It's a Macaron Cake
The ispahan is a macaron pastry created by the famous French pastry chef, Pierre Herme'.
This version slightly changes from his 2 layer cake filled with a lychee curd and rose buttercream.
Today's cake contains 3 layers of macaron filled with 2 layers of a a raspberry lemon curd anda white chocolate cream icing. To make this Macaron Cake you will need to complete three
components first before you can build your cake.
This version slightly changes from his 2 layer cake filled with a lychee curd and rose buttercream.
Today's cake contains 3 layers of macaron filled with 2 layers of a a raspberry lemon curd anda white chocolate cream icing. To make this Macaron Cake you will need to complete three
components first before you can build your cake.
The MacaronYou must first make your macaron batter for the cake portions. Here, we will be using the French Meringue method.
|
Lemon CurdThe Lemon Curd is made during the macaron 'drying' stage.
|
White Chocolate Cream IcingWhite Chocolate Cream Icing iincludes white chocolate, creamy mascarpone cheese and
heavy cream. |
The Macaron
Ingredients |
Amounts |
Almond Flour |
2 1/2 cups |
All purpose flour |
1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons |
Confectioner's sugar |
2 3/4 cups |
Egg whites, room temperature |
6 |
Granulated sugar |
1/2 cup |
Red food coloring gel |
scant |
Instructions
1. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and trace 6-inch circles on the back. Prepare a large pastry bag tipped with a 1/4' round tip.
2. Sift the almond flour, flour and confectioners’ sugar into large mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, just until stiff peaks form. Add a few drops of food coloring to the meringue and mix again for 30 seconds.
|
4. Add the meringue to the dry ingredients, folding and mixing thoroughly until the batter reaches ribbon stage.
5. Transfer the batter into the prepared pastry bag. Starting from the center of each circle, pipe the batter onto the parchment paper, following your template, forming a flat disk, approximately 1 cm tall. Pipe 1-inch macaron disks onto parchment line baking sheet with any remaining batter.
6. Tap the baking pan against a kitchen counter to release any trapped air bubbles. Rest the macarons for at least 1 hour, allowing a thin shell to form on the outside.
|
MeanwhileWhile the macarons are resting, preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C) and prepare the raspberry lemon curd. |
The Raspberry Lemon Curd
Ingredients |
Amounts |
Ingredients |
Amounts |
Lemon juice, fresh & strained |
1/3 cup |
Salt |
pinch |
Granulated sugar |
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons |
Butter, unsalted |
1/2 cup |
Egg yolks |
3 |
Raspberries, crushed |
1/2 cup |
Cornstarch |
1 tablespoon |
Raspberry extract |
1/2 teaspoon |
Instructions
1. Combine the lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks and salt in a small saucepan.
2. Combine the cornstarch with the water to form a slurry and add that into the saucepan. 3. Heat the curd over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 7 minutes. |
4. Remove the curd from heat and add the butter, whisking until the butter is melted.
4. Add the crushed raspberries and extract last. 5.Transfer the curd into a large bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it into the refrigerator to cool. |
Time to Bake the Macaron
Bake the rested macarons one sheet at a time for 18 to 20 minutes.
Allow them to cool on the parchment paper.
Allow them to cool on the parchment paper.
White Chocolate Whipped Icing
Ingredients |
Amounts |
Heavy cream, chilled |
2 cups |
Granulated sugar |
2/3 cup |
Vanilla extract |
1 teaspoon |
Mascarpone cheese, softened |
8 ounces |
White chocolate, melted |
1 cup |
Fresh raspberries |
2 cups |
Instructions1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. 2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mascarpone and melted chocolate for a minute until creamy. 3. Add the cheese mixture to the whipped cream and whisk again for 1 to 2 minutes, until stiff peaks form. 4.Transfer the cream into a pastry bag tipped with French star tip. |
The AssemblyTo assemble the cake, pipe dollops of cream onto each layer, top with raspberries and add a generous amount of the lemon curd in the center.
Garnish the top with whipped cream, more raspberries. Set the cake into the refrigerator for 1 day, allowing the macarons to mature. When ready to serve, use a sharp serrated knife to slice the cake. |