne, I recommend Taittinger Rosa

In a heavy bottom saucepan add water and sugar bring to a boil of 120ºC/248ºF.

Prepare your mise en place and soften gelatin sheets in ice-cold water.

With a hand mixer on medium speed whisk 25 grams/1-tablespoon sugar and egg yolk to ribbon stage, double in size, and pale.

Slowly temper the syrup to the egg yolks, whisking continually with either a hand mixer or in a standing mixer.

Add the soften gelatin to the egg yolks, and to whipped crème. Add the champagne last or while whipping the crème, on medium-low speed.

Fill flexipan round and freeze.

Raspberry & Strawberry Mousse:

 

250 grams/ about 1/2 the package frozen strawberries

250 grams/ about half the package frozen raspberries

300 grams sugar

22 grams/ about 11 gelatin sheets

500 grams/2 1/4 -cup crème Fraîche

500 grams/ 2 1/4-cup cream

Juice of 1 lemon

Prepare your mise en place and soften gelatin sheets in an ice bath.

Heat the frozen berries and sugar to about 45º/113ºF turn off the heat and add soften gelatine sheets. Bring the mixture down in temperature and add to whipped crème fraîche and heavy cream. Whip till the crème and cream have soft peaks on medium speed with the whisk attachment, turn the speed down to medium low and slowly add the room temperature gélée, whip to medium peaks.

Assembly:

Line 15cm/4-inch spring round pans or cake ring with acetate.

 

Once the parfait has set, generally 6 hours to over night, line each cake ring/round with the colored jocund. Cut circles of the joconde sponge, so that they fit inside the cake rings. Brush joconde sponge disks with syrup and place on the bottom of the cake ring/round and brush the other side with syrup. Pour a little fruit mousse on top of joconde sponge, insert the Tattinger parfait, and cover with remaining fruit gelée.

Smooth the top and freeze over night.

Berry Neutral Glaze:

Reserve macerated berry juice

Neutral Glaze

478 grams/ 2-cups water

200 grams sugar

1 lemon rind

2 vanilla pod

20 grams/ 2-tablespoon pectin nh or  apple pectin

20 grams  lemon juice, about 1/2 of a whole lemon

In a heavy bottom pot place the water, lemon peel, and vanilla pod. Heat to 45 degrees C/113 degrees F. Then add the sugar and the pectin and bring to a boil for about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, allow to infuse for at least 30 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh sieve.

The glaze may be stored in the refrigerator.

Final:

Ice with neutral glaze coating, the juice of the berries and decorate with macerated berries in a rosette shape.

We all had a Great time!!