Christmas Wreath from Cake Bake & Sweet Show Melbourne 2016

By Kirsten Tibballs at Savour
www.savourschool.com.au

Makes 1 x mousse cake in the Silikomart Lady Queen mould

Equipment

  • Freezer
  • Microwave
  • Plastic bowl for the microwave
  • 5 x flat trays
  • Disposable piping bags
  • Scissors
  • Ladle
  • Small sieve
  • Assorted bowls
  • Stand Mixer x 1
  • Whisk attachment for mixer
  • Wire rack for glazing
  • Stone surface for chocolate work
  • Thermometer
  • Tweezers
  • Saucepans

Shortbread base

  • 150g      Unsalted butter
  • 250g      Plain Flour
  • 65g        Free Range Eggs
  • 100g      Icing Sugar
  • 25g        Almond Meal
  • Pinch of Salt
  • Plain flour for dusting

Combine the butter and flour in a bowl with a paddle attachment on a KitchenAid Mixer. Bring it to a crumb texture and add in the eggs and dry ingredients. Bring together as a dough and press into an even flat square. Place the shortbread in the fridge for up to an hour or until it becomes firm enough to roll out. Lightly dust the bench surface with flour and roll out the shortbread to a 3mm thickness. Cut a ring 50mm inside and 200mm outside. Bake 170°C for 10-12 minutes or until a light golden brown colour.

Raspberry Jelly

  • 22g        Gold Gelatine Sheets
  • 500g      Frozen Raspberry Puree, defrosted
  • 375g      Caster Sugar

 

Pre-soak the gelatine in cold water until soft and pliable. Place an additional 2 large frames on the prepared frames. Take one third of the defrosted raspberry puree and combine with the sugar. Heat until all the sugar is dissolved and then add in the pre-soaked gelatine. Remove from the heat and add the remaining defrosted puree and mix well. Place into a Silikomart Lady Queen insert mould and freeze.

Sugar coated almonds

  • 25g        Water
  • 35g        Caster Sugar
  • 125g      Almond Splinters
  • 10g        Pure Icing Sugar

 

Place the water and sugar into a saucepan and boil until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and pour the sugar syrup over the slithered almonds and combine. Place the coated almonds onto a tray lined with a Silpat mat and dust with the icing sugar. Place the prepared almonds into the oven and bake at 170°c. for approximately 10-12 minutes. In short intervals turn over the almonds with a spatula to ensure even roasting. Cool the almonds at room temperature.

 

Festive Mousse

  • 60g        Caster Sugar
  • 30g        Water
  • 60g        Egg Yolks
  • 2             Heilala Vanilla beans
  • 3.5g       Gold Gelatine Leaves
  • 130g      Callebaut White Chocolate Velvet
  • 25g        Glaze cherries
  • 25g        Glace orange
  • 25g        Sugar coated almond*
  • 25g        Dark Chocolate Chips
  • 345g      Bulla Thickened Cream 35% fat, semi whipped

 

Boil the sugar and water to 123°C. Pour over the whisked egg yolks, add the glaze cherries and glace orange and continue to whisk until it cools slightly (to create a pate bombe). Soak the gelatine in cold water until soft and pliable. Once soft drain off the excess water and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds or until melted, do not heat above 80°C. Melt the white chocolate to approximately 60°C and fold through ¼ of the semi whipped cream. Continue folding and add the pate bombe. Add a small amount of this mixture to the melted gelatine and mix together before adding back into the mousse and folding through. Lastly fold through the remainder of the semi whipped cream and add the vanilla beans. Weigh in 150g per mould on top of the raspberry jelly, level it out and place in the freezer.

 Assembly

Pipe the festive mousse halfway into a Silikomart Lady Queen mould. Push it up the sides of the mould with a spoon. Place in the frozen raspberry jelly and fill to the top of the mould with remaining mousse. Freeze for a minimum of 6 hours.

 

Chocolate Glaze

 Ingredients

  • 240g      Fresh Cream 35% Fat
  • 50g        Water
  • 360g      Caster Sugar
  • 120g      Callebaut Cocoa Powder 22-24%
  • 100g      Neutral Glaze
  • 10g        Gold Gelatine Sheets

Method

Pre-soak the gelatine in a bowl of chilled water until it becomes soft and pliable. Drain off the excess water and leave the gelatine at room temperature. Bring the cream, water and sugar to boil. Add the cocoa powder and neutral glaze and return to a boil. Emulsify with a stick blender, add the pre-soaked gelatine and strain. Place plastic wrap on the surface of the glaze. Allow the glaze to cool to between 32-35°C before glazing the frozen mousse.

Finishing

  • Chocolate holly leafs
  • Chocolate pinecones
  • Chocolate reindeers
  • Gold Metallic powder
  • 24 carat gold leaf
  • Chocolate bells
  • Red chocolate ribbon loops

Garnish the wreath with prepared chocolate garnishes and dust with gold metallic.

 

 

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