Spring flower pastry cake

Recipe for 2-3 cakes (18cm x 7,5cm)

I. Milk chocolate crispy

• 200 gr Milk chocolate, Intense 35%, Veliche
• 70 gr Crispy crunchies, Veliche
• 60 gr Fine rice cripsie
• 50 gr Hazelnut praline 65%, Veliche
• 1 gr Salt

Method:

1. Melt the milk chocolate until the temperature reaches 45°c.
2. Mix the melted chocolate with the hazelnut praline and salt. 
3. Finally add the crispy crunchies and rice crispy. 
4. Roll the mixture out between plastic sheets till 2,5mm thickness. 
5. Place the sponge on top of the crispy. 
6. Cool down before use.

II. Light chocolate sponge

Recipe for one baking trays 60x40cm

• 285 gr Whole egg
• 40 gr Sugar (2)
• 200 gr Almond powder
• 40 gr Flour
• 24 gr Cocoa powder, Veliche
• 40 gr Butter
• 170 gr Egg white
• 200 gr Sugar (1)
• 2 gr Salt

Method:

1. Beat the egg white and the sugar (1) until stiff.
2. Separately beat the whole egg, sugar (2), salt and almond powder.
3. Add the melted butter to the almond powder mixture.
4. Combine the almond mixture and the egg white with a spatula.
5. Add the flour and cocoa powder. Mix the batter well.
6. Divide the sponge on top of a baking paper sheet and bake at 210°c.
7. Cool down and freeze.

III. Mandarin compote

• 320 gr Fresh mandarin
• 100 gr Sugar
• 40 gr Lime juice
• 45 gr Mandarin juice 100%
• 4 gr Pectin NH

Method:

1. Boil the mandarin (4-5 pieces) in pan with water for 30 min until soft. (Mandarins needs to be under water).
2. Cut the mandarins. Pour the mandarin pulp into a pan and cut the skin in very small cubes.
3. Mix pectin NH with half amount of the sugar
4. Add the mandarin juice into the mandarin pulp, mix with the half amount of sugar, and heat up till 40c.
5. Next step is to mix the pectin/sugar with the pulp mass and bring to a boil.
6. Add the lime juice and stir well. Finally add the mandarin cubes. Mix well and let it set until cool.

IV. Milk chocolate – tonka mousse

• 340 gr Cream 35% (1) 
• 170 gr Milk chocolate Intense 35% 
• 35 gr Dark chocolate Temptation 64% 
• 60 gr Whole milk 60 gr Cream 35% (2) 
• 50 gr Egg yolk 55 gr Sugar 
• 1 gr Tonka bean (shavings) 
• 6 gr Gelatin powder 30 gr Water 

Method:

1. Mix the gelatin powder with the cold water and let set.
2. Mix the egg yolk with the sugar.
3. Boil the milk, cream (2), and tonka bean. Sieve afterwards.
4. Make a crème anglaise with the hot cream and egg yolk/sugar mixture (84°c)
5. Add the gelatin and mix the crème anglaise with the chocolate until smooth.
6. Let the mixture cool down to 38°c.
7. Whip the cream (1) until firms up lightly.
8. Add the cream to the mixture and stir until well combined.

V. Chocolate Crumble

• 130 gr Butter
• 150 gr Brown sugar
• 125 gr Flour T55
• 24 gr Cocoa powder Veliche
• 75 gr Almond powder
• 75 gr Almond shavings
• 1 gr Salt
• 30 gr Dark chocolate Sensation 72%, Veliche

Method:

1. Mix the almond, salt, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and flour in a machine bowl with a paddle.
2. Add the melted chocolate to the mixture and mix.
3. Cut the butter in small pieces and add to the mixture. Mix under high machine speed. Stop before it’s totally mixed (need to stay crumble).
4. Bake at 165°c. around 14 min

TIP: If you want the crumble to stay crispier after a few days (also on top of the cake), you can coat the crumble with a layer of tempered chocolate 72%. Mix some chocolate with a spatula around the crumble pieces and pour it on a tray with paper. Let crystalize (set) and mix together after crystallization.

VI. White chocolate cream (whipped ganache)

• 375 gr Cream 35%
• 3 gr Gelatin powder
• 15 gr Water
• 10 gr Invert sugar
• 110 gr White chocolate Obsession 30%, Veliche
• 2 gr Vanilla

Method:

1. Add the cold water into the gelatin powder and mix.
2. Boil the cream, vanilla, and invert sugar.
3. Add the gelatin mix to the hot mass.
4. Add the white chocolate and emulsify like a ganache
5. Mix with a hand-blender until smooth.
6. Cool down 24H before whipped.

VII. Decorations

Chocolate flowers

Use yellow colored with chocolade and a leave stamp/spoon to make the yellow leaves for the flower. 6 pieces per flower.

Use Yellow marzipan or elastic chocolate to make the center of the flower. Use some orange color to finish the top. Stick the center with some chocolate on the leaves.

Green stem and leaves

Color some white tempered chocolate with green (fat-based) color. Pipe drops on a tray with paper. After crystallization, pour the drops into a blender. Mix until a smooth paste. Roll stems around 15cm long. 4 pieces per cake

Use green marzipan or elastic green chocolate to make the green leaves of the flower. Use some green color to brush the leaves.

Chocolate sides of the Bûche

Color some white chocolate with a little drop of milk chocolate until beige color. Divide a thin layer on a tray with plastic sheet and cut into elongated pieces.

18cm wide x 5.5cm high (2 pc per cake)

7,5 cm wide x 5,5cm high (2 pc per cake)

For the small wooden bars

Use a brush to divide white chocolate on a plastic sheet. Push hard so you will see texture of the brush.

Use the tempered milk chocolate and dived a layer on top of the texture chocolate. Cut in bars:

20 cm wide x 2cm high

7,5 cm wide x 2cm high.

After crystallization, stick the bars with some chocolate on the chocolate sides (see final product picture)

Assembly

1. Make all recipes like describe on the method below the recipe.
2. Use a square cake ring to build up the cake layers.
3. Start with crispy layer and sponge (crispy at the bottom)
4. Divide a layer of mandarin compote on top of the sponge and close with sponge.
5. Add the Milk chocolate mouse and close with a layer of sponge. Finish with a thin layer of mousse.
6. Cakes need to be 5cm high maximum.
7. After freezing, cut the cakes into Buche of 18cm x 7.5cm.
8. Whip up the cream (recipe 6) and use piping bag to pipe dots into plastic foil. Make ‘flower bulbs’ like the picture and place them in the freezer.
9. Dip the frozen flower bulbs into a chocolate coating (half chocolate/half cocoa butter) and place the on the cake.
10. Finish the cake with de chocolate flowers and chocolate crumble (see pictures). Enjoy the spring vibe!