Japanese pastry chef Hidemi Sugino's B-Caraibe is a refreshing combination of banana jelly, orange-chocolate chantilly, and (now) hazelnut-almond joconde cake. Recipe adapted from the one posted on Foodagraphy, by Michelle. Note: I highly recommend using the mass measurements instead of the volume measurements due to the precision of the recipe (I tried to make the volume measurements as precise as I could, however).
Ingredients
For the hazelnut-almond joconde:
½ cup (50g) almond flour
½ cup (50g) ground hazelnuts
1 cup (100g) sifted icing sugar
¾ cup (90g) cake flour
4-5 (80g) egg yolks (I used ~5 egg yolks)
2 (60g) + 6⅔ (200g) egg whites
¼ teaspoon (~1g) cream of tartar
3/5 cup (120g) granulated sugar
For the soaking syrup:
¼ cup, 1 tablespoon (65g) sugar
⅕ cup (50g) water
⅕ cup (60g) rum
For the orange confit:
¼ cup (50g) sugar
⅕ cup (50g) water
zest of 1 medium orange
For the chocolate chantilly cream:
100g dark chocolate, melted
zest of 1 medium orange
170g whipping cream
25g orange confit
For the banana jelly:
325g + ~25g banana puree (about three mashed, ripe bananas)
2 tablespoons (25g) lemon juice
1 satchet (7g) gelatin
3 tablespoons (35g) sugar
2 tablespoons (10g) rum
Prepare the vanilla chantilly cream:
1 cup (250ml) whipping cream
3 tablespoons (35g) sugar
a drop of vanilla extract
Method
Prepare the hazelnut-almond joconde:
Preheat your oven to 230°C and line two 9 x 13 pans with parchment paper (note: you will be cutting three layers of cake from these two pans of cake later on). Combine the almond flour, ground hazelnuts, and icing sugar in a large bowl. Add the yolks and 80g of the egg whites and beat till thick and fluffy. Add the flour and beat to combine. Set aside. In another big bowl, whip the egg whites (200g) and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add the sugar in and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Slowly fold the beaten egg whites into the almond mixture until there are no white streaks.Pour into the pans, spread out evenly using a scraper, and bake at 230°C for 5-6 minutes. Cool.
Prepare the soaking syrup:
Mix the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and leave to cool before adding the rum.
Prepare the orange confit:
Heat water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the zest and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Prepare the chocolate chantilly cream:
Mix the chocolate and orange zest together. Whip the cream until soft peaks form and then gradually fold into the melted chocolate. Add in the orange confit and fold together.
Prepare the banana jelly:
Combine 325g of the banana puree and the lemon juice together in a saucepan; blend together using a hand blender. Add in the sugar and place on stove. Cook over low heat until thickened (you will need to stir often to prevent the bananas from burning). Mix the remaining banana puree with the gelatin and let sit for five minutes.Remove the thickened bananas from the stove, add the gelatin mixture, and mix to combine. Add the rum and stir to mix.
Prepare the vanilla chantilly cream:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.
To assemble:
Cut out three 8" square pieces from the two trays of cooled joconde. Place one piece into a ring mold (note: I don't have a ring mold so I just fashioned one out of tinfoil and tape) and brush rum syrup liberally on it. Pour the chocolate orange chantilly cream into the ring and smooth flat. Place second piece of cake above the chocolate layer and press down to remove any empty spaces in between the layers. Brush with rum syrup. Pour the banana jelly into the ring and place the third piece of cake on top of it. Brush with rum syrup. Pour the vanilla chantilly cream into the ring. Using a scraper, smooth the top so that the layer is even. Refrigerate to chill overnight. Unmold and slice into individual portions with a hot, dry knife.
Recipe by IronWhisk at http://www.ironwhisk.com/2013/03/b-caraibe/