Lantana
It is the Royal Foodie Joust time again! I missed last month’s challenge because I was in Japan but now I am back, my hands are itchy and I can’t wait to whisk up something creative! This month challenge ingredients : Coffee, Black Peppercorns and Honey. I was so inspired while I was at Henri Charpentier in Ginza, so I’ve decided to use this combination to create a new dessert of my own. I called it Lantana.
Lantana – is a noxious weed with vibrant inflorescence flower, toxic leaves and thornly branches, but the berries are absolutely delicious when ripe. When I was drafting out the recipe of this cake, I want it to be visually stunning like the lantana’s flower, luring its prey to have a bite on it. Once captured, all your senses will be totally intoxicated by its heart-stopping richness. Hence, Lantana is the name of this gateaux.
Lantana is consists of coffee sponge cake, layered with white chocolate honey bavarois, and then covered with peppery dark chocolate ganache. It takes a little longer than usual to make this gateaux, but totally worth it. I especially enjoying decorating the cake where I can let my creativity goes wild.
For the chocolate ganache, best to use chocolate with high percentage of cocoa in it. I’ve chosen the NESTLÉ PLAISTOWE Couverture which has 63% cocoa. It also comes in easy-to-melt measurable small piece.
I actually found melting chocolate is the most challenging process ever! I’ve had way too many failures from melting chocolate by turning them into lumpy horrors to last me a lifetime. Thank god this time I had no hiccups, and the chocolate melted nicely and silky smooth….
Here’s the recipe below.
Ingredients: (makes 3 – 4 servings)
Coffee cake
1 cup of strong black expresso coffee, cooled
280g self-raising flour
340g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
150g butter, softened
White chocolate bavarois
2 tsp gelatine powder
50ml milk
60g caster sugar
50g chopped white chocolate
2 egg yolks, at room temperature, lightly beaten
120ml thickened cream, whipped to soft peaks
2 tbsp honey
Chocolate Ganache
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground black peppercorn
1 tsp ground cinnamon
150ml thickened (whipping) cream
225g chopped good quality dark chocolate
Spice & cocoa powder sprinkle
½ tsp ground black peppercorn
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp cocoa powder
Methods:
To make the coffee cake
1. Prepare a cup of black expresso coffee, and let it cool down.
2. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
3. Sift flour into a large bowl. Add the sugar, eggs, butter and the coffee.
4. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, then high for another 4 minutes.
5. Prepare 2 well-greased cake tins. Pour half of the mixture into one cake tin, and the other half into another.
6. Bake for about 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
7. Leave in the tin to cool down a little before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Use a cookie ring cutter (72mm diameter or smaller), cut out 3 circles on each cake.
9. Cut the top bit off, then carefully slice the cake into layers, approximately 1cm thickness.
To make the white chocolate bavarois
1. Combine the gelatine and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl and set aside to sponge and swell.
2. Heat the milk, honey, sugar and chocolate in a saucepan until simmering. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and the chocolate has melted.
3. Put the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk in the warm chocolate mixture.
4. Return the mixture to a clean saucepan and stir oven medium heat until it lightly coats the back of a spoon.
5. Add the sponged gelatine and stir until dissolved.
6. Transfer to a bowl, place over a bowl of ice and beat until cold.
7. Fold in the cream gently and ready for stacking process.
Stacking Process
1. Use a food stacker, place a layer of cake at the bottom of the stacker.
2. Spoon some of the bavarois into the stacker, spread and push it down to fill all the gap with the back of a spoon.
3. Sprinkle some of the spice and cocoa powder on top.
4. Repeat step 1 – 3 and finish off with another layer of cake on the top. (refer to pic above)
5. Carefully remove the cake from the stacker.
6. Put the cake in the fridge for at least 1 hour to let the bavarois set.
Chocolate Ganache
1. Put the cream and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Make sure the base of the owl doesn’t touch the water.
2. Stir occasionally until melted and combined.
3. Add ground pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg, stir and mix well.
4. Set aside to cool for 2 hours, or until thickened to a spreading consistency but not solid.
Final Step
1. Remove the cake stacks from the fridge, place it on top of a soup can (or an upside down cup).
2. Spread the chocolate ganache evenly all over the cake.
3. Sculpture the ganache to a nice smooth surface with the back of a knife. You have to work quick before the ganache gets too dry and solid.
4. To finish it off, sprinkle some of the spice & cocoa powder on top. Garnish with a nice piece of white chocolate and chocolated coated coffee beans.
This is my very first version of this cake, Lantana, but I am sure I will keep making it with more changes and improvements till perfecto! Give it a try if you feel like a good challenge.I
ENJOY!
A Table For Two (ATFT) is Billy Law's food blog that features best eats in Sydney and around the world with drool-worthy food photography to salivate your appetite. I also throw in a smidgen of my food and travel photography for good measure. Billy Law also happened to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia 2011. 
I’ve totally forgotten about the Joust! But what a great entry. Looks delicious Billy! Good luck!
Peter G’s last blog post..Chargrilled Sweet Baby Peppers
I’m planning to enter the Joust for the first time.. and then I saw your entry. ((swoons)) I showed my 13yr old daughter and she patted me on the back in sympathy and said “Good Luck”.
O.O
I am mightily impressed with your entry.. it looks just fabulous. You’re extremely gifted!
This is stunningly beautiful, well thought out and exquisitely presented. Congrats! As I said in a post on the Foodie Blogroll…”I concede”.
I love how you incorporated the 3 key ingredients into 3 different layers of the dessert. It just works and it sounds delish and the presentation is divine. The fact that you came up with this yourself? I can only bow in admiration
Karen L.’s last blog post..Good Food Affare (with a side of wind)
Whoa! These are impressive dessert making skills, indeed. And it sounds scrumptious!
Rachel’s last blog post..A Gluten-Free Thanksgiving
I had to come over your site and tell you what a wonderful dessert you have presented to the Joust!!! Everythings looks wonderful: the instructions, the pictures, the name of the dish…
Bravo for you, you deserve to win
Núria’s last blog post..Gulyás Hungarian’s Soup and a Restaurant recommendation.
I adore everything about the composition and presentation of this dessert and your images – from the textures, to the colours, from the flavours to the font choice. Goodness, this is perfect. Beautifully done.
tara’s last blog post..Kitchen aid; reviewing In the Kitchen with Anna by Anna Olson
What a fantastic dish for the Joust! Looks like a winner!
[eatingclub] vancouver || js’s last blog post..Herbes de Provence Sablé (and a lightbox)
wow, what a professional! i love the presentation and the swirl on the plate is perfect!
re: seizing chocolate – at a chocolate workshop i did, i think they emphasised lower heat. sometimes i’ll take the double-boiler off the heat and stir slowly until all the chocolate is melted by residual heat only.
Helen’s last blog post..Restaurant Blancmange, Petersham
@Peter G: It’s not too late, you still have few days to whisk up something fantastic!
@Maria: You should enter, don’t worry too much about the whole competition thing. I haven’t won once anyway and not really have high hope. But I am more interested in people reading about my recipe, and my blog, that makes my effort more worthwhile rather than winning.
@Joan Nova: Thanks Joan, don’t concede. Never give up, never surrender!
@Karen L.: Thanks Karen, good to see your dropping again.
@Rachel: Thanks rachel. I try my best. The hard part is trying not to lick it while making it.
@Núria: Thanks nuria, so far I haven’t won once! But I had a lot of fun making it though.
@tara: awww thanks Tara. ^-^
@[eatingclub] vancouver || js: thank you for dropping by!
@Helen: Yes yes…. I kept it on simmering water in low heat. I wouldn’t use the so-called “Full cream milk” to melt chocolate anymore. Thickened cream FTW!
Wow that’s impressive! Looks spectacular:)
Miss Honey’s last blog post..Mamak, Haymarket
Stunning pictures and cake! Very professional, indeed!
Cheers,
Rosa
I’m in awe of this dessert’s beauty and this is a serious contender…perhaps you should get fitted for an apron?
Peter’s last blog post..Heads & Tales: Saturday Night at Ammos
Coffee & chocolate has to be perfect! Your photos are absolutely stunning, Billy. I’m so glad I ended up here.
Suzana’s last blog post..Streets & Pies
Great looking cake! I love honey paired with chocolate.
Y’s last blog post..Best excuse ever, and yet another chocolate cake.
@Miss Honey: Thank you. I tried my best.
@Rosa: Thanks Rosa.
@Peter: Thanks Peter, it was fun to make, looking forward to see your entry.
@Suzana: Thanks for dropping by Suzana.
@Y: Oh yes, sweet on sweet = awesome!
Congratulations on your Royal Foodie Joust win. This dessert truly deserves applause, from the baking techniques, to the cool name, to the scintillating blend of flavors, to the awesome presentation. Bravo!
Rachel’s last blog post..Ginger-Nut Lace Cookies, Gluten-Free and Addictive
This cake is one of the most beautiful things I have seen. Amazing!!
Question, you say one cup of strong espresso for the sponge, but do you mean a whole cup as in 250mL or 1 espresso cup?
Maybe a stupid question but with all the different measures in recipes these days it’s all getting a bit confusing haha!
Woops! Entered before I was finished. :S
I also have a question about the gelatin powder, what do you recommend when using Agar Agar? Being vegetarian I of course don’t use regular gelatin.
There, now I was done. ^^