Strawberry and Rhubarb Cocoa Gateau with Basil Whipped Ganache
Part 1: True Gold Biscuit Cuillere
Ingredients
MethodNOTE: for best results, all ingredients should be at room temperature.
- 6 eggs (separated)
- 100g Sugar (Caster)
- 60g Flour
- 20g Maizena (cornstarch)
- 40g True Gold cocoa powder
- 20-30g Confectioner’s sugar (for dusting before bake-off)
- Preheat oven to 190ºC. Prepare sheet tray with a silkpat or parchment paper. Set aside until ready to use. Prepare piping bag with round tip.
- In a mixing bowl add egg whites. Whip to frothy texture and gradually add in the sugar. Making a meringue.
- At the same time, in a mixing bowl, add egg yolks and whip to light ribbon stage.
- Once egg yolks are whipped, incorporate them into the meringue. Folding in carefully. NOTE: DOES NOT HAVE TO BE FULLY INCORPORATED.
- Sift dry ingredients into egg mixture and fold until just combined (careful not to over-mix)
- Transfer to piping bag and pipe batter into a 18cm circular disc (2x).
- Dust discs with confectioner’s sugar. Allow to sit for 5 minutes and dust once again with confectioner’s sugar. Bake for approx. 12-15 minutes.
- Once baked, transfer sheet to a rack and allow to cool completely before using.
Part 2: Basil Whipped Ganache
Ingredients
Method- 404ml- Single (heavy) cream
- 504ml- Single (heavy) Cream
- 75g Milk Powder
- 56g Cocoa Butter
- 100g sugar (caster)
- 30g fish gelatin (6g porc gelatin)
- 2.5g Fresh Basil
- In a bowl, add cocoa butter & milk powder. Set aside until ready to use. In a saucepan, add 1st quantity of cream, sugar and basil. Bring to a simmer. Take off heat and cover, allow to infuse for 5 minutes.
- Add back onto heat and bring t a soft boil.
- Pour over cocoa butter & milk powder in 2-3 stages.
- Once the 1st cream has been incorporated, add gelatin while mixture is still quite warm. Blend until thoroughly combined.
- Add 2nd cream to mixture and blend until well combined. Strain mixture & transfer to an air-tight container covering the top of the ganache with plastic film wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
- Set in refrigerator for 24hrs for best results.
- When ready to use the ganache, add desired quantity to a cold mixing bowl. Whisk until medium/ hard peaks.
- Use immediately after whipping.
Part 3: Strawberry & Rhubarb Compote
Ingredients
Method- 190g Rhubarb (fresh and diced)
- 25g Green apple (diced)
- 90g Sugar
- ½ Vanilla bean
- 20ml Water
- 360g Strawberries (fresh and cut in half)
- Prepare strainer over a heat-proof container. Set aside until ready to use. In a pot, add rhubarb, apple, sugar, vanilla bean and water. Cook on low heat until the rhubarb begins to soften.
- Once rhubarb begins to soften, add strawberries.
- Cook until rhubarb is fully cooked through and mixture has become a bit thick.
- Transfer to a strainer and allow to cool down completely. A lot of the juice will strain through reserve this for the soaking syrup.
- Once juice has been separated, mix the compote until smooth with an immersion blender.
- Transfer to a piping bag and reserve in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Part 4: Strawberry rhubarb Soaking Syrup
Ingredients
Method- 150ml Reserved juice
- 50ml Strawberry puree
- 50ml Lemon juice
- 50g Sugar
- In a saucepan, add all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cook until sugar has been dissolved.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a heat-proof container until cool.
- Reserve until ready to use.
Part 5: Assembly
Method- Once all components are ready. Prepare cake ring lining it with acetate. Placing the cake on a flat sheet tray to start assembling. Cut fresh strawberries into slices (thick and generous)
- Whip 2/3 of the ganache to medium/stiff peaks, Transfer to a piping bag.
- Pipe from top to bottom on the sides of the cake ring, creating an even wall of the ganache.
- Place on biscuit disc at the center of the cake ring. With a brush, soak the biscuit with the soaking syrup.
- Pipe a ring of ganache around the edge of the biscuit.
- Pipe compote generously over the top of the biscuit and then line it with freshly cut strawberries.
- Pipe ganache over the top of the strawberries.
- Place second biscuit disc over the top of the ganache and press down slightly.
- Generously soak the biscuit with soaking syrup and cover biscuit with compote.
- Pipe ganache until you reach the top edge of the cake ring. With an off-set spatula, spread the ganache into an even flat surface. Freeze until set.
- Once set, remove the cake ring and acetate carefully.
- With left over crumbs from biscuit, decorate the sides of the cake.
- Whip the remainding 1/3 of the ganache to medium-stiff peaks. Transfer to a piping bag with st.honore piping tip.
- Pipe ganache decoratively over the top of the cake.
- Finish with a bit of compote and fresh cut strawberries (cut in quarters) and some fresh basil.
- Allow to come to temperature in refrigerator.
