BISCUIT JOCONDE IMPRIME/ENTREMET - MOCHA BAVARIAN CREAM GATEAU

This time I knew I had to do the DB challenge not because it was a cake, but it was something which I had been planning to do this month,otherwise. Then when the DB challenge was announced, I was so thrilled that I almost bounced off the walls. I love trying different techniques, different filling ...basically anything different,everytime! I had written down the recipe for a ribbon strip from the Le Cordon book of Baking and used to show it to Jobin saying this was something I always wanted to try.A Joconde Imprime is a decorative design baked into a light nut-sponge cake providing an elegant finish to desserts/tortes/entremets formed in ring molds.

The first time I ever saw that strip was on a Sweet Chariot's Chocolate Mousse Cake which was almost 8 years ago and my hunt for that 'strip' recipe started right then and it ended in December '10! I had asked many people on how to bake it and I got various answers which included 'spray painting' a sponge sheet cake! I thought, maybe that was it and I have no measures to spray paint a cake at home, so forget it! But I didn't forget it. I hunted our local library for books which could give me some hint to it and I finally found one...and I made up my mind that I am not letting that book go!

The January 2011 Daring Bakers Challenge was hsoted by Asteroshe of the blog Accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremet dessert.

BISCUIT JOCONDE IMPRIME /ENTREMET - MOCHA BAVARIAN CREAM GATEAU
Recipe for the Cigarette Batter & Joconde -Pastry & Sports
Recipe for the Chocolate Genoise - from here
Recipe for the Mocha Bavarian Cream -Le Cordon Book of Professional Baking by Wayne Gisslen, pg: 534

Ingredients:
For the Cigarette batter:
30g softened unsalted butter
30g powdered sugar
1 egg white
20g flour
6g cocoa powder

For the Joconde:
75g ground almonds
75g powdered sugar
20g flour
2 whole eggs
30g melted butter
2 egg whites
12g sugar

For the Chocolate Genoise:
Look here.

For the Mocha Bavarian Cream: (I made 1/2 portion)
22g powdered gelatin
150ml cold water

3-4 large egg yolks
125g granulated sugar
500ml milk
8ml vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee powder

500 ml heavy cream/Amul cream


For Chocolate Ganache:
125g semisweet chocolate/dark chocolate
125 g heavy cream/ Amul cream

Method:
For the Cigarette batter:
Beat the sugar and softened butter together till fluffy.
Beat in the egg white and add flour and cocoa to it.Mix well.
Spread this batter on a parchement paper and make designs on it using your fingers/forks/pastry combs etc.
Freeze this for 15 mins. DO NOT skip this.

For Joconde:
Beat the egg whites stiff by adding the sugar (granulated) towards the end. Reserve.
Beat almonds,sugar,flour,whole eggs together till fluffy and add the melted butter.
Fold in the egg whites carefully and pour this batter over the frozen cigarette batter.
Spread it to an even 1/4" thickness.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 475F/250C for 7 minutes. The cake should spring back when touched lightly.
Let it cool for 5 mins and then carefully transfer it onto a chopping board and trim as needed to fit your moulds.

For Chocolate Genoise:
Look here 

For Mocha Bavarian Cream:
Soak the gelatin in cold water and let it bloom for 5-6 minutes.
Whip the yolks and sugar until light and thick.
Scald milk and slowly add it into the egg mixture,beating constantly.
Cook this mixture over a water bath until it thickens slightly.
Add vanilla extract and coffee powder and mix well to dissolve.
Melt the gelatin and add into the egg mixture.
Let it cool over ice or in the fridge till half set, making sure to stir in every now and then to keep the mixture smooth.
Whip cream to soft peaks,DO NOT over whip.
When the egg custard has thickened, and not yet set, fold in the cream.
Pour in between the cake layers (as mentioned in the 'assembly' below).

For Chocolate Ganache:
Chop the chocolate into small bits and reserve in a stainless steel /glass bowl.
Bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate.
Let it sit for 5 mins. Stir till it is smooth. It will be loose now, you can leave it in the fridge for 10 mins to get it slightly thickened.
Pour over the cake and smoothen it with an offset spatula.

Assembly:
1.Make a soaking syrup: Make a soaking syrup by dissolving 1cup granulated sugar in 1cup warm water. Add 1 tbsp of rum to it, if you wish to. I added it because I like the combination of rum and coffee.

2.Split the Chocolate genoise into 3, horizontally.

3.Cut the joconde into the size of the springform pan (diameter) to fit snuggly. There should be no gaps.

4.Place a layer of genoise at the bottom and soak it generously with 1/4 c of soaking syrup. Top it with half of the bavarian cream. Repeat. The last layer should be the genoise.

5.Top it with chocolate ganache and level it using a spatula, preferably offset.

6.Wrap the whole assembly with a cling film and let it set in the refigerator for 2 hours.

7.Decorate the top of the cake as you need and serve chilled.

This cake lasts really long, we had it for over a week! :)

Verdict:
I made this cake in one go and it took me 4 hours. I wanted to finish it by the time Jobin got back home from work, so that I could surprise him and indeed he was surprised! ' Mmmm...no one would believe that it's made at home!' was his comment as soon as he took a bite of it.That was enough to keep me going for another week! :-D

It was a very very delicious cake! We couldn't help but dig into each other's plate for an extra bite. The filling was a breeze to make and it was very tasty! The Joconde Imprime gave the cake a very professional finish.

This is one of the best gateau's I have made till date! It is definately a lenghty recipe,but it's really easy to make.If you plan ahead,unlike me, you can make the cake on the previous day, wrap it well and leave it one the counter. Next day start with the joconde, cream and the ganache. If you happen to make this cake, trust me, you will be hooked to it! :)