Friday, March 29, 2024

Japonais

I thought at first that this cake originated from Japan but as it turned out it has nothing to do with Japan at all; this cake is a classic French pastry made of ground almonds, meringue and mocha filling. In the book, Ultimate Cake, Barbara Maher uses hazelnuts and chocolate meringue which kind of reminds me of my favorite chocolate truffle candy, Ferrero Rocher.

I couldn’t find hazelnuts (actually I did, but they were too expensive) so I just decided to use what I have at home then. I have almonds but they were reserved for another recipe, I was planning to make 🙂 so I used cashew.

This cake is like a really big French macarons, so delicious, the contrast of texture between the slightly crispy meringue and the creamy filling is sooo good. I think like macarons this cake is very, very tweakable, you can experiment with different flavors of filling and nuts used. I plan on making more than two layers of meringue next time and the best part here is that, it’s easy! I don’t think I need to decorate it like in the book, I like the rustic look of stacked cakes (weh, I’m just lazy, hehe) 😉

japonais_dry_ingredients

combine ground nuts, flour and half of  caster sugar

japonais_stiff_peak_egg_whites

beat egg whites to stiff peaks; start adding the sugar at soft peak stage

japonais_5

…fold dry ingredients until weel-combined

japonais_meringue_disk

..divide batter into two and spread on a lined baking sheets

japonais_2

stack cake, starting with meringue disc, add a layer of chocolate ganache;

japonais_4

repeat

japonais_1

..sprinkle with ground cashew

japonais

Enjoy with your favorite cup of coffe or tea! 🙂

Here’s the recipe:

JAPONAIS

Ingredients
150 g ( 5oz) caster sugar
3 1/2 oz roasted cashew
1 1/2 oz icing sugar
4 tsp corn starch
4 egg whites

Filling/Icing
250ml heavy cream
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped or grated
4 tablespoons ground cashew

Directions:

Line two baking pans with parchment paper. Mark two 9 1/2″ circles on the prepared baking sheets at the back of the parchment paper.

Mix half the caster sugar with the cashew, ising sugar and corn starch.  Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.

Whisk egg whites into soft peaks, gradually whisk in the remaining s=caster sugar until they form a stiff glossy meringue, fold in the nut mixture until evenly mixed.

Spread the mixture equally within the marked circles and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. Lift off the lining paper.

Spread half the ganache over one of meringue disc, cover with the second disc; smooth side up. Spread the remaining ganache over . Sprinkle chopped cashew nuts on top to garnish.

You can make the ganache and roast the nuts in advance. This cake keeps for 4-5 days, if you can make it last that long 😉

Happy Baking! 🙂

..just 12 left days before Christmas!! 😀

Happy Holidays!

Japonais

Olive
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • LINE TWO BAKING PANS WITH PARCHMENT PAPER. MARK TWO 9 1/2″ CIRCLES ON THE PREPARED BAKING SHEETS AT THE BACK OF THE PARCHMENT PAPER.
  • MIX HALF THE CASTER SUGAR WITH THE CASHEW, ISING SUGAR AND CORN STARCH. PREHEAT OVEN TO 325 F DEGREES.
  • WHISK EGG WHITES INTO SOFT PEAKS, GRADUALLY WHISK IN THE REMAINING S=CASTER SUGAR UNTIL THEY FORM A STIFF GLOSSY MERINGUE, FOLD IN THE NUT MIXTURE UNTIL EVENLY MIXED.
  • SPREAD THE MIXTURE EQUALLY WITHIN THE MARKED CIRCLES AND BAKE IN THE PREHEATED OVEN FOR 1 HOUR. REMOVE FROM THE OVEN AND LEAVE TO COOL ON A WIRE RACK. LIFT OFF THE LINING PAPER.
  • SPREAD HALF THE GANACHE OVER ONE OF MERINGUE DISC, COVER WITH THE SECOND DISC; SMOOTH SIDE UP. SPREAD THE REMAINING GANACHE OVER . SPRINKLE CHOPPED CASHEW NUTS ON TOP TO GARNISH.
  • YOU CAN MAKE THE GANACHE AND ROAST THE NUTS IN ADVANCE. THIS CAKE KEEPS FOR 4-5 DAYS, IF YOU CAN MAKE IT LAST THAT LONG 😉
  • HAPPY BAKING! 🙂
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

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