How to make a joconde cake with decorative tuile paste

Making a joconde cake with a decorative pattern is easier than you think. It just takes patience, once you learn how the possibilities seem endless.

Step-by-Step Joconde Cake with Decorative Tuile Paste

For this step-by-step tutorial, I kept it simple and just used a decorative cake comb. For an idea what you can do in terms of design, check out my Pumpkin Caramel Mousse Cakes. They were made for Halloween with a spider web design. And if you are wondering if I have Valentine’s design in mind-yes, I do. Check back with me in the coming weeks.

A few notes:

• You will need a silpat as parchment paper tends to shrink and ripple with moisture and thereby affecting the overall finished appearance.
• You will also need either ring molds or a pan that has a bottom release like Chicago Metallic’s Mini Cheesecake pan (that’s what is used in the pictures below) or any size springform pan will also work if you want to make a larger cake. If you are using a ring molds, make sure to line the inside with food safe acetate.
• The smaller the mold the thinner the joconde needs to be.
• Take great care not to over mix the dough or the cake will rubbery and if the cake is over cooked it will crack when it is flexed.
• Finished joconde cake with tuile paste will last up to 2 days tightly wrapped at room temperature. Any longer than that and the cake will become brittle and crack when flex to form.
• This is recipe is from Bo Friberg’s The Professional Pastry Chef: Fundamentals of Baking and Pastry, 4th Edition. The only adaptation I made was to change out the almond meal to bread flour ratio from 3-1 to 1-1. Lowering the almond meal made the cake lighter and more flexible. Making sure the cake is flexible is especially important when working with small forms.

Images left to right: Pumpkin Caramel Mousse Cakes and Raspberry Mousse Cakes

Joconde Cake with Decorative Tuile Paste

Ingredients:

CHOCOLATE TUILE DECORATING PASTE:

• 3 oz cake flour, sifted
• 1 ¼ oz Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 4 oz butter, softened
• 4 oz Powdered sugar, sifted
• ½ cup egg whites, room temperature
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract

JOCONDE SPONGE BASE II:

• 2 oz blanched almonds, finely ground/almond meal
• 2 oz powdered sugar
• 2 oz bread flour
• 3 whole eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 egg whites
• 1 oz granulated sugar
• 1 oz melted unsalted butter

Instructions:

CHOCOLATE TUILE DECORATING PASTE:

1. Sift cocoa powder and bread flour together; set aside. Cream butter and sifted powdered sugar in a mixer fitted with paddle attachment on medium speed. Lower speed to medium low and add egg whites one at a time. Scrape and evenly mix after each addition. Add vanilla extract then the flour and cocoa powder mixture until just combined.
2. Place silpat in a bakesheet. Spread chocolate tuile paste evenly on silpat to 1/16th inch thickness. Run decorating comb to desired pattern, ie. Straight, crosswise or diagonal lines along the length of the silpat.
3. Lift silpat out of the bakesheet pan and set on top of an inverted sheet pan and freeze till firm. About 20 minutes.

JOCONDE SPONGE BASE II:

1. Place almond meal, powdered sugar and bread flour into mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on high for about 1-2 minutes. Mix eggs on high for about 5 minutes. Lower mixer speed to medium and then add egg yolks and mix until combined; set aside.
3. Change out paddle attachment for  whisk attachment and whip egg whites with sugar just until soft peaks form. Fold half of egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Stir in melted butter and then fold in remaining egg whites.

FINAL ASSEMBLY:
1. Remove silpat with firm tuile paste and spread batter evenly on top and bake at 400-450 degrees F for about 5 minutes or until sponge color changes slightly.
2. Dust flour lightly on top of sponge and invert onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and buttered sides of pan.
3. Cut to desired size of form.

Recipe adapted from Bo Friberg

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