Sticky date & mango mousse cake

I'm soooo looking forward to Christmas!  The office will be closed till the 28th Dec so I'll have a really long weekend to relax and probably do lots of cooking and baking!  Not to mention several Xmas feasts during which I'll certainly be stuffing myself with yummies.  The weather in Hong Kong is finally starting to cool off, there is not much to do in the office, all adding to the happy holiday feeling. =D

I must have been feeling this holiday spirit when I came up with this sticky date and mango mousse cake.  The mousse layer is light with a slight tinge of sour from the mangoes, a nice contrast with the sticky date cake layer which is heavier & sweet.   

Sticky date layer:

125g pitted dates, chopped into small pieces

1/2 tspn bicarbonate of soda

3/4 cup boiling water

62.5g butter, softened

115g brown sugar

1/2 tspn vanilla extract

1 egg

228g self raising flour

Pour boiling water over chopped pitted dates and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl, leave standing for 20 minutes.  Beat butter, sugar and vanilla till creamy. Add egg and continue beating till well incorporatd. Fold in date mixture and flour.  Pour mixture into lined 8 x 10.5 inch baking tray, making sure mixture is spread out over the tray into a thin layer (use a spatula if necessary).  You can use a smaller tray so long as its at least 6 x 6 inch but you will end up with a thicker sticky date layer.  Bake for 30 minutes (or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean) in 180 C preheated oven . Leave to cool. 

Mango mousse layer:

4 gelatin sheets

188g mango puree

55g granulated sugar

1.5 tbls lemon juice

93g whipping cream (whisked till soft peaks forms)

93g plain yogurt

Soak gelatin sheets in cold water.  In a saucepan, combine mango puree, sugar and lemon juice, heating slightly just enough for the sugar to dissolve.  Remove from heat and add softened gelatin sheets, stirring till completely dissolved.  Transfer mixutre to bowl and leave to cool till room temperature before whisking in the yogurt.  Fold in the whipped cream.

Assembling the cake:

Line bottom of 6 x 6 inch square ring with parchment paper before placing on cake base.  Cut out a 6 x 6 inch piece of sticky date layer and place into bottom of cake ring.  Carefully pour mango mousse on top of sticky date layer.  Chill in fridge till mouse layer is firmly set.  To remove from cake ring gently heat the sides of the cake ring with a blow torch or wrap it with a warm towel.  Garnish the cake with pieces of mango and dates as desired.

Italian meringue & fruity macarons...

Much has been said about how temperamental french meringues can be when it comes to making macarons. Known as macarons au blanc monté, the french meringue method is definitely less of a hassle compared to its italian counterpart, but extremely sensitive to conditions such as humidity and temperature. Not a reliable choice for home bakers who have little control over weather conditions in the kitchen.

Most professional cookbooks recommend the italian meringue method, i.e. macarons au sucre cuit, which requires heating sugar syrup to exactly 118 C, then pouring it it gradually into a bowl of egg white while its been whipped. The rest of the recipe is pretty much similar to the french meringue method.

Last week I decided it was time for me to try the macarons au sucre cuit and find out for myself if its worth the extra trouble. A standing whisk is definitely recommended for this task for a couple of good reasons: (1) One has to start beating the egg whites while the sugar syrup is heating up; (2) The sugar syrup has to be poured into the egg whites while it continues to be whisked; (3) The egg white & sugar mixture has to be beaten for a good 10 to 15 minutes till it cools down and a firm meringue forms. I don't know about other home bakers, but I definitely couldn't have managed all these if I didn't have my standing mixer, which btw I've had for about 15 years now - I'm amazed its still working after all I've put it through!

So what were the key differences? When I got down to folding the dry ingredients & italian meringue together, the mixture was noticeably smoother compared to my previous attempts with the french meringue. It also took me less folds to get the dry ingredients properly mixed in, though I've read on the internet that it should take longer (hmm...?). Other differences were my shells took 5 to 10 minutes shorter in the oven to bake and had tidier & prettier looking feet (the latter made me jump for joy!).

My conclusion? I definitely prefer the italian meringue method. A little extra hassle with sugar syrup is definitely worth it for beautiful looking shells!

For those also interested to try it out, I made reference to Duncan's basic macarons au sucre cuit recipe posted on www.syrupandtang.com (He has also put together great tips and guides for macaron making.). I adapted his basic recipe to create strawberry and mango flavored shells, which I filled with strawberry chocolate ganache - bascially adding strawberry puree to a standard chocolate ganache recipe.