I know sooner or later I have to post something related to my blog title. And yes, finally, I am going to post this recipe that I have tried on my lovely landlady, Em’s birthday. 20 of us in the party were so impressed about the cake that I made. That cake was a show stopper, I am not flattering myself, the cake looks great, taste great and absolute ladies’ cake. The cake weights nearly 4 pound, a twelve inches cake, not a piece left over.
I cannot say the cake is easy to made, you do need some experience on cake making, otherwise you will find it very difficult to get a light fluffy texture. With white chocolate rose mousse, popping candy praline base and strawberry, this cake is something to die for. On here, I have to give courtesy to Heston Blumenthal. He is a cock in lots of way, I’m sorry, but he is. However, this recipe of his popping candy base, it is very interesting, and not as crazy as his usual fancy experiment. The combination of this cake is my creation, and I'm proud of it. On Emma’s birthday cake, I covered the cake with light Chantilly cream, and sprinkle of violet petals round the edge. If you are up for the challenge, please tried to do so, it makes the cake looks even more professional. However, you need a good pair of plastering hands to get a nicely smoothed cream cake. Practice makes perfect, I have been a novice too.
Popping Rosy White Chocolate Mousse Cake
Preparation time: 2 hrs
Cooking Time: 1 hr
Serve 8
Ingredients:
For Chocolate Sponge:-
2 medium free-range eggs, separate
3 ½ oz self-raising flour (preferably good quality sponge flour)
¾ oz cocoa powder
4 oz spreadable butter
½ tsp baking powder
For Popping Praline Base:-
85g whole hazelnuts
40g milk chocolate
2 tsp mixed spice
100g popping candy/ space dust (preferably strawberry flavour)
For Rosy White Chocolate Mousse:-
150g white chocolate
3 medium free-range eggs, separate
½ cup icing sugar
250ml whipping cream
½ tbsp rose water
2 ½ tbsp rose syrup
½ tbsp/ ½ sachet gelatine powder
200g Strawberries, chopped
For Toppings:-
15 fresh strawberries
3 tbsp good quality strawberries jam
Methods:
1. To make the sponge, preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4. Beat the egg yolks and suger to pale and creamy. Whisk in the butter until well combined, then sieve in the self-raisng flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and mix well. Beat the egg whites to soft peak in a clean mixing bowl, fold the egg white into the cake mix. Double line the side and bottom of an 8” cake tin with greasproof paper, pour the cake mix in and bake for 25 – 30 minutes. To check the sponge, lightly press the sponge with your finger when it is near the finish time, if the finger print springs back, the sponge is ready. Take the sponge out of the oven, remove it from the cake after 10 minutes and peel off the greaseproof and set aside until cool down completely. Remember! Don’t put the sponge in the fridge, it will make it dry and absorb the smell from your fridge. You can bake it the night before, cover it with tea towel and cool down in room temperature.
2. To make the base, preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas Mark 4 and roast the hazelnuts for about 10 minutes until lightly coloured. Blend to a paste in a food processor, then set aside. Melt the milk chocolate in water bath (put a bowl over a sauce pan with simmering water — take care that the water does not touch the bowl) and then stir in the ginger spice and popping candy. Next, fold in the hazelnut purée. Place the 8” ring mould on a serving dish and gently press in the base mixture to a depth of about 1cm. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until hard.
3. Meanwhile, chop the chocolate for the mousse and set aside. In the mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and suger until pale and creamy. Put the chopped chocolate in another bowl, place it over a pan of simmering water. Stir the melted chocolate gently, but not too much. Pour the chocolate into the egg mix and mix well, the mixture is very thick. Whip the cream until stiff and set aside. Beat the egg white in a clean bowl to soft peak then pour in the rose water and syrup and whisk until stiff. Fold the whipped cream into the egg and chocolate mix until well combined, then fold in the egg white. Heat up 4 tbsp of water in a bowl, sprinkle the gelatine powder to the water, leave until it goes spongy. Stir until all the gelatine is dissolved, make sure there is no lumps. Stir the gelatine into the mousse mix.
4. To assemble the cake, place the popping candy praline base in an 8” cake tin, then pour half of the mousse mix into the mould. Evenly distribute chopped strawberries on top. Trim and slice the 8” sponge to 7” diameter and 1cm thick. Place the trimmed sponge on top pour the rest of mousse mix into the tin, smooth the surface and place in fridge until set, it takes at least 4 hours, preferable over night.
5. To decorate the cake. Quater the strawberries, arrange them from the edge of the cake towards the centre until it is covered with strawberries. Melt the jam in a sauce pan on low heat, stir in 1 tbsp of water, leave to cool slightly. Brush the strawberries with the jam mixture, place in fridge until serve.
I cannot say the cake is easy to made, you do need some experience on cake making, otherwise you will find it very difficult to get a light fluffy texture. With white chocolate rose mousse, popping candy praline base and strawberry, this cake is something to die for. On here, I have to give courtesy to Heston Blumenthal. He is a cock in lots of way, I’m sorry, but he is. However, this recipe of his popping candy base, it is very interesting, and not as crazy as his usual fancy experiment. The combination of this cake is my creation, and I'm proud of it. On Emma’s birthday cake, I covered the cake with light Chantilly cream, and sprinkle of violet petals round the edge. If you are up for the challenge, please tried to do so, it makes the cake looks even more professional. However, you need a good pair of plastering hands to get a nicely smoothed cream cake. Practice makes perfect, I have been a novice too.
Popping Rosy White Chocolate Mousse Cake
Preparation time: 2 hrs
Cooking Time: 1 hr
Serve 8
Ingredients:
For Chocolate Sponge:-
2 medium free-range eggs, separate
3 ½ oz self-raising flour (preferably good quality sponge flour)
¾ oz cocoa powder
4 oz spreadable butter
½ tsp baking powder
For Popping Praline Base:-
85g whole hazelnuts
40g milk chocolate
2 tsp mixed spice
100g popping candy/ space dust (preferably strawberry flavour)
For Rosy White Chocolate Mousse:-
150g white chocolate
3 medium free-range eggs, separate
½ cup icing sugar
250ml whipping cream
½ tbsp rose water
2 ½ tbsp rose syrup
½ tbsp/ ½ sachet gelatine powder
200g Strawberries, chopped
For Toppings:-
15 fresh strawberries
3 tbsp good quality strawberries jam
Methods:
1. To make the sponge, preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4. Beat the egg yolks and suger to pale and creamy. Whisk in the butter until well combined, then sieve in the self-raisng flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and mix well. Beat the egg whites to soft peak in a clean mixing bowl, fold the egg white into the cake mix. Double line the side and bottom of an 8” cake tin with greasproof paper, pour the cake mix in and bake for 25 – 30 minutes. To check the sponge, lightly press the sponge with your finger when it is near the finish time, if the finger print springs back, the sponge is ready. Take the sponge out of the oven, remove it from the cake after 10 minutes and peel off the greaseproof and set aside until cool down completely. Remember! Don’t put the sponge in the fridge, it will make it dry and absorb the smell from your fridge. You can bake it the night before, cover it with tea towel and cool down in room temperature.
2. To make the base, preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas Mark 4 and roast the hazelnuts for about 10 minutes until lightly coloured. Blend to a paste in a food processor, then set aside. Melt the milk chocolate in water bath (put a bowl over a sauce pan with simmering water — take care that the water does not touch the bowl) and then stir in the ginger spice and popping candy. Next, fold in the hazelnut purée. Place the 8” ring mould on a serving dish and gently press in the base mixture to a depth of about 1cm. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until hard.
3. Meanwhile, chop the chocolate for the mousse and set aside. In the mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and suger until pale and creamy. Put the chopped chocolate in another bowl, place it over a pan of simmering water. Stir the melted chocolate gently, but not too much. Pour the chocolate into the egg mix and mix well, the mixture is very thick. Whip the cream until stiff and set aside. Beat the egg white in a clean bowl to soft peak then pour in the rose water and syrup and whisk until stiff. Fold the whipped cream into the egg and chocolate mix until well combined, then fold in the egg white. Heat up 4 tbsp of water in a bowl, sprinkle the gelatine powder to the water, leave until it goes spongy. Stir until all the gelatine is dissolved, make sure there is no lumps. Stir the gelatine into the mousse mix.
4. To assemble the cake, place the popping candy praline base in an 8” cake tin, then pour half of the mousse mix into the mould. Evenly distribute chopped strawberries on top. Trim and slice the 8” sponge to 7” diameter and 1cm thick. Place the trimmed sponge on top pour the rest of mousse mix into the tin, smooth the surface and place in fridge until set, it takes at least 4 hours, preferable over night.
5. To decorate the cake. Quater the strawberries, arrange them from the edge of the cake towards the centre until it is covered with strawberries. Melt the jam in a sauce pan on low heat, stir in 1 tbsp of water, leave to cool slightly. Brush the strawberries with the jam mixture, place in fridge until serve.
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