Pastry Aria

You have to be very precise to be able to create those thin layers of mousse and cake. The result is a gorgeous, velvety, rich meld of the chocolate, coffee and sponge.

Nothing quite expresses love in a song quite like an aria. I guess this is why I associate the Opera Cake with passion and it is something that everyone loves but not everyone cake make properly. You have to be very precise to be able to create those thin layers of mousse and cake. The result is a gorgeous, velvety, rich meld of the chocolate, coffee and sponge.

You can see that I’m bleeding green for Valentine’s in this issue with my Avocado dome. The rich and smooth textures of the avocado make it very ideal for cakes and pastries, so you would think that many more bakers would attempt this flavor, especially in our country where people are familiar with avocados in sweet preparations such as an ice-cream flavor, or the fruit itself, freshly scooped, onto which you add ice, milk and sugar.  The avocado is all the more suitable for a dome cake because it already mousse like and texture and you don’t have to add much to it, which gives a very unique and subtle flavor unlike any other.

I also did a bread pudding because it is the most comforting of desserts. I kicked it up a notch by using croissant for the bread, which elevates it creating a perfect buttery, custardy treat that is as suitable for an elegant intimate dinner for two or a treat for yourself.

AVOCADO DOME

Photography by Michael Anthony Sagaran

• 2 cups ripe avocado
• 1/2 cup condensed milk
• 1/2 cup cream
• 150g chopped cashew nuts
• 1 tbsp gelatine powder clear and unflavored
• 2 tbsp water

1. In a blender combine avocado, condensed milk and cream. Blend well until smooth.
2. Using a small saucepan combine gelatine powder and water.
3. Dissolved make it bloom for 1 minute and bring to fire until the mixture is dissolve.
4. Pour the gelatine mixture to avocado and add the pistachio in the mixture and mix well. Use the silicon dome molder or any dome type pan.
5. Put inside the freezer for overnight.
6. Serve the avocado dome frozen.

BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

Photography by Michael Anthony Sagaran

• 2 croissant
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cream
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Slice the croissant into small pieces and put the croissant in a ramekin.
2. In a mixing bowl combine milk, cream, sugar, butter and vanilla.
3. Pour to the ramekins with croissant. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown on top.
4. You can serve this with vanilla ice cream on top or whipped cream.

OPERA CAKE

Photography by Michael Anthony Sagaran

ALMOND CAKE

• 6 large egg whites, room temperature
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 cups ground blanched almonds
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp butter and melted

ESPRESSO SYRUP

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp instant espresso

COFFEE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 tbsp instant espresso
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 egg white
• 1 cup cubes chilled butter

DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

• 500g dark chocolate
• 200g cream

COFFEE SYRUP

• 1 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 2 tbsp sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Line two 15-inch by 12-inch pans with parchment paper and brush with shortening. Set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg white on high until they become foamy and start to expand. Sprinkle in the sugar, one teaspoon at a time, until all of it if incorporated into the egg whites. Continue beating the meringue until stiff peaks.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the ground almonds, confectioners’ sugar, and whole eggs on medium just until the mixture becomes light and foamy. Gently stir the flour into the almond batter.
4. Gently stir 1/4 of the almond batter into the whipped egg whites. Fold the remainder of the almond batter and the melted, cooled butter into the egg whites. Divide the sponge cake batter between the two prepared pans and bake the cakes for 5 minutes, until the surfaces spring back from a light touch.
5. Cover the top surface of each cake with a fresh piece of parchment and carefully invert them onto a clean surface. Slowly peel back the old parchment from the cakes and allow them to rest loosely over the cakes to prevent them from drying out.

TO MAKE THE ESPRESSO SYRUP

In a small bowl combine hot water, coffee and sugar stir until sugar and coffee totally dissolve.

TO MAKE THE COFFEE BUTTERCREAM

1. In a sauce pan combine water and sugar and bring to boil. When its start to boil, using electric mixer with whisk attachment beat the egg until they begin to get fluff y. Then when the sugar starts to boil add to meringue and continue to beat the mixture.
2. Add the coffee and chilled butter until it is fully incorporated into the mixture. The coffee buttercream is completely once it turns thick and fluff y.

TO MAKE THE GANACHE

In a saucepan bring the cream simmer then take our from the fire and add the chocolate. Mix well until no solid particles.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut one 10-inch by 10-inch square out of each layer of cake and place it on the baking sheet.
3. Brush the cake with the espresso syrup. Carefully spread 3/4 of the coff ee buttercream over the surface of the cake then gently spread the chocolate ganache on the top of the butter cream.
4. Repeat the procedure until you end up with almond cake. Then put the ganache on the top of the last cake and spread make it smooth.

Source: Pages 54 – 57 of Cook Magazine February 2015 issue

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