The January 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog Accro.
She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.
Basically the challenge was to make a fancy patterned thin piece of sponge to wrap around the inside of a cake tin or mould. Then, assuming you get to the final stage, to fill the mold with any filling you choose. This challenge had 4 main parts:
1. Make the sponge batter. This will be the thin piece of sponge that encases your dessert.
2. Make the paste. This can be colored or flavoured with cocoa powder and will be used to pattern the sponge batter.
3. Cut the fancy patterned sponge into a strip to wrap around the inside of a mold.
4. Make something cold and relatively stable to fill the molds with, such as butterscotch cream pudding.
What I learnt:
- I found this one tres difficile!! I tried 3 times and my end result was still pretty average.
- If you're going to use almond meal as the recipe suggests for the sponge, make sure you use blanched almond meal. The first time I tried I used non-blanched almond meal and the sponge came out with brown flecks through it (obvious in hindsight)
- My father-in-law chef, from here on known as 'The Frenchman', said that when he makes the paste he just uses equal parts butter, flour, eggs and sugar. I tried this the 3rd time round and I found it worked much better and also meant much less egg wastage since the Daring Bakers Decor Paste recipe uses 7 egg whites!
Silpat mat
baking pan
Kitchen Mixer (optional)
Bowls
Knives
Offset spatula
Regular spatula
Pastry comb (optional)
Rulers
Spring form pan or biscuit cutter (or ring mold, or cut PVC pipe, or whatever else you can think of to mold individual desserts) or a Torte pan / Springform pan / Trifle dish (for larger desserts)
Glad wrap
Parchment paper
Gel, paste or liquid food coloring (optional)
PART 1: Joconde Sponge
Yield: Two ½ size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan
Ingredients:
¾ cup/ 180 ml/ 3oz/ 85g almond flour/meal - *You can also use hazelnut flour, just omit the butter
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons/ 150 ml/ 2⅔ oz/ 75g confectioners' (icing) sugar
¼ cup/ 60 ml/ 1 oz/ 25g cake flour *See note below
3 large eggs - about 5⅓ oz/ 150g
3 large egg whites - about 3 oz/ 90g
2½ teaspoons/ 12½ ml/ ⅓ oz/ 10g white granulated sugar or superfine (caster) sugar
2 tablespoons/ 30 ml/ 1oz / 30g unsalted butter, melted
*Note: How to make cake flour: http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/09/how-to-make-cake-flour/
Directions:
1. In a clean mixing bowl whip the egg whites and white granulated sugar to firm, glossy peeks. Reserve in a separate clean bowl to use later.
2. Sift almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, cake flour. (This can be done into your dirty egg white bowl)
3. On medium speed, add the eggs a little at a time. Mix well after each addition. Mix until smooth and light. (If using a stand mixer use blade attachment. If hand held a whisk attachment is fine, or by hand. )
4. Fold in one third reserved whipped egg whites to almond mixture to lighten the batter. Fold in remaining whipped egg whites. Do not over mix.
5. Fold in melted butter.
6. Reserve the sponge batter to be used later.
PART 2: Patterned Joconde-Décor Paste
Daring Bakers Version:
Yield: Two ½ size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan
14 tablespoons/ 210ml/ 7oz/ 200g unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups plus1½ tablespoons/ 385ml/ 7oz/ 200g Confectioners' (icing) sugar
7 large egg whites - about 7 oz / 200g
1¾ cup/ 420ml/ 7¾ oz/ 220g cake flour
Food coloring gel, paste or liquid
COCOA Décor Paste Variation: Reduce cake flour to 6 oz / 170g. Add 2 oz/ 60 g cocoa powder. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together before adding to creamed mixture.
The Frenchman's Version:
Equal weights of each of:
- Butter
- Suger
- Eggs
- Flour. Cocoa - if using cocoa for the pattern, reduce the amount of flour by the same amount of cocoa added.
Directions:
1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (use stand mixer with blade, hand held mixer, or by hand)
2. Gradually add eggs. Beat continuously.
3. Fold in sifted flour.
4. Tint batter with coloring to desired color, if not making cocoa variation.
Preparing the Joconde - How to make the pattern:
1. Spread a thin even layer of décor paste approximately 1/4 inch (5 millimeter) thick onto silicone baking mat with a spatula, or flat knife. Place mat on an upside down baking sheet. The upside down sheet makes spreading easier with no lip from the pan.
2. Pattern the décor paste – Here is where you can be creative. Make horizontal /vertical lines (you can use a knife, spatula, cake/pastry comb). Squiggles with your fingers, zig zags, wood grains. Be creative whatever you have at home to make a design can be used. OR use a piping bag. Pipe letters, or polka dots, or a piped design. If you don't have a piping bag. Fill a ziplock bag and snip off corner for a homemade version of one.3. Slide the baking sheet with paste into the freezer. Freeze hard. Approx 15 minutes.
4. Remove from freezer. Quickly pour the Joconde batter over the design. Spread evenly to completely cover the pattern of the Décor paste. NOTE: Ensure the batter is quite thinly spready out though. Some of my batches were way too thick which meant it wouldn't bend too easily or without cracking.
5. Bake at 475ºF /250ºC until the joconde bounces back when slightly pressed, approx. 10 - 15 minutes. You can bake it as is on the upside down pan. Watch it carefully as it can burn very quickly!
6. Cool. Do not leave too long, or you will have difficulty removing it from mat.
7. Flip cooled cake on to a powdered sugared parchment paper. Remove silpat. Cake should be right side up, and pattern showing! (The powdered sugar helps the cake from sticking when cutting.)
8. If you're not ready to use it yet, lay the cake (either whole or already cut into strips, on a flat surface, wrap in parchment and several layers of cling wrap and freeze.
PART 3: (Are you still with me?!) Preparing the Molds
You can use any type of mold. The recipe suggests:
1. Start with a large piece of parchment paper laid on a very flat baking sheet. Then a large piece of cling wrap over the parchment paper. Place a spring form pan ring, with the base removed, over the cling wrap and pull the cling wrap tightly up on the outside of the mold. Line the inside of the ring with a curled piece of parchment paper overlapping top edge by about ½ inch. Then cut the parchment paper to the TOP OF THE MOLD (this will make it easier to smooth the top of the cake).
2. A biscuit cutter/ cookie cutter- using cling wrap pulled tightly as the base and the cling covering the outside of the mold, placed on a parchment lined very flat baking sheet. Line the inside with a curled piece of parchment paper overlapping.
3. Glass Trifle bowl. You will not have a free standing dessert, but you will have a nice pattern to see your joconde for this layered dessert.
Preparing the Joconde for Molding:
Video: This is a very good demo of the joconde and filling the entremets:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca4eLDok-4Q
1. Trim the cake of any dark crispy edges. You should have a nice rectangle shape.
2. Decide how thick you want your “Joconde wrapper”. Traditionally, it is ½ the height of your mold. This is done so more layers of the plated dessert can be shown. However, you can make it the full height.
3. Once your height is measured, then you can cut the cake into equal strips, of height and length. (Use a very sharp paring knife and ruler.)
4. Make sure your strips are cut cleanly and ends are cut perfectly straight. Press the cake strips inside of the mold, decorative side facing out. Once wrapped inside the mold, overlap your ends slightly. You want your Joconde to fit very tightly pressed up to the sides of the mold. Then gently push and press the ends to meet together to make a seamless cake. The cake is very flexible so you can push it into place. You can use more than one piece to “wrap “your mold, if one cut piece is not long enough.
5. The mold is done, and ready to fill.
PART 4: Entremet - Filling Options
Fill with anything you desire. Layers of different flavors and textures! However, it needs to be something cold that will not fall apart when unmolded. Suggestions: Mousses, pastry creams, Bavarian creams, cheesecakes, puddings, curds, jams, cookie bases, more cake (bake off the remaining sponge and cut to layer inside), nuts, Dacquoise, fresh fruit, chocolates, gelee.
Butterscotch Cream Pudding:
Ingredients
2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon water
2 cups hot milk
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, well-beaten
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Mix the cornstarch and the water together and then combine with hot milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan.
2. Stir constantly and cook over medium heat until it boils for about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add a small amount of this mixture to the eggs, mixing quickly (so they don’t cook) and then pour the new mixture back into the saucepan over the heat.
4. Continue stirring until thick, add the butter and vanilla.
5. Allow to cool a little and then if you wish, use a sieve to strain the pudding to make it smoother.
6. Allow to cool completely, then fill your molds.
Well, at least they got eaten.... that's the important thing!
