Apple & Almond Puff Pastry Tart
TIER 1
Apple & Almond Puff Pastry Tart
In Tier 1 we’re mastering the essential technique of laminating inverse puff pastry. This is trickier as the dough is wrapped in a butter block which means it can get a little sticky, but the resulting pastry melts in the mouth. We’ve covered laminating a few times so if you’ve tried those classes, you will be really confident heading into this. Once the dough has rested, we cut it into discs, fill it with an almond cream and finally add some sliced apples. After your first bite, you’ll want to eat the whole tray!
6
TARTS
Ingredients
Makes 6 Individual Tarts
Inverse Puff Pastry
Butter Block
100g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
300g Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
Dough
200g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
4g Fine Sea Salt
120g Double/Heavy Cream
20g Cold Water
5g White Vinegar
Almond Cream
55g Unsalted Butter, Soft
55g Icing Sugar
130g Ground Almonds
10g Cornstarch/Cornflour
45g Whole Eggs, Room Temperature
2-3 Pink Lady Apples
Egg Wash
35g Egg Yolk
30g Double/Heavy Cream
Icing/Powdered Sugar To Decorate
Special equipment
Stand mixer
Digital thermometer
12cm cookie cutter
Piping bag
Method
Inverse Puff Pastry
Butter Block
1. Add the soft butter and flour into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat for 1-2 minutes on a medium speed until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- 100g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
- 300g Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
2. Trace a rectangle 35 x 20 cm/14 x 8 inches in the centre of a large sheet of parchment paper or acetate, then flip it over. Place the butter mixture into the centre, folding over the edges of the paper and taping them in place if needed.
3. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle with even thickness. Chill for 3 hours in the fridge or overnight.
Dough
1. For the dough, add all the ingredients to a large bowl and stir together until there are no more dry ingredients. It can help to squeeze it together with your hands.
- 200g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
- 4g Fine Sea Salt
- 120g Double Cream
- 20g Cold Water
- 5g White Vinegar
2. Tip the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it for 1–2 minutes. Initially, it will be quite dry, but as you continue to work it, it will become smooth and gain some very slight elasticity.
3. Trace a rectangle 17.5 x 20cm into the centre of a large sheet of baking parchment or acetate and flip it over. Place the dough in the centre and fold over the edges of the parchment, taping it in place if needed. Roll the dough to the edges until you have an even block. Refrigerate for 3 hours, or ideally overnight. A longer chill is preferable to relax the gluten.
4. Once both have chilled, remove the butter block from the fridge, it needs to be 9–10°C (48–50°F) before using. Once it is close to temperature, remove the dough from the fridge; this needs to be at 6–7°C (43–45°F).
5. Place the dough block in the centre of the butter and fold the butter over, sealing the seam with your fingers. Be quite generous with flouring the work surface and the dough here, or the butter will stick.
6. Rotate the dough 90 degrees so the seam is facing you horizontally, and use a sharp knife to score the edges of the dough where it is folded over the butter. This will release tension and make it easier to roll.
7. Lightly roll the dough to give it some slight width, then rotate the dough 90 degrees again so the seam is now vertically in line with your body.
8. Roll the dough lengthways into a long rectangle, being liberal with the flour so that it doesn’t stick, until it reaches a thickness of about 5–7mm. Use a sharp knife to trim off any wonky ends and dust off any excess flour.
9. Perform a double fold, folding one side of the dough up about 1/5th of the way, bringing the opposite side over to meet it, and then folding the whole piece in half. Wrap the dough tightly in cling film, and place it in the freezer for 15 minutes, then into the fridge for 10 minutes.
10. Remove the dough from the fridge, and with the open seam facing you (i.e if you were looking at the dough straight on, you would be able to see where it has been folded over itself), use a sharp knife again, to score the edges of the dough where it is folded.
11. Turn the dough 90 degrees so the open seam is now horizontal to you and give the dough a quick roll, to give it a little bit of width.
12. Turn the dough 90 degrees again so the open seam is facing you again and begin to roll the dough. Roll the dough into a long even rectangle, very very lightly flouring it, just as we did in step 8.
13. Perform another double fold, and place it in the freezer for 15 minutes, then into the fridge for 10 minutes.
14. Repeat this process one more time, but finishing with a single fold rather than a double fold. To do this, take one-third of the dough and fold it up, then take the other third of dough and fold this over the top.
15. Wrap the dough tightly in clingfilm and refrigerate, ideally overnight. Again, a longer chill helps to relax the gluten.
Almond Cream
1. Into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and icing sugar on a medium-low speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
- 55g Unsalted Butter, Soft
- 55g Icing Sugar
2. Scrape down the sides and add the ground almonds and cornstarch, then mix again just until combined.
- 130g Ground Almonds
- 10g Cornstarch/Cornflour
3. Finally pour in the eggs and beat until it is evenly combined.
- 45g Whole Eggs, Room Temperature
4. Cover this and set it to one side at room temperature.
Assembly
1. Preheat the oven to180C/355F Non-Fan assisted (165C/330 Fan).
2. Remove the puff pastry from the fridge and lightly flouring it, roll it into a rough square shape, around 3-4mm thick.
3. Using a 12cm/4.5” cookie cutter, cut 6 discs of pastry and lift these onto a baking tray lined with a silicon baking mat (or a perforated tray lined with a perforated baking mat). Cut more discs if you have enough dough.
4. Add the pistachio cream into a piping bag, and pipe and even layer into the centre of the puff pastry, leaving about a 1.5cm/0.6” border around the outside.
5. Take the apples and core them, then cut them in half. Next, thinly slice them with a knife or a mandolin.
6. Stack the apple slices together, fanning them apart just slightly and place enough into the tart to cover the pistachio cream, but avoid going over the border of puff pastry.
7. Whisk the egg wash ingredients together and with a pastry brush, very lightly brush the border of puff pastry. You can sprinkle some coarse brown/demerara sugar over the top too for some added crunch, or even toasted flaked almonds.
- 35g Egg Yolks
- 30g Double/Heavy Cream
8. Place these into the centre of the oven and bake for around 35-40 minutes, or until a golden brown colour.
9. Remove them from the oven and lift them onto a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then serve. They can be eaten warm or you can allow them to cool completely. Before serving, add a dusting of icing/powdered sugar to finish.
Shop the Equipment
Pistachio Galette Des Rois
TIER 2
Pistachio Galette Des Rois
For Tier 2 I was determined to use our inverse puff pastry to make a Galette Des Rois. After all my fails, I realised I wasn’t resting the dough enough and that I needed to adjust my filling slightly to add more nuts. The resulting galette has the most amazing puff, that stays even, holds its shape and has a soft, pistachio filling. Although we’re at the end of galette season, I think it’s something you should make all year round it’s that good! Take your time with this recipe, especially paying attention to the scoring pattern. There’s lots of helpful tips in the PDF recipe so much sure to download that.
8-10
SERVINGS
Ingredients
Makes 8-10 Servings
Inverse Puff Pastry (x2)
Butter Block
100g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
300g Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
Dough
200g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
4g Fine Sea Salt
120g Double/Heavy Cream
20g Cold Water
5g White Vinegar
Pistachio Cream
85g Unsalted Butter, Soft
85g Icing Sugar
130g Ground Pistachios
70g Ground Almonds
15g Cornstarch/Cornflour
70g Whole Eggs, Room Temperature
Egg Wash
35g Egg Yolk
30g Double/Heavy Cream
Hot Syrup
50g Caster Sugar
35g Water
Special equipment
Stand mixer
Digital thermometer
Silicon mat
18cm ring mold (optional)
Piping bag
23cm disc (for measuring)
Method
Inverse Puff Pastry
Note that you will need two batches of pastry (one for the top of the galette, and one for the bottom). As we are laminating by hand, I prefer to do this in two separate batches to ensure not too much gluten is developed. So you will need to create this recipe twice.
Butter Block
1. Add the soft butter and flour into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat for 1-2 minutes on a medium speed until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- 100g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
- 300g Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
2. Trace a rectangle 35 x 20 cm/14 x 8 inches in the centre of a large sheet of parchment paper or acetate, then flip it over. Place the butter mixture into the centre, folding over the edges of the paper and taping them in place if needed.
3. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle with even thickness. Chill for 3 hours in the fridge or overnight.
Dough
1. For the dough, add all the ingredients to a large bowl and stir together until there are no more dry ingredients. It can help to squeeze it together with your hands.
- 200g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
- 4g Fine Sea Salt
- 120g Double Cream
- 20g Cold Water
- 5g White Vinegar
2. Tip the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it for 1–2 minutes. Initially, it will be quite dry, but as you continue to work it, it will become smooth and gain some very slight elasticity.
3. Trace a rectangle 17.5 x 20cm into the centre of a large sheet of baking parchment or acetate and flip it over. Place the dough in the centre and fold over the edges of the parchment, taping it in place if needed. Roll the dough to the edges until you have an even block. Refrigerate for 3 hours, or ideally overnight. A longer chill is preferable to relax the gluten.
4. Once both have chilled, remove the butter block from the fridge, it needs to be 9–10°C (48–50°F) before using. Once it is close to temperature, remove the dough from the fridge; this needs to be at 6–7°C (43–45°F).
5. Place the dough block in the centre of the butter and fold the butter over, sealing the seam with your fingers. Be quite generous with flouring the work surface and the dough here, or the butter will stick.
6. Rotate the dough 90 degrees so the seam is facing you horizontally, and use a sharp knife to score the edges of the dough where it is folded over the butter. This will release tension and make it easier to roll.
7. Lightly roll the dough to give it some slight width, then rotate the dough 90 degrees again so the seam is now vertically in line with your body.
8. Roll the dough lengthways into a long rectangle, being liberal with the flour so that it doesn’t stick, until it reaches a thickness of about 5–7mm. Use a sharp knife to trim off any wonky ends and dust off any excess flour.
9. Perform a double fold, folding one side of the dough up about 1/5th of the way, bringing the opposite side over to meet it, and then folding the whole piece in half. Wrap the dough tightly in cling film, and place it in the freezer for 15 minutes, then into the fridge for 10 minutes.
10. Remove the dough from the fridge, and with the open seam facing you (i.e if you were looking at the dough straight on, you would be able to see where it has been folded over itself), use a sharp knife again, to score the edges of the dough where it is folded.
11. Turn the dough 90 degrees so the open seam is now horizontal to you and give the dough a quick roll, to give it a little bit of width.
12. Turn the dough 90 degrees again so the open seam is facing you again and begin to roll the dough. Roll the dough into a long even rectangle, very very lightly flouring it, just as we did in step 8.
13. Perform another double fold, and place it in the freezer for 15 minutes, then into the fridge for 10 minutes.
14. Repeat this process one more time, but finishing with a single fold rather than a double fold. To do this, take one-third of the dough and fold it up, then take the other third of dough and fold this over the top.
15. Wrap the dough tightly in cling film and refrigerate, ideally overnight. Again, a longer chill helps to relax the gluten.
Pistachio Cream
1. Into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and icing sugar on a medium-low speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
- 85g Unsalted Butter, Soft
- 85g Icing Sugar
2. Scrape down the sides and add in the ground pistachios, ground almonds and cornstarch, then mix again just until combined.
- 130g Ground Pistachios
- 70g Ground Almonds
- 15g Cornstarch/Cornflour
3. Finally pour in the eggs and beat until it is evenly combined.
- 70g Whole Eggs, Room Temperature
4. You will need 320g of mixture so pour the batter into a bowl and weigh the required amount.
5. To make the mixture neat, place an 18cm ring mold onto a baking tray lined with a silicon mat. Scoop the mixture in, and level it so it is smooth with a palette knife. Place this into the freezer for 1-2 hours. You can also place a fève into the mixture (or a whole pistachio) which is very traditional.
6. If you do not have a ring mold, the mixture can just be piped fresh onto the puff pastry. In this case, add it into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip nozzle and refrigerate until your pastry has been rolled out. (Once you have rolled out one portion of the pastry, pipe and even disc, 18 cm wide)
Assembly
1. Remove one batch of inverse puff pastry from the fridge and lightly flouring it, roll it into a rough square shape, around 3-4mm thick. Carefully lift this onto a lined baking tray and place it into the fridge.
2. Roll out the second piece of pastry to the same thickness.
3. Remove the first batch of pastry from the fridge and with it still on the tray, lift the frozen pistachio cream and place the disc into the centre of the pastry.
4. Lightly brush around the disc of pistachio cream with water – do not go to heavy on the water, just enough to moisten is to the pastry sticks together,
5. Lift the second piece of pastry on top, and using your hands, lightly cup around the outside of the cream layer, tucking it so it hugs the filling. This pushes out any trapped air. Ensure the two layers of pastry are firmly sealed together,
6. Finally, take a disc (like the bottom of a tart ring) that is 23cm in diameter, and place this on top. Use a sharp knife/box cutter, cut around this, to create a neat 23cm galette. Use a skewer to prick a few small holes all over it.
7. At this point we want to rest it again, to relax the gluten in the dough and prevent it from shrinking. Ideally this should be refrigerated overnight (covered with cling film) or 1-2 hours.
8. Once it has chilled, prepare the egg wash, whisking together the ingredients.
9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/355F Non-Fan assisted (165C/330 Fan).
10. Remove the galette from the fridge and flip it over, onto a baking tray with a silicon baking mat (or ideally a perforated tray with a perforated mat if you have one) so the smooth side is on top. Brush the egg wash evenly over the surface of the dough. Note – for a deeper, darker finish to your galette, you can apply one layer of egg wash, then refrigerate it for 45m, then add another layer, before proceeding with the scoring.
- 35g Egg Yolk
- 30g Double/Heavy Cream
11. Use a sharp knife to gently score the dough, ensuring you don’t cut through the dough, in a decorative pattern. I use the design below. Once you have completed the scoring, use a skewer, to create 5-8 holes, piercing through the top layer of puff pastry (indicated by the green dots). This will allow the steam to escape.
12. Place the galette into the centre of the oven and bake for 45 minutes, then lower the temperature to 170C/340F non-fan assisted (155/310F fan assisted) and bake for a further 20-30 minutes, or until the galette is a deep golden brown colour.
13. Just before it has finished baking, prepare the hot syrup, by adding the ingredients to a small saucepan, and bringing them to the boil until the sugar has dissolved. Set this to one side.
- 50g Caster Sugar
- 35g Water
14. Once the galette is a deep golden brown colour, remove it from the oven and lift it onto a wire cooling rack. Brush a thin layer of sugar syrup over the top and then allow it to cool for 30 minutes before serving.
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Lemon & White Chocolate Tarts
TIER 2
Lemon & White Chocolate Tart
For Tier 2, we use the same lemon filling as Tier 1, but instead of baking it we cook it like a curd. It sits on top of an almond mirliton, with a secret layer of zingy lemon confit, topped with a stunning white chocolate namelaka which is piped using a basket weave nozzle. Because we cook the lemon filling like a curd, it has a slightly softer texture, more like a cremeux which contrasts all the textures in the tart really well.
4
INDIVIDUAL TARTS
Ingredients
Makes 4 individual tarts
White Chocolate Namelaka
3g Powdered Gelatin (250 Bloom) + 18g Cold Water OR 1 Sheet of Leaf Gelatin
100g Whole Milk
10g Glucose or Honey
185g White Chocolate, Melted
200g Double/Heavy Cream, Cold
Lemon Confit
8g Lemon Zest
130g Lemon Juice
65g Caster/White Sugar
Lemon Sweet Pastry
100g Unsalted Butter, Cold & Cubed
70g Icing/Powdered Sugar, Sifted
Pinch of Fine Sea Salt
Zest ½ Lemon
50g Egg Yolk
200g Plain, All Purpose Flour
Egg Wash
40g Egg Yolk
10g Double/Heavy Cream
Lemon Filling
80g Whole Eggs
60g Egg Yolks
115g Caster/ White Sugar
100g Double/Heavy Cream
3g Lemon Zest
75g Lemon Juice
20g Unsalted Butter, Cold & Cubed (Optional)
Roasted Almond Mirliton
105g Unsalted Butter
85g Roasted Almond Powder
85g Icing/Powdered Sugar
110g Egg Whites
½ Fresh Vanilla Pod
Zest ½ Lemon
Special equipment
Hand blender
Stand mixer
2 silicon mats (optional)
4 4-inch perforated tart rings
Multi-wheel pastry cutter (optional)
Digital thermometer
Piping bags
Basket weave nozzle
Rotating cake stand (optional)
Method
White Chocolate Namelaka
1. Into a small dish, add the powdered gelatin and cold water. Stir them together and allow it to bloom for 10 minutes at room temperature. If using leaf gelatin, soak this in a bowl of cold water.
2. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and then set this to one side.
3. Meanwhile, add the milk and glucose/honey to a small saucepan. Stir it occasionally over a medium heat, until it is steaming and the glucose has dissolved.
4. Scoop in the bloom gelatin (or squeeze the excess water from the leaf gelatin and drop this in). Stir it together until the gelatin has completely dissolved.
5. Pour the hot milk mixture over the melted white chocolate in three parts, stirring in tight circles in the centre with a rubber spatula, to emulsify the mixture. Initially it will look slightly split but it will pull together.
6. Finally, pour in the cold cream and blend it with a hand blender, until smooth. Cover the surface with cling film and refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 6 hours.
Lemon Confit
1. Add the lemon zest into a small saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring the mixture to the boil, then immediately pass it through a sieve. Repeat this two more times, to remove the bitterness from the zest.
2. Add the blanched zest, lemon juice and sugar into a saucepan, and note the total weight of the ingredients in the pan, on a digital scale.
3. Place the pan on a medium low heat, and simmer until the total weight of the pan has reduced by around 100g.
4. Pour the mixture into a small dish, covered with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight.
Lemon Sweet Pastry
1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, icing sugar, salt and lemon zest. With the paddle attachment, beat the mixture for 2-3 minutes, scraping it down a few times in between, until you have a smooth paste.
2. Add in the egg yolks, and beat again, until the mixture is evenly combined, you will need to scrape down the bowl a few times again.
3. Tip in the flour, and use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure the butter doesn’t get stuck. Scrape the sides, and then mix on a low speed until it pulls together to form a dough.
4. Scoop the dough out onto your work surface, and give it a quick knead just to bring it together.
5. Place the dough onto a large silicon mat. Place a second silicon mat on top and roll the mixture into a rough circle, getting it as thin as possible (around 3-5mm). If you don’t have silicon mats you can roll the dough between parchment paper but it will be very difficult as it will slip and slide all over the place!
6. Once you have a rough circle of dough, place it into the freezer for 30m.
7. Once chilled, remove it from the freezer and working quickly, peel the silicon mat off of the dough. Take 2 of the 4” perforated ring molds (very lightly greased with soft butter) and press these into the dough.
8. Lift them up and place them onto a perforated tray lined with a perforated baking mat.
9. Using a multi-wheel pastry cutter (or a ruler and a sharp knife) cut 2 long strips of dough, ensuring the width is slightly more than the height of your tart shells. Take the strip of dough and place it inside the tart ring, using your fingers to carefully press the walls against the base of the pastry. If at any point you feel the pastry is getting too warm, place it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes then carry on. Place the tarts into the freezer for 30 minutes.
10. Take the spare dough and form it back into a dough ball. Repeat steps 5-8 to make two more tart shells.
11. Preheat the oven to 175C/345F Non-fan assisted (160C fan-assisted).
12. Use a knife to trim the excess pastry from the tart rings so it is flush, then place the tarts into the centre of the oven for around 20 minutes, or until they are a light golden brown colour.
13. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing the tart rings.
14. Mix the egg wash ingredients together and use a pastry brush to paint this over the entire surface of the tart shells. Place them back into the oven and bake for a further 5-10 minutes, until the tarts are a deep golden brown colour. Set aside to cool.
Lemon Filling
1. Into a medium saucepan, add all of the ingredients for the lemon filling, excluding the butter.
2. Whisk it constantly over a medium heat, until it reaches a temperature of 82-84C (179-183F) on a digital thermometer.
3. Immediately remove it from the heat and pass it through a sieve, into a tall measuring jug.
4. Add in the cold butter and blend until smooth with a hand blender.
5. Pour the mixture onto a baking tray and cover the surface with clingfilm. Refrigerate it for 1-2 hours (or longer) until it is a thicker, more pipeable consistency.
Almond Mirliton
1. Into a small saucepan, add the butter and over a medium heat, until it has melted. Remove it from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk to combine, before pouring in the melted butter and whisking to combine.
3. Cover the surface of the mixture with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour. Meanwhile, set the oven to 160C/320F non-fan assisted (145C fan-assisted).
4. Once it has cooled, pipe the mixture into the tart shells, filling them up just above ¾ full. If you want you can also sprinkle some toasted flaked almonds on.
5. Place the tarts into the centre of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until it is a golden colour on top. Allow to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Assembly
1. Remove the lemon confit from the fridge which should now be a thicker, marmalade like consistency.
2. Pipe a few dollops onto the top of the cooled tart, and spread this to the edges with the back of a spoon. It is quite sharp so you don’t need to overload the tart.
3. Remove the white chocolate namelaka from the fridge and add into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on a medium speed until the mixture holds a medium stiff peak.
4. Add it into a piping bag fitted with a basket weave nozzle.
5. Place the tart into the centre of a rotating cake stand and holding the piping bag at about a 60 degree angle, apply even pressure, then push the nozzle slightly forward to create an initial ruffle of buttercream, before pulling it back to fold the buttercream over itself. Continue this motion in one direction without stopping so the folds connect smoothly, creating an even, continuous ruffle/weave. Because of the type of nozzle it is a little difficult to join the lines up seamlessly, so you just have to neatly pull the piping bag away to create a tail.
6. Remove the lemon filling from the fridge and add this into a piping bag, pipe it into the centre of the tart, filling it just below the rim of the cream.
7. They are now ready to serve.
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Pistachio Marble Travel Cake
TIER 1
Pistachio Marble Travel Cake
The beauty of this cake lies in the pistachio, a flavour that’s hugely popular right now. Two batters, vanilla and pistachio, are gently swirled together to create a stunning natural green, with the added excitement of discovering what the pattern will be when you slice it! The cake is lovely on its own, but can be elevated with a really simple chocolate glaze too (try this one, with pistachios instead of peanuts!).
1
2lb CAKE
Ingredients
Makes 1 2lb cake
Vanilla Sponge
105g Unsalted Butter, Soft
175g Caster/White Sugar
1 Fresh Vanilla Bean or ½ Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
130g Whole Eggs
175g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
6.5g Baking Powder
Pinch of Fine Sea Salt
70g Whole Milk
Pistachio Sponge
120g Whole Eggs
145g Caster/White Sugar
65g Double/Heavy Cream
110g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
Pinch of Fine Sea Salt
5g Baking Powder
130g Pure Pistachio Paste
90g Unsalted Butter to make 50g Brown Butter
Soft Butter To Pipe
Special equipment
2lb loaf tin
Stand mixer (optional)
Piping bags
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 165C/330F Non-fan Assisted (150C Fan). Lightly grease a 2lb/900g loaf tin with butter and coat the sides and base with parchment paper. Set to one side.
2. Start by making the brown butter for the pistachio sponge as this will need some time to cool. Add the unsalted butter into a small saucepan and place it onto a medium heat. Cook the mixture until the butter has melted and begins to smell nutty and caramelised. Immediately remove it from the heat and pour it into a bowl to cool.
3. For the vanilla batter, into the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl if you are using an electric hand mixer, add the soft butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat on a medium speed for 1-2 minutes, with the paddle attachment until it is a smoother consistency, scraping down the bowl as needed.
4. Next, add the eggs in 3-4 additions, slowly incorporating them as the mixer is beating. Once you have added all the eggs, scrape the bowl again.
5. Into a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, and then tip this in a mix on a low speed until there are no more dry ingredients.
6. Finally, add in the milk and mix just until you have a smooth cake batter.
7. Scrape the mixture out of the bowl and into a piping bag and set this to one side.
8. For the pistachio cake batter, add the eggs and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment and beat for 2 minutes on a medium speed. Then, pour in the cream and mix to combine.
9. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Tip this into the bowl and mix just until there are no more dry ingredients.
10. Add in the pistachio paste and mix until it is completely combined.
11. Finally, weigh 50g of brown butter that you made earlier and pour this in, mixing until there are no streaks. Add the cake batter into a piping bag.
12. Pipe alternate lines of the pistachio and vanilla cake batter into the tin, filling it up until you have used all of the batter in the cake bags.
13. Take a skewer, and starting at one end of the cake tin, zig zag this through the batter until you get to the other end, and then drag the skewer vertically, through the centre of the cake.
14. Take a small amount of soft butter and add this into a piping bag. Pipe a thin line down the centre of the cake.
15. Place it into the centre of the oven and bake for around 75 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
16. Once baked, tip it out of the tin onto a wire rack, and immediately wrap it in clingfilm. Refrigerate the cake overnight.
17. The next day, allow the cake to come to room temperature for at least 45 minutes before serving.
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Swedish Semlor Buns
TIER 1
Swedish Semlor Buns
I will admit I’m a bit early to be sharing a semla recipe with you – typically this Swedish treat starts popping up just after Christmas in bakeries. But after a trip to Sweden a few years ago and a bakery tour of eating different Semla, it felt like the perfect month to share my version! It is a soft bun, with an almond filling and topped with a simple mascarpone cream. The bun is spiced with cardamom and vanilla which gives makes it a really fragrant bake. So if you’re a purist, save this one until December, but I won’t tell anyone if you make it early!
12-14
BUNS
Ingredients
Makes 12-14 buns
Tangzhong
80g Whole Milk
20g White Bread Flour
Dough
500g White Bread Flour
9g Fine Sea Salt
12g Fresh Yeast/6g Instant Dry Yeast
255g Whole Milk
50g Double/Heavy Cream
55g Sweetened Condensed Milk
50g Whole Egg
75g Unsalted Butter
7 cardamom pods
½ Fresh Vanilla Pod
Egg Wash
1 Whole Egg
Splash of cream
Almond Filling
400g Almond Paste
40g Ground Almonds
40g Flaked Almonds
3g Ground Cardamom
15g Caster/White Sugar
70g Icing/Powdered Sugar
125g Whole Milk
Mascarpone Cream
600g Double/Heavy Cream
200g Mascarpone
20g Icing/Powdered Sugar
Special equipment
Stand mixer
Digital thermometer
Oil spray (optional)
Piping bags
Star tip nozzle
Method
Tangzhong
1. Into a small saucepan, add the whole milk and bread flour and cook it over a medium heat, whisking until it reaches a thick paste like consistency.
2. Scoop the mixture into a pan and set it aside to cool for 15 minutes.
Dough
1. Take the fresh cardamom pods and crack them open. Pour the seeds into a pestle and mortar and crush them to a fine powder.
2. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cardamom, bread flour, salt and yeast. Split half a vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape the beans into the dry mixture.
3. Add the cooled tangzhong paste and crumble this through with your fingertips. Set the bowl to one side.
4. Add the milk, cream, egg and sweetened condensed milk to a small saucepan. Over a low heat, stir it until it reaches 46-48C/114F-188F and then immediately take it off the heat and pour it over the dry ingredients.
5. Stir the mixture together with a spatula and a plastic dough scraper, until there are no more dry ingredients at the bottom. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
6. Add in the cold cubed butter and with the dough hook, knead for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the sides if needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
7. Remove it from the bowl and shape it into a tight ball on the work surface, before lifting it into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and proof for 1 hour.
8. Remove the proofed dough from the bowl and lift it onto your work surface – no need to flour it.
9. Cut the dough into 75g portions, you should get 12-14.
10. Cup your hand around the dough in a ‘C’ shape and rotate it underneath your fingers and palm, to create a smooth, round ball.
11. Lift each ball onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. You will fit 6 balls per tray. If you have it, spray the balls with an oil spray and cover them with cling film. If not, cover them loosely with a clingfilm. Proof them for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until doubled in size.
12. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 175C/345F non-fan assisted (160C fan assisted).
13. Whisk together the egg wash ingredients and use a pastry brush, to cover the whole bun. Place them into the centre oven (you will likely need to swap the trays halfway through baking). Bake them for around 25 minutes or until golden brown all over.
14. Remove them from the oven and lift them off the tray, straight onto a wire cooling rack. Cool for at least 30 minutes.
Almond Filling
1. Add all of the ingredients except the milk into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on a medium-low speed for 1-2 minutes, until slightly smoother (there will be some chunks of flaked almond).
2. Slowly add the milk until you have a smooth mixture. Add it into a piping bag and set it to one side.
Mascarpone Cream
Note: You’ll want to split this into two batches as the cream isn’t stabilised so if you try and pipe it all in one go, it will go quite grainy by the last few buns.
1. Add all of the ingredients into a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk until you have a medium peak, being very careful not to over whip it.
2. Add the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star tip nozzle.
Assembly
1. Using a knife, cut a triangle out of the top of each bun and set the lids to one side.
2. Pipe the almond cream into the gap, filling it to the top.
3. Pipe the cream in an anti-clockwise spiral motion on top of 6 of the buns.
4. Place the lid on top, pressing down slightly to press the cream outwards.
5. Finish with a dusting of icing/powdered sugar and serve. Whisk the remaining cream ingredients and repeat the process for the final 6 buns.
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Coffee Bean Petit Gateaux
TIER 2
Coffee Bean Petit Gateaux
The showstopper! This style of dessert was made famous by pastry chef Cedric Grolet but no one ever seems to show you how to actually make them! The recipe has quite a few elements to prepare with a coffee cremeux, chocolate financier, recomposed streusel and a chocolate glaze. I’m a coffee snob, so I would always recommend using the freshest coffee you can get for the best flavour. If you don’t have the fancy coffee bean silicon mold, then feel free to freeze it in any small silicon mold you’ve got.
8-10
COFFEE BEANS
Ingredients
Makes 8-10 Coffee Beans
Coffee Cremeux
5g Powdered Gelatin + 30g Water
400g Double Cream
115g Egg Yolks
60g Sugar
1 Vanilla Pod
75g Espresso
1g Freshly Ground Coffee
Small Pinch of Flaky Salt
Chocolate Financier
130g Double Cream
100g Egg Whites
50g Icing Sugar
40g Ground Almonds
40g Plain Flour
4g Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
50g Unsalted Butter
140g Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids)
Coffee Hazelnut Praline
220g Roasted Hazelnuts, Skinned
80g Pecans
12g Whole Coffee Beans
200g Sugar
50g Water
1 Vanilla Pod
Flakey Salt
Streusel
110g Light Brown Sugar
110g Ground Hazelnuts or Almonds
95g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
2g Bicarbonate of Soda
1g Fine Sea Salt
110g Cold Unsalted Butter, Cubed
Recomposed Streusel
215g Streusel
50g Dark Chocolate (70%)
25g Unsalted Butter
70g Coffee Hazelnut Praline
Chocolate Glaze
350g 55% Chocolate
300g Cocoa Butter
30g Neutral Oil
Cocoa Powder to Finish
Special equipment
Digital thermometer
35x25cm baking tray
Food processor
Stand mixer
Piping bag
Coffee bean silicon mold
Method
1. Into a small bowl, add the gelatin and water to a small saucepan and let it bloom for 10 minutes.
2. Into a medium saucepan, add the cream, espresso, coffee grounds and beans from the fresh vanilla pod. Place it over a medium heat until steaming.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until combined.
4. Pour the hot cream over the egg mixture, whisking to combine, then add it back into the saucepan. Place it over a medium heat.
5. Cook to 80-82C on a digital thermometer, then immediately pass it through a sieve, on top of a tall measuring jug.
6. Scoop in the bloomed gelatin and blend till smooth with a hand blender. Sprinkle in a pinch of flaky sea salt and stir it through with a spatula. Pour the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours.
7. For the financier, preheat the oven to 160C/320F non-fan assisted (145C for fan assisted). Lightly grease a 35x25cm baking tray with soft butter and line it with parchment paper – alternatively use a silicon sponge roll mat. Add the chocolate and butter to a medium bowl and melt this over a pan of gently simmering water. Once melted, set it to one side to cool slightly.
8. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, icing sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the ground almonds on top and whisk to combine.
9. Pour the cream and egg whites on top and whisk by hand just until combined and there are no streaks of dry ingredients.
10. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and whisk again to combine.
11. Pour the smooth batter into the lined tray and bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes.
12. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 30 minutes before refrigerating for at least 1 hour. You can also freeze this.
13. For the coffee hazelnut praline, into a medium saucepan, add the sugar and water. Place it on a medium heat, and cook the mixture until it reaches 116C/240F on a digital thermometer.
14. Once at temperature, pour in the hazelnuts, pecans, coffee beans and the beans from a fresh vanilla pod. Stir constantly with a spatula. The mixture will initially look quite clumpy, then the sugar will crystallise, but eventually, as you keep stirring, the sugars will caramelise and you should have a deep golden caramel surrounding the nuts. It will take around 3-5 minutes.
15. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, and tip the caramelised nuts onto a baking tray lined with a silicon mat. Sprinkle some sea salt flakes on top and let it set completely at room temperature for 30 minutes.
16. The praline should then be completely cool and solid to the touch. Break it into pieces and add it into a high-powered food processor. Blend for 3-4 minutes, scraping it down every so often, until you have a smooth, nutty paste. Store in an airtight container.
17. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, add all of the ingredients for the streusel.
18. Mix on a low speed until the butter has broken down and the mixture is sandy in texture.
19. Transfer this to a baking tray, lined with a silicon mat and spread it out. Place it into the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 175C/345F non-fan assisted.
20. Place the chilled mixture into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. After around 15 minutes it should be slightly golden around the edges. Remove it from the oven and stir it all together with a spatula then place it back in the oven to bake until it is an even golden colour.
21. Once baked, allow it to cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
22. For the recomposed streusel, add the chocolate, butter and praline into a bowl and place this over a pan of simmering water. Stir it together until the chocolate and butter have completely melted. Remove it from the heat.
23. Tip in the cooled streusel and stir to combine. Ensure if there are any large pieces of streusel, that you crush them slightly so they are smaller, before adding them in.
24. Pour the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper and place a second sheet on top. Use a rolling pin to roll it relatively thin, then place it into the freezer for 30 minutes.
25. To assemble the dessert, remove the coffee cremeux from the fridge and whisk it to a medium peak in a stand mixer – avoid whipping it too stiff. Add the mixture into a piping bag.
26. If your coffee bean silicon mold has a cutter, use this to cut the out inserts from the recomposed streusel and financier. Sandwich them together with a little bit of cremeux. If you don’t have a cutter, then you can use a sharp knife to cut the required shapes that will fit your coffee bean mold. You can also freeze this dessert in any silicon mold you have!
27. Take the coffee bean silicon mold (or any silicon mold) and pipe the cremeux into the mold, filling it up about ¾ of the way. Use a spatula to press the cremeux to the edges, then place the financier/streusel insert into the cremeux. Top up the mold if needed with cremeux and then smooth the top with a palette knife. Repeat this for all of the molds you have. Place the molds onto a tray and freeze them for at least 12 hours.
28. Once frozen, remove them from the molds then place the desserts back in the freezer on a tray lined with a silicon mat for a further hour.
29. For the glaze, add the chocolate, cocoa butter and oil into a medium bowl. Place this over a pan of gently simmering water and stir it until it is completely melted.
30. The glaze needs to be at 45C/113F when you dip the desserts. Pour the mixture into a small, deep container that is just slightly larger than your dessert.
31. Remove one dessert at a time, and place a knife into the base. Dip the dessert into the so that it is covered right to the edge, then lift it up and hold it at a 45 degree angle until the dripping slows. Then lift it upright until it has set.
32. Dip a pastry brush back into the glaze and quickly brush this all around the bean to ‘rough’ it up slightly.
33. Finally, dust a thin layer of cocoa powder on top of the coffee bean then very quickly and carefully blow torch it to darken the cocoa powder slightly. Lift it onto a small serving dish.
34. Repeat this for all the remaining desserts, and then leave them in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight before serving.
Coffee & Peanut Financier
TIER 1
Coffee & Peanut Financier
I’m a huge fan of “finger” style desserts and the great thing about this recipe is that it builds all the fundamental elements you’ll need to take on tier 2. The financier is almost like a brownie texture with a smooth coffee cremeux and a simple chocolate glaze. Peanut and coffee is a delicious combination but feel free to swap the peanuts with any other nut. The financier also stores really well so you can bake it, wrap it tightly and store it in the fridge for a few days until you need it.
12-14
FINANCIERS
Ingredients
Makes 12-14 Financiers
Coffee Cremeux
5g Powdered Gelatin + 30g Water
400g Double Cream
115g Egg Yolks
60g Sugar
1 Vanilla Pod
75g Espresso
1g Freshly Ground Coffee
Small Pinch of Flaky Salt
Chocolate Peanut Financier
200g Unsalted Butter
560g Dark Chocolate (70%)
160g Plain Flour
200g Icing Sugar
16g Baking Powder
2g Fine Sea Salt
520g Double Cream
400g Egg Whites
160g Ground Peanuts or Almonds
Chopped Peanuts To Garnish
Chocolate Peanut Glaze
300g Dark Chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
30g Neutral Oil
30g Chopped Peanuts
Special equipment
Digital thermometer
Hand blender
13×9” cake tin
Stand mixer
Piping bag
Large round tip nozzle
Method
1. Into a small bowl, add the gelatin and water to a small saucepan and let it bloom for 10 minutes.
2. Into a medium saucepan, add the cream, espresso, coffee grounds and beans from the fresh vanilla pod. Place it over a medium heat until steaming.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until combined.
4. Pour the hot cream over the egg mixture, whisking to combine, then add it back into the saucepan. Place it over a medium heat.
5. Cook to 80-82C on a digital thermometer, then immediately pass it through a sieve, on top of a tall measuring jug.
6. Scoop in the bloomed gelatin and blend till smooth with a hand blender. Sprinkle in a pinch of flaky sea salt and stir it through with a spatula. Pour the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours.
7. For the financier, preheat the oven to 160C/320F non-fan assisted (145C for fan assisted). Lightly grease a 13×9” cake tin with soft butter. Cut a strip of parchment paper long enough to cover the base of the tin and extend up and over two opposite sides, creating “handles.” Press it into the tin so it sticks to the base and sides. Then cover the other sides with two strips of parchment.
8. Add the chocolate and butter to a medium bowl and melt this over a pan of gently simmering water. Once melted, set it to one side to cool slightly.
9. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, icing sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the ground peanuts on top and whisk to combine.
10. Pour the cream and egg whites on top and whisk by hand just until combined and there are no streaks of dry ingredients.
11. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and whisk again to combine.
12. Pour the smooth batter into the lined tray and bake in the oven for 70-75 minutes.
13. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 30 minutes before refrigerating for 1 hour.
14. When the financiers have cooled, use the parchment handles to lift it out of the tin and onto a chopping board. Cut it into 12-14 rectangles, or as small/large as you would like to make them.
15. Remove the coffee cremeux from the fridge and add the mixture into a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on a medium speed until it has thickened to a medium stiff peak. Add the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip nozzle.
16. Pipe long lines of the cremeux along the top of the financier, and then use a slightly warm knife to trim off the ends so they are flush with the edge of the financier.
17. Place some chopped peanuts into the top of the cremeux, then place the financiers into the freezer for 3-6 hours or until they are solid.
18. When they are frozen, prepare the glaze. Add the chocolate and oil into a bowl and place it over a pan of simmering water, stirring until it is melted.
19. Remove it from the heat and stir through the chopped peanuts. The glaze needs to be around 45C/113F when you use it. Pour the mixture into a tall but thin rectangular container. Take the temperature and heat it up if needed or allow it to cool further.
20. Remove the financiers from the freezer and place a knife into the bottom. Dip the financier into the glaze until it is completely covered, then lift it up, allowing the excess to drip off before quickly flipping it over and placing it onto a tray.
21. Repeat this with the remaining financiers.
22. The financiers can be left at room temperature for 30 minutes then served, or stored in the fridge until needed.
Apple Crumble
TIER 1
Apple Crumble
I like to call this my ‘restaurant crumble’ – not quite your simple butter, flour, sugar mixture as this crumble topping has oats, nuts and muscovado sugar. It’s a bit fancy but I love all the textures. The base of an apple crumble is a great apple filling and this is the fundamental thing we are learning here which we take through to Tier 2. It’s rich with spices and has a lovely soft, almost caramel like sauce wrapping around the apples. Serve with custard (and ice cream!).
4
INDIVIDUAL CRUMBLES
Ingredients
Makes 4 Individual Crumbles
Crumble
125g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
85g Unsalted Butter, Cold & Cubed
15g Oats
30g Whole Hazelnuts, Skinned
60g Ground Almonds
40g Muscovado Sugar
Pinch of Flakey Salt
Apple Filling
35g Unsalted Butter
600g Braeburn Apples (About 12 Apples)
55g Dark Muscovado Sugar
10g Caster/White Sugar
14g Cornstarch/Corn flour
½ Tsp Ground Cinnamon
¼ Tsp Ground Ginger
½ Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
Freshly Grated Nutmeg
75-100g water (adjust based on desired consistency)
Lemon Juice
Flakey Sea Salt
Special equipment
Food processor
Ramekins
Method
Apple Filling
1. Peel and core the apples, then cut them into cubes – 1x1cm as a guide.
2. Toss them in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice once chopped, to prevent them from browning.
3. Into a medium saucepan, add the butter and place it over a medium heat.
4. Stir it until the butter begins to brown slightly and smells nutty.
5. Add in the apples, and stir, cooking over a medium heat for 2 minutes.
6. Add in the sugars, and continue to cook for 5 minutes, to release some of the moisture from the apples.
7. Reduce the heat to medium low, and add in the spices, cook for 30 seconds, then add in the cornflour and cook for a minute.
8. Stir in the water, starting with about half, until you have a sauce that is thick and glossy – the consistency of a runny caramel. If you prefer a crumble with a saucier consistency, then you can add more water.
9. Finally, stir through a pinch of flaky sea salt.
10. Pour the mixture onto a baking tray, and cover the surface with clingfilm. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Crumble
1. Into a food processor, add all of the ingredients for the crumble.
2. Pulse the mixture until the butter has broken down into pea size pieces.
3. Tip it out onto a large tray and use your hands to squeeze it together until it clumps up.
4. Then rub it between your hands to form a crumble-like mixture. Spread it evenly across your baking tray.
5. Place the tray in the freezer for 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 175C/345F non-fan assisted.
7. Once the crumble has chilled, bake it in the oven for 12 minutes. No need to stir it, just remove it from the oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes. Leave the oven on.
Assembly
1. Remove the chilled apple filling from the fridge.
2. Take 4 ramekins or individual saucepans (I used small copper pots) and fill them up about ¾ of the way with the apple filling.
3. Take the cooled crumble and scoop it on top, filling it to the top of the ramekin.
4. Place the ramekins on a baking tray and bake for around 25-30 minutes, or until the crumble is a deep golden brown colour.
5. Remove them from the oven and serve immediately with ice cream or custard!
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Raspberry Sachertorte
TIER 2
Raspberry Sacher Torte
This is a new and improved version of my original Sachertorte. It has 2 layers of chocolate financier (which is delicious baked on its own too!), with a layer of raspberry compote in the centre. We then sandwich that in a chocolate mousse which uses a pâte à bombe base. The whole thing is frozen and finished with a shiny chocolate ganache glaze. I’d recommend a good quality hand blender for this glaze, to avoid adding too many air bubbles.
7"
CAKE
Ingredients
Makes 1 7-inch Cake
Chocolate Financier
210g Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids)
75g Unsalted Butter
75g Icing Sugar
60g Ground Almonds
60g Plain Flour
6g Baking Powder
1g Fine Sea Salt
150g Egg Whites (Room Temperature)
195g Double/Heavy Cream
Raspberry Compote
180g Raspberry Puree
40g Caster/White Sugar
3g Pectin Nh
15g Lemon Juice
Chocolate Mousse
90g Egg Yolks
45g Whole Eggs
70g Caster/White Sugar
200g Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids)
(a) 150g Cream (35-48% Fat)
(b) 275g Cream (35-48% Fat)
Chocolate Glaze
200g Dark Chocolate (55% Cocoa Solids), Chopped
240g Cream (35-40% Fat) – Ideally we want a cream that is lower in fat here as it will make the glaze more fluid. I used 39% fat.
40g Soft, Unsalted Butter
20g Raspberry Liqueur (Optional)
Special equipment
9×13” baking tray
6.3”x1.7” (16×4.5cm) ring mold
Stand mixer
Digital thermometer
Hand blender
7″ ring mold
Method
Chocolate Financier
1. Take a 9×13” baking tray, and lightly grease the bottom, lining it with a sheet of parchment paper. Pre-heat the oven to 175C/345F Non-fan assisted.
2. Into a small bowl, add the chocolate and butter and place this over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir until it has completely melted and then set it to one side to cool slightly.
3. Into a medium bowl, add the icing sugar, ground almonds, salt, flour, and baking powder. Whisk these together until they are combined.
4. Pour in the egg whites and whisk again until smooth.
5. Pour in the cream and whisk until smooth.
6. Finally, slowly pour in the chocolate mixture while whisking, until you have a thick chocolate batter.
7. Pour the batter into the lined tray and use an offset spatula to spread it out evenly.
8. Bake for 20 minutes in the oven and then remove and allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, before refrigerating for 2-3 hours – chilling it will make it easier to cut without falling apart!
Raspberry Compote
1. If you don’t have raspberry puree, you can simply blend 180g of fresh raspberries and use that.
2. Pour the raspberry puree into a medium saucepan and place it on a medium low heat.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the sugar and pectin.
4. Once the puree is steaming, whisk in the pectin sugar mixture and keep cooking until it reaches a boil.
5. Remove it from the heat, and whisk in the lemon juice.
6. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover the surface directly with clingfilm. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Assembly Part 1
1. Once the financier has chilled, use a 6.3”x1.7” (16×4.5cm) ring mold to cut two discs. If you don’t have enough space to cut two full discs, you can cut a second disc, and then cut some scraps and press the cake together slightly. Don’t worry too much if you don’t have a ring mold this exact size, you just want something smaller than the ‘main’ 7” ring mold that we are using later. This is the insert layer that gets sandwiched in between the chocolate mousse.
Note – we will need the spare financier scraps later to decorate the cake so set them to one side. When you have a moment, very briefly blend them to a crumb, then get them onto a tray and into the freezer to use later.
2. Lift one of the discs into the bottom of the 6.3” ring mold, which is on a tray lined with a silicon baking mat.
3, Remove the raspberry puree from the fridge and stir it to loosen it.
4. Pour this into the ring mold and spread it to the edges so that you have an even layer.
5. Place the second chocolate sponge on top and gently sandwich it together.
6. Place the ring into the freezer for 2-3 hours or until frozen.
Chocolate Mousse
1. The key to this mousse is ensuring that the temperatures are correct otherwise, it could split or go grainy.
2. Into a medium bowl, add the chocolate and place this over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir this until melted, then turn off the heat, but keep it on the water so it stays warm & fluid.
3. Then, add the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer.
4. Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and whisk by hand until it reaches around 60C/140F on a digital thermometer.
5. Immediately remove the bowl from the heat, place it onto a stand mixer and whisk on a medium speed.
6. Meanwhile, add the cream (a) into a small saucepan and place it over a medium heat, stirring until it is steaming.
7. Remove the cream from the heat and pour it over your melted chocolate, then use a hand blender to emulsify them together.
8. At this point we need to check the temperatures of both ingredients. The chocolate/cream needs to be between 40-50C (104-122F) and the egg yolk mixture needs to be between 20-25C (68-77F) when we combine them. This will ensure they combine properly.
9. If you find one is colder than the other, just gently stir it over a pan of very gently simmering water.
10. Once both components are at temperature, gently fold the egg yolk mixture (which will have thickened) into the chocolate in three parts until smooth. Set this bowl to one side.
11. Into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the remaining cream (b). Whisk this until it forms medium soft peaks, do not overwhip it.
12. Take the soft cream and fold it into the chocolate base in three parts until you have a smooth mousse.
13. Take a 7” ring mold and tightly wrap the bottom with clingfilm (you can line it with acetate if you want – this will just make it slightly easier to demold). Place it onto a tray lined with a baking mat.
14. Scoop a small portion of the chocolate mousse into the ring mold, then remove the raspberry/chocolate insert from the freezer. Pop it out of the ring mold and press it into the chocolate mousse.
15. Top up the rest of the ring mold with the chocolate mousse, using a palette knife to completely smooth the top. You may have a little extra chocolate mousse – get this into some ramekins and chill it to have a nice dessert later!
16. Place the entire dessert into the freezer for a minimum of 6 hours, until frozen solid.
Chocolate Glaze
1. Once the glaze is ready we are going to pour it immediately over the cake so be prepared with the frozen cake nearby and a rack ready to pour it on. It can help to demold the mousse from the ring mold, then place it back in the freezer so when you are ready to glaze you don’t need to faff around getting it out of the mold.
2. Into a tall jug, add the chopped chocolate.
3. Add the cream into a small saucepan, and gently stir it until it is steaming.
4. Immediately remove it from the heat and pour it over the chopped chocolate.
5. Let it sit for a minute, then use a hand blender to blend it until smooth. Really try to avoid adding any air bubbles here.
6. Add in the soft butter and raspberry liqueur (optional) and blend again until smooth.
7. Remove the frozen mousse from the freezer and place it onto a glass, with a tray and wire rack underneath.
8. Pour the glaze evenly over the entire cake.
9. The glaze will set quickly, so once it has stopped dripping, use a knife to just trim away the drips.
10. Remove the blended-up crumbs from the freezer and press these into the bottom of the cake.
11. Then carefully lift it onto your serving plate. You might damage it slightly lifting it up/moving it, so just patch up any bits with more blended crumb!
12. Let it defrost for 2 hours at room temperature, then serve.
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Salted Caramel Cookies
TIER 2
Salted Caramel Cookies
In Tier 2 we step things up by adding a brown sugar streusel and salted caramel to the basic cookie dough recipe. The roasted hazelnuts in the dough add an amazing flavour, and the texture combination of this with the streusel and salted caramel is next level! The salted caramel centre can be swapped out for other fillings too – ganache, lemon cremeux, hazelnut praline etc!
8
COOKIES
Ingredients
Makes 8 Cookies
Hazelnut Sablé
350g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
190g Unsalted Butter, Cold & Cubed
120g Icing/Powdered Sugar
45g Ground Hazelnuts (or Almonds)
1g Fine Sea Salt
65g Whole Eggs
Streusel
60g Cold Unsalted Butter, Cubed
60g Light Brown Sugar
75g Ground Almonds/Hazelnuts
60g Plain/All Purpose Flour
Pinch of Sea Salt
Zest ¼ Lemon
Salted Caramel
175g Double/Heavy Cream
45g Whole Milk
135g Liquid Glucose Syrup, Divided
80g Caster/White Sugar
2g Flakey Sea Salt
60g Unsalted Butter
Special equipment
78mm Tart Ting
50mm Cookie Cutter
Stand mixer
Rolling pin
Silcon mats (optional)
Piping bags (optional)
Method
Salted Caramel
1. In a medium saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, combine the milk, heavy cream, and 45 grams of corn/glucose syrup. Bring to a gentle simmer, whisking the mixture to ensure the syrup has fully dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat but ensure the mixture stays warm.
2. In a medium saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, combine the superfine/caster sugar and the remaining 45 grams of glucose sugar. Cook until the mixture turns a deep caramel colour, whisking slowly to help disperse the sugar.
3. Once golden, immediately pour in the hot cream mixture, being very careful as it will bubble up violently. Whisk the mixture and cook for 1 minute.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture through a sieve and into a large bowl. Let the mixture cool for 2 minutes. Add the sea salt flakes and butter. Blend or whisk until smooth.
5. Pour the mixture into a container and leave at room temperature.
Streusel
1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, add all of the ingredients.
2. Mix on a low speed until the butter has broken down and the mixture is sandy in texture. This will take a few
3. Transfer this to a baking tray and place it into the freezer while you make the sablé.
Hazelnut Sablé
1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, add all of the ingredients except the egg.
2. Pour in the whole egg and mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then stop the mixer and use your hands to squeeze the dough together to form a dough.
3. Place the dough in between two silicon mats or pieces of parchment paper, and using a rolling pin, roll it to around 7mm/0.25” thick.
4. Place this in the freezer for 20 minutes.
5. Once chilled, work quickly and use the 78mm tart ring to cut out discs, then cut the middle of the dough out with a 50mm cookie cutter to leave you with donut shape. Place these onto a tray lined with parchment paper, ensuring you keep the tart rings around the outside of the dough. Place these back into the freezer for 15 minutes, meanwhile preheat your oven to 160C/320F Non-fan assisted.
6. Place the dough into the oven and bake for 12 minutes – it should turn a very light golden colour.
7. Once baked, let them cool for a few minutes before pressing the sables out of the tart ring and letting them cool completely.
8. Use the same tart ring and place it back onto the baking tray. Add a few tablespoons of the chilled streusel and press it down with the back of a spoon so you have an even layer.
9. Take the chilled hazelnut sablé and press this on top of the streusel, it should fit snugly into the tart ring. You need to make sure the sablé is touching the streusel. (If you find it won’t touch – when it is baking, it will soften, so after a few minutes you can press it down while it is in the oven).
10. Place the cookies into the oven and bake for around 20 minutes, or until they are a golden colour.
11. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before pressing them out of the tart rings.
12. Ensure the caramel is a soft, almost runny honey-like texture, and pipe this into the centre of the biscuits. The caramel will be soft and runny if served immediately but will thicken the longer they sit at room temperature.
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Raspberry Jam Frangipane Tart
TIER 2
Raspberry Jam Frangipane Tart
In this recipe we take our homemade raspberry jam from tier 1 and spread it on a Páte Brisée pastry case. Then we fill it with an almond frangipane and delicately decorate it with a pattern of flaked almonds. I usually fill my desserts with almond cream instead of frangipane, but the addition of pastry cream really improves the texture and adds even more flavour to the dessert.
1
9-INCH TART
Ingredients
Makes 1 9-inch Tart
Pâte Brisée
200g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
100g Unsalted Butter, Cold & Cubed
50g Cold Water
3g Sea Salt
Pastry Cream
250g Whole Milk
½ Fresh Vanilla Bean Pod
35g Caster/White sugar
60g Egg Yolks
20g Cornstarch/Cornflour
2g Fine Sea Salt
20g Cold Unsalted Butter
Frangipane
165g Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
165g Caster/White Sugar
Zest ½ Lemon
130g Whole Egg, Lightly Whisked Together
165g Ground Almonds/Almond Flour
2g Sea Salt
85g Pastry Cream, Cooled
To Fill & Finish
Raspberry Jam (Tier 1)
Flaked Almonds
Fresh Raspberries
Icing/Powdered Sugar
Special equipment
Stand mixer
Silicon mats
9-inch fluted tart ring
Baking beans
Piping bag
Method
Pâte Brisée
1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, flour and salt. Mix on a low speed until the butter has completely broken down into fine crumbs and there are no large chunks of butter.
2. Slowly drizzle in the cold water and mix for a few seconds until it pulls together into a dough.
3. Gently knead the dough into a disc on your work surface and wrap it in clingfilm, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, place it in between two silicon mats (or two sheets of parchment paper), and roll the dough into a rough disc that is around 3-5mm thick.
5. Refrigerate the pastry again for 1 hour and preheat the oven to 180C/355F Non-fan Assisted. This is a good point to prepare your pastry cream.
6. Peel the silicon mats/parchment paper off the pastry and ensure the dough is cold but flexible. If it is too cold it will break so just leave it for a few minutes to soften slightly if needed.
7. Lift the pastry into a 22.5cm fluted tart ring and use your hands to gently press it into the edges. Work quickly, being careful not to tear the pastry.
8. Use a knife to trim the excess pastry off and place the tart shell back into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
9. Scrunch up a piece of baking paper and press this into the chilled tart shell. Fill the tart shell with baking beans or rice and then place it on a tray and straight into the oven to bake.
10. Bake the tart for 30 minutes, then remove the baking beans, and continue to bake for a further 10-15 minutes, or until the pastry is an even golden brown colour.
11. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 30 minutes.
Pastry Cream
1. In a medium saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, add the milk and the scraped vanilla pod just until it is steaming.
2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt until smooth and thickened.
3. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture over the sugar and eggs mixture, whisking constantly.
4. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Whisk constantly over medium heat until it begins to bubble, then cook for 1 minute.
5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pass the mixture through a sieve placed over a large bowl.
6. Whisk in the butter until the mixture is smooth. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate it for an hour.
Frangipane
1. Into a stand mixer, add the soft butter, salt, lemon zest and sugar. Beat for 2-3 minutes on a medium-low speed until slightly thicker and paler in texture.
2. Slowly drizzle in the eggs and beat for a further minute.
3. Finally, add in the ground almonds/almond flour and scoop in the required amount of cooled pastry cream. Beat until smooth.
4. Add the mixture into a piping bag.
Assembly & Baking
1. Lower the oven temperature to 175C/345F Non-Fan Assisted.
2. Take the raspberry jam and spread a few tablespoons across the bottom of the cooled pastry. Make sure it is nice and even.
3. Next, pipe the frangipane evenly into the tart shell. Use a palette knife if needed to smooth it out.
4. Slice your fresh raspberries in half and press them gently into the frangipane.
5. Next, take your time, and evenly place the flaked almonds around the entire tart in a nice circular pattern. This is optional, you can simply sprinkle them on!
6. Place it into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until it is an even golden colour all over.
7. Remove it from the oven, and at this point this filling will still be slightly soft, so let it cool for an hour at room temperature before serving.
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Latticed Pistachio Mille-Feuille
TIER 2
Latticed Pistachio Mille-Feuille
You guys know I love a Mille Feuille, and this filling combination has to be my favourite yet. It’s the same rough puff pastry recipe as Tier 1 (I don’t cover this again in the video for Tier 2), but we walk through how to bake it into the perfect Mille Feuille shape. Then we make a raspberry cremeux and a pistachio cremeux to fill it with, alongside a tangy raspberry coulis. The lattice top is optional, but creates a real show stopping design!
1
LARGE MILLE FEUILLE
Ingredients
Makes 1 Large Mille-Feuille
Rough Puff Pastry
250g Plain/All-Purpose Flour
5g Fine Sea Salt
120g Ice Cold Water
5g White Vinegar
200g Unsalted Butter, Very Cold & Cubed
Basic Cremeux
400g Double Cream
115g Egg Yolks
60g Caster Sugar
5g Powdered Gelatin (200-250 Bloom) + 30g Cold Water
Pistachio Cremeux
240g Basic Cremeux
40g Pistachio Paste
Raspberry Cremeux
240g Basic Cremeux
100g Raspberry Puree
Raspberry Coulis
2g Powdered Gelatin (200-250 Bloom)
12g Cold Water
105g Raspberry Puree
105g Frozen Raspberries
5g Pectin NH
20g Caster Sugar
Icing Sugar To Decorate
Special equipment
Stand mixer
Rolling pin
Digital thermometer
Hand blender
Digital calipers (optional)
Lattice pie cutter
Silicon mats
Baking trays
Piping bags
Method
Rough Puff Pastry
1. Pour the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer along with the salt.
2. Pour in the cold water and vinegar.
3. Tip the cubed butter into the centre, then with the paddle attachment, mix on a low speed, just until the dry bits of flour have been absorbed. This should only take 15-20 seconds. The lumps of butter will still be there!
4. Scoop the mixture out of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a long rectangle. You need to work quickly here especially if it is a warm day as the butter will start to soften too much.
5. Once you’ve rolled it out, you might need to use a lightly floured bench scraper to loosen it from the work surface.
6. Perform a single turn, by folding one-third of the dough up on itself, and then folding the remaining third of dough over the top as seen in the PDF.
7. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill it. If it is a warm day, I prefer to do 10 minutes in the freezer then 15 minutes in the fridge. But on a ‘normal day’, 20 minutes in the fridge will be enough.
8. Unwrap the dough and with the open seam facing you, turn the dough 90 degrees so it is now adjacent to you. Roll the dough slightly to give it a little bit of width, then rotate it 90 degrees again so the open seam is facing you again. Roll the dough into a long rectangle again, flouring as needed to ensure it doesn’t stick.
9. Use a bench scraper to get underneath the dough if it feels like it is sticking, then perform a double turn, by folding ¼ of the dough up on itself, then the remaining ¾ of the dough to meet. Fold the dough in half, then wrap in cling film to chill again.
10. Repeat steps 9&10, 2 more times (performing two more double turns) and chill the dough.
11. Unwrap the dough again, and roll it out, performing one final single turn (as seen in step 7). In total you will have done 1x single turn, 3x double turn, 1 x single turn. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours (or overnight).
Basic Cremeux/Pistachio Cremeux/Raspberry Cremeux
1. Add the pistachio paste and raspberry puree into two separate bowls and set these to one side.
*Note – Pistachio Paste is quite expensive so you can make it yourself. Just toast shelled pistachios in the oven for about 15 minutes at 170C/340F and then process them in а food processor. You will need to do this with about 300g of Pistachios or it won’t be enough for the blades of your food processor to pick up. It will take some time to blend them and you need a high powered food processor!
2. Add the powdered gelatin into a small dish and pour over the cold water. Allow this to bloom for 10 minutes. Once bloomed, scoop this into a large bowl with a sieve placed over the top.
3. Into a medium bowl, add the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk briefly to combine.
4. Add a splash of the cream just to prevent any lumps and whisk to combine.
5. Pour the entire mixture into a medium saucepan along with the cream. Place the pan on a medium heat and whisk constantly, The mixture needs to reach 80-82C. As you continue to cook it, you will see it thicken in the pan, just be really careful not to scramble the eggs.
6. Once at temperature, immediately remove it from the heat and pour it through the sieve over the gelatin. Some of the egg might have caught on the bottom of the pan but don’t panic!
7. Use a hand blender to blend the mixture to ensure the gelatin has completely incorporated.
8. The mixture should weigh around 480-500g so we’re going to split this equally between the two bowls.
9. Pour around 240g of the mixture over the pistachio paste and blend it with a hand blender to completely emulsify it. Cover the surface with cling film and refrigerate overnight (minimum of 6 hours)
10. For the raspberry, let the basic cremeux cool to around 40C/104F before pouring it over the puree. Blend with a hand blender to completely emulsify it. Cover the surface with cling film and refrigerate overnight (minimum of 6 hours)
Raspberry Coulis
1. Add the powdered gelatin into a small dish and pour over the cold water. Allow this to bloom for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the sugar and pectin and set this to one side.
3. Add the frozen raspberries (they can be fresh too) and raspberry puree to a small saucepan.
4. Cook them down until they reach around 40C/104F on a digital thermometer, then add in the sugar/pectin mixture. Continue to cook the mixture until it reaches a boil.
5. Remove the pan from the heat, scoop in the bloomed gelatin and stir it to dissolve it into the raspberry mixture.
6. Pour this into a bowl and cover the surface with clingfilm. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1-2 hours.
Assembly
1. Remove the chilled puff pastry from the fridge and place it onto a floured work surface.
2. With the open seam facing you, turn the dough 90 degrees so it is now adjacent to you. Roll the dough slightly to give it a little bit of width, then rotate it 90 degrees again so the open seam is facing you again. Roll the dough into a rectangle, flouring as needed to ensure it doesn’t stick.
3. We are going to bake this on a baking tray, so we just need to ensure the rectangle we roll isn’t bigger than the tray. We are more concerned about the thickness. It needs to be around 7.5” tall and 0.2”/5mm thick.
4. Once you are at that thickness, you can use a pastry wheel or a knife, to trim the rectangle of pastry down so it fits perfectly on your tray.
5. Lift the dough onto a silicon mat and refrigerate it for 20 minutes.
6. Once chilled, cutting vertically, cut off ⅓ of the rectangle, leaving the remaining ⅔ intact.
7. Work quickly here so the dough stays cold (if not, chill it again. This part will be a disaster if the dough is too warm!), use a lattice pastry wheel cutter or a lattice cutter and cut the ⅓ of dough to create the lattice design.
8. Get both the latticed strip of dough, and the other strip of dough into the fridge for another 20 minutes while you pre-heat the oven to 175C/345F non-fan assisted.
9. Once it has chilled. Remove it from the fridge and place a second silicon mat on top, along with another tray and some extra weight! We need to weigh the top tray down as much as possible to stop the pastry from puffing up. I like to use more baking trays!
10. Place the tray of pastry into the oven on the middle shelf and bake it for 60 minutes.
11. After 60 minutes remove all the trays on top, and the pastry should be a light golden colour (if not place the trays back on and bake it for a little longer)
12. Place it back into the oven, uncovered, and bake until it is golden brown.
13. Remove it from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 220C/430F.
14. Dust the puff pastry liberally with icing/powdered sugar and then place it back in the oven, closer to the top shelf this time.
15. Keep a very close eye on it and bake it until the sugar has caramelised and the pastry is a deep, shiny golden colour. Be really careful not to burn it. It can take anywhere from 2-5 minutes.
16. You will find the lattice probably caramelises quicker than the other piece of pastry so you can remove this early.
17. Get both onto a wire cooling rack to cool for 15 minutes.
18. Using a serrated knife trim down the latticed piece of pastry into a neat rectangle. Then cut the other piece of pastry into two, and then trim each of those pieces down so they match the exact size of the lattice pastry.
Final Assembly
1. Add the chilled raspberry coulis into a tall jug, and with a hand blender, blend it to a smooth mixture. Add this into a piping bag and set it to one side.
2. Whisk both the raspberry and pistachio cremeux using a stand mixer until they are thick and hold a stiff peak. The pistachio cremeux will whisk up thicker than the raspberry cremeux, so don’t worry if the raspberry is slightly softer.
3. Add these into separate piping bags fitted with large round tip piping nozzles.
4. Pipe three lines of the pistachio cremeux onto the base of the plain, non latticed pieces of puff pastry. There should be one line on each outer edge and one in the centre. It’s important the pistachio is on the outside to provide support, as the raspberry cremeux would be too soft to support the weight of the layers.
5. Pipe the raspberry cremeux into the gaps and then pipe 2 lines of raspberry coulis on top.
6. Dust icing sugar diagonally across the top of the latticed pastry, using a flat object to cover one side of the pastry.
7. Carefully stack and assemble the mille-feuille, finishing the latticed piece on top. It is now ready to serve. If you need to serve it later, ensure you keep it refrigerated so the cremeux doesn’t soften too much at room temperature.
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Chocolate Praline Mousse Cakes
TIER 2
Chocolate Praline Mousse Cakes
In Tier 2 we add two extra elements to really level up the cake – a hazelnut praline filling and a cocoa gavotte decoration. I’ve turned these into individual plated desserts by using smaller ring moulds, but you can make one large mousse cake if you’d prefer. I’ve adjusted the mousse recipe slightly here and only used 70% cocoa solids, but if you prefer a sweeter flavour then follow the same 50/50 split as Tier 1.
5
7CM MOUSSE CAKES
Ingredients
Makes 5 7cm Mousse Cakes
Hazelnut Praline
165g Caster Sugar
50g Water
250g Whole Roasted Hazelnuts, Without Skins
Pinch of Flaked Sea Salt
Chocolate Sponge
40g Egg Yolks
10g Caster Sugar (A)
30g Caster Sugar (B)
75g Egg Whites
20g Plain Flour
12g Cocoa Powder
25g Vegetable Oil
15g Whole Milk
Chocolate Mousse
130g Whole Milk
10g Honey
175g Chocolate (70% Cocoa Solids), Finely Chopped
220g Double/Heavy Cream
Pinch Sea Salt Flakes
Cocoa Gavotte
150g Water
15g Unsalted Butter
1g Salt
11g Plain Flour
30g Icing/Powdered Sugar
3g Cornstarch/Cornflour
35g Egg Whites
4g Cocoa Powder
Special equipment
Digital thermometer
Hand blender
Silicon mat
Food processor
Electric whisk
Small baking tray (16cm x 26cm)
5 7cm mousse rings (3.5cm high)
Heat gun/Blow torch
Method
Hazelnut Praline
1. Into a medium saucepan, add the sugar & water. Place it on a medium heat, and cook the mixture until it reaches 110C/230F on a digital thermometer.
2. Once at 110C/230F, pour in the hazelnuts. Stir constantly with a spatula. The mixture will initially look quite clumpy, then the sugar will crystallise, but eventually, as you keep stirring, the sugars will caramelise and you should have a deep golden caramel surrounding the nuts. It will take 3-5 minutes.
3. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, and tip the caramelised nuts onto a baking tray lined with a silicon mat. Sprinkle some sea salt flakes on top and let it set completely at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. The praline should then be completely cool and solid to the touch. Break it into pieces and add it into a high-powered food processor. Blend for 3-4 minutes, scraping it down every so often, until you have a smooth, nutty paste. Store in an airtight container.
Chocolate Sponge
1. Preheat the oven to 180C Non-Fan Assisted (160C Fan Assisted) and then lightly grease a small baking tray (this recipe uses a cm x cm baking tray). Cut a rectangle of parchment paper so that it fits neatly inside the tray, and press it in firmly with your hands.
2. Into a medium bowl, add the egg yolks, and sugar (A). Whisk the mixture with an electric hand mixer until it is thicker in volume and pale in colour. About 1-2 minutes. Set this to one side.
3. Into a medium bowl, add the egg whites and using an electric hand whisk, whisk on a medium-low speed. Once the mixture is frothy, increase the speed to medium and slowly add the sugar (B), about 1 tablespoon at a time. Whisk until you have a medium-stiff peak to the meringue.
4. Pour the egg yolk mixture on top of the meringue and gently fold it through using a spatula until well combined.
5. Next, sift in the plain flour & cocoa powder, and fold it in carefully until it is fully incorporated.
6. Finally, pour in the vegetable oil and whole milk. Use a spatula to fold this in, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl.
7. Pour the batter onto the lined tray, and then using a spatula, spread the batter out evenly. Try to ensure the batter is relatively even.
8. Bake the sponge for 10-12 minutes, until dry to the touch, then allow it to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Chocolate Mousse
1. Into a small saucepan, add the milk and honey and place it onto a medium low heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, add the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl.
3. Once the milk is simmering and the honey has dissolved, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes.
4. Then, use a hand blender to blend until smooth and set it to one side.
5. Into a medium bowl, add the cream and use an electric hand whisk to whisk it to a medium-soft peak.
6. Then, whisk the cream through the chocolate mixture in three parts until smooth. It’s important to whisk it through, as if you try to fold it, the cream will not incorporate properly and remain lumpy.
7. Lastly, fold in the salt.
Assembly
1. Take your cooled sponge and tip it out onto a silicon mat/piece of parchment paper.
2. Use one of your mousse rings to cut 5 circles out of the chocolate sponge and place them inside of your mousse rings. Gently push the sponge to the sides of the mousse rings to make sure there are no gaps.
3. Next, add a dollop of hazelnut praline to the centre of each sponge (I like to use a piping bag). You want it to cover about ⅔ of the sponge, not go all the way to the sides.
4. Then, add the chocolate mousse until it reaches the top of the mousse ring (again, I like to use a piping bag).
5. If your mousse is slightly thicker then use a palette knife to press the mousse to the edges and ensure there are no gaps. Then, heat your palette knife in some hot water, dry it with a tea towel and smooth the top of your mousse rings to ensure a nice even finish.
6. Place the cakes in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours until set and ready to serve.
Cocoa Gavotte
1. Into a medium saucepan, add the water, salt & butter. Place it over a medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, into a medium bowl, add all of the remaining ingredients and whisk them together till smooth.
3. Once the water is boiling, slowly pour it over the bowl of ingredients, whisking constantly to ensure that the mixture is tempered.
4. Once you’ve added all the water, pour the mixture back into the pan, and whisk constantly over a medium heat until it thickens to a custard-like consistency.
5. Place a sheet of cling film over a small baking tray and pour your gavotte mixture on top. Place another sheet of cling film over the top and refrigerate it for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 175C/345F.
7. Onto a tray lined with a silicon mat, take a dollop of the gavotte mixture and create a line of it at the top of your tray. Do the same about half way down your tray. Then, using a palette knife, spread it nice and thin. It needs to be thin (almost opaque) otherwise the texture won’t be correct.
8. Place it into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until crispy (the top might be slightly cracked).
9. Repeat this with a second tray of mixture.
10. Once baked, allow them to cool for 5 minutes, then snap them into shards ready to decorate. It is best to make these fresh as they will soften the longer they are left. If you make them ahead of time, you can place them back into the oven for 2-3 minutes, to crisp up again.
11. When ready to serve, remove your mousse cakes from the fridge and use a heat gun/blow torch to gently warm the sides of your mousses and lift off the cake rings.
12. Place your chocolate gavotte shards on top/around the sides of your mousses in whatever design you would like!
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Brown Butter and Hazelnut Financier
TIER 2
Brown Butter and Hazelnut Financier
Now you’ve learnt the basics of a financier from Tier 1, this recipe advances your skills by making a brown butter, swapping out ground almonds for blended hazelnuts, and practising your piping with a grass tip nozzle. It’s a beautifully light and airy cake, and the extra effort comes across in the incredible flavours. It’s a little untraditional doing a financier in a loaf cake, but it works for me!
MAKES 1 LOAF CAKE
Ingredients
Makes 1 1lb Loaf Cake
For the chocolate chantilly
90g 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped
200g heavy/double cream
10g honey
For the financier
75g whole hazelnuts, skin on, plus more to decorate
145g unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
155g egg whites
3g orange zest
1⁄2 fresh vanilla bean pod or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
155g powdered/icing sugar
75g self-rising/raising flour, plus more
Special equipment
Hand blender
Blender
1 lb (450g) loaf pan
Baking tray/sheet
2 piping bags, plus 1 large grass tip nozzle
Method
1. To make the dark chocolate chantilly, add the chocolate to a tall measuring jug.
2. In a small saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, combine the cream and
honey. Stir occasionally until hot but not boiling, then immediately remove the
saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture over the chocolate.
3. Allow the cream to sit for 2 minutes before using a hand blender to blend until
smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 320°F/160°C. Grease a 1lb (450g) loaf pan with butter. Sprinkle
flour in the pan and shake the pan to coat with flour. Tap the pan to remove any
excess flour.
5. To make the financier, spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Place the sheet in the
oven and roast the hazelnuts for 8 to 12 minutes or until the skins start to burst.
6. Remove the tray from the oven and let them cool slightly, before peeling off the skins
(save these for decoration). Don’t worry if there are still a few skins remaining as this
will give the cake batter a nice color. Place the skinned hazelnuts back into the oven
for 5 minutes, or until they are a golden colour.
7. Remove the tray from the oven and allow the hazelnuts to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Add them to a blender and blend them into a fine powder. Set aside.
8. In a small saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the
butter has melted, it will begin to roar quite violently, then big bubbles will form in the
pan. After this, the bubbles will become much smaller and the pan will go very quiet.
At this point, you’re looking for a caramelized, nutty aroma coming from the pan. This
should take around 3 to 4 minutes.
9. Remove the saucepan from the heat and measure out 115 grams. Allow the butter to
cool for 5 minutes.
10. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites for 30 seconds or until they become
frothy.
11. Add the ground hazelnuts, orange zest, and vanilla. Sift the powdered/icing sugar
into the bowl. Whisk briefly until everything has been combined.
12. Sift the self-rising flour into the bowl. Briefly mix again to ensure the dry ingredients
have been incorporated.
13. Whisk in the cooled brown butter. It might not incorporate right away, so keep
whisking until it does. Pour the cake batter into the greased pan.
14. Add some softened butter to a piping bag. Cut a very small hole at the end of the bag
and pipe a thin line of butter down the center of the batter.
15. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 60 minutes. It should have a nice golden color
on top and a skewer inserted into the center should come out clean.
16. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow the cake to cool for 1 to 2 hours.
17. Remove the dark chocolate chantilly from the fridge and very briefly stir by hand just
until it is smooth. Be careful not to over-work it. Add the chantilly to a piping bag
fitted with a large grass tip nozzle.
18. Pipe long lines of the chantilly across the top of the cake, overlapping them slightly.
19. Finish by decorating the cake with some slightly roasted hazelnut halves, and
hazelnut skins.
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Blueberry & Almond Financiers
TIER 1
Blueberry & Almond Financiers
This recipe teaches you the foundations of Financiers and is absolutely foolproof. You can whip them up in 45 minutes and serve them straight out of the oven. I’ve used an oval mould, but you can make them in a cupcake tin, or even a classic financier tin. You can also try swapping in different berries depending on what you have – I think raspberries would work well!
8-9
FINANCIERS
Ingredients
Makes 8-9 Financiers
140g unsalted butter
185g egg whites
90g ground almonds
185g powdered/icing sugar
90g self-rising/self-raising flour
2g lemon zest
1⁄2 fresh vanilla bean pod or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
125g blueberries
lightly toasted flaked almonds, for topping
Special equipment
Oval silicone/metal mold pan
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 320°F/160°C.
2. In a small saucepan on the stovetop over low heat, melt the butter. Remove the
saucepan from the heat and allow the butter to cool for 5 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites for 30 seconds or until frothy.
4. Add the ground almonds, powdered/icing sugar and lemon zest. Cut the vanilla bean
lengthways and using the knife to scrape out half of the beans, add these into the
bowl. Whisk until combined.
5. Place a sieve over the medium bowl and sift in the flour. Whisk until the flour has just
been absorbed, about 30 seconds.
6. Add the melted butter and whisk until there are no more streaks of butter.
7. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.
8. Pour the batter into the cups of an oval silicone/metal mold pan (or the cups of a
cupcake pan/tin) and fill the cups about three-fourths full. Sprinkle a few flaked
almonds over the top of each cup.
9. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25 or 30 minutes or until the financiers have a
nice golden colour.
10. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the financiers to cool for 5 minutes before
removing them from the pan. Serve while still warm or allow them to cool completely
and then serve later.
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Hazelnut Truffle
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Snickers
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Roasted Hazelnut Tablet
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Orange Blossom Paris Brest
We would love to see your Bake It Better creations!
Show off your skills by sharing your desserts
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Yuzu Petit Choux
We would love to see your Bake It Better creations!
Show off your skills by sharing your desserts
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Pistachio & Raspberry Cookies
We would love to see your Bake It Better creations!
Show off your skills by sharing your desserts
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
We would love to see your Bake It Better creations!
Show off your skills by sharing your desserts
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Strawberry Shortcake
We would love to see your Bake It Better creations!
Show off your skills by sharing your desserts
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Golden Gianduja Tart
We would love to see your Bake It Better creations!
Show off your skills by sharing your desserts
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Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
We would love to see your Bake It Better creations!
Show off your skills by sharing your desserts
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Chocolate Mousse Gateaux
We would love to see your Bake It Better creations!
Show off your skills by sharing your desserts
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Pistachio Cake
We would love to see your Bake It Better creations!
Show off your skills by sharing your desserts
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Almond & Orange Cake
We would love to see your Bake It Better creations!
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Chocolate Praline Finger Cake
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Chocolate Praline Bon Bons
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Chocolate Hazelnut Finger
We would love to see your Bake It Better creations!
Show off your skills by sharing your desserts
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Chocolate & Hazelnut Praline Tart
We would love to see your Bake It Better creations!
Show off your skills by sharing your desserts
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Frangipane Tart
We would love to see your Bake It Better creations!
Show off your skills by sharing your desserts
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