
Notes
A small cake, shaped into a long rectangle. It is said that long, long ago, a certain patissier used the great love the people of Fontaine held for their Hydro Archon as inspiration to create this confectionary masterpiece. The manifold layers stacked one upon the other are a true test of the chef's skills, and each aspect of this cake is proof of the great Hydro Archon's influence.
Ingredients
- Sable Biscuit Base
- Jasmine Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Dark Chocolate Glaze
- Golden coloring food
Coffee Buttercream:
- Sugar 175 g
- Instant coffee 30 g
- Cold water 130 ml
Coffee Mousse:
- ¾ cup espresso coffee
- ¾ cup whole cane sugar (150g)
- 4 gelatin sheets or 6g powdered gelatin
- 500ml heavy cream
Vanilla Joconde Cake:
- Eggs: 3 large whole eggs at room temperature.
- Icing sugar: 125 g.
- Almond flour: 125 g (very finely ground almonds).
- All-purpose flour: 20 g.
- Butter: 20 g, melted.
- Egg whites: 3 egg whites.
- Granulated sugar: 15 g (for the egg whites).
- Salt: A pinch (for the egg whites).
- Vanilla: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for flavoring).
Preparation
- Prepare the dry and wet ingredients (first mixture): In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the almond flour, icing sugar, and whole eggs at room temperature. Beat until the mixture is creamy and has doubled in volume. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.
- Prepare the meringue (second mixture): In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy. Gradually add the 15g of granulated sugar while continuing to beat, until you obtain a soft, glossy meringue (stiff peaks).
- Combine the mixtures: Gently fold one-third of the whipped egg whites into the first mixture to equalize the consistencies. Then, add the sifted all-purpose flour and melted butter, gently folding them in with a spatula to avoid deflating the batter.
Incorporate the remaining meringue: Fold the remaining whipped egg whites into the batter, also using gentle folding motions, until everything is well combined.
- Bake: Pour the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread it evenly until it's thin. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until the surface is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched.
- Cool: Let the cake cool completely on the baking sheet before removing it from the pan and slicing it. The cake should be very pliable and light, ideal for rolling or slicing into layers.
- We begin by soaking the gelatin sheets in a large bowl of ice water for at least 5 minutes. If using powdered gelatin, dissolve it in the espresso before heating it.
- Heat the espresso in a saucepan, add the sugar, and stir until dissolved. Then add the soaked gelatin sheets one at a time, stirring constantly. Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer it to a jar or bowl to refrigerate until completely chilled, about 15-20 minutes.
- Whip the cream with a whisk until stiff peaks form. Then, slowly drizzle in the coffee and gelatin mixture while whisking at the lowest speed. This will ensure it blends in without significantly deflating the whipped cream. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the mousse to set.
- Place the sugar and instant coffee in a large bowl and mix.
- Add the water (the colder the better) and stir until all three ingredients are combined. There's no need to beat at this point, just stir.
- Now all that's left is to beat it with an electric mixer and let the magic happen. As air is incorporated into the mixture, it will thicken and change color. The longer you beat it, the thicker and lighter the color will be (you can see this in the step-by-step photos).
- Serve immediately or store it in the refrigerator until it's ready to be enjoyed.
- In a mold without a square, we place the shortbread biscuit already crushed. And we flatten it so that it's uniform.
- Then we melt the chocolate and pour it into the mold over the cookies. Spread it.
- We put a slice of the cake on top and then we placed three balls of coffee mousse. Spread it.
- We place another slice of cake and the we add the coffee buttercream.
- Put it in the freezer until the cream has hardened a little.
- Finally we add another thin layer of melted chocolate. Put it back in the freezer.
- We create shapes with the remaining melted chocolate using a Hydro logo stamp. Use it for decoration.
- When it's dry, we paint it with the coloring food.
- Cut a slice, decorate and serve.