Recipes
Olive Oil Cake with Passionfruit Puree Filling and Honeycomb Garnish
| Serves | 12 |
|---|---|
| Menu Part | Dessert |
Chef David Wakefield
Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations
Chicago
These petite cakes are sized perfectly to add to a summer dessert table. For ease of execution, chef David Wakefield bakes the batter in a sheet pan, then cuts the large cake into individual circles. A garnish of passionfruit gel, whipped cream and edible flowers epitomizes summer.
Ingredients
Cake
2½ cups sugar
4¼ cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2½ tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups whole milk
6 large eggs
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Edible flowers
Passion honey gel
1000 g. passionfruit puree
25.5 g. agar agar
275 g. honey
25 g. salt
Whipped cream
Honeycomb candy
200 g. sugar
20 g. light corn syrup
89 ml. water
2½ tsp. baking soda
Steps
- For cake, preheat oven to 350 F. Spray half sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment.
- In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. In large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine olive oil and sugar; beat until until mixture resembles wet sand. Add extract and milk, scraping down sides. Mix until combined. Add eggs, one at a time; beat at low speed, scraping down between additions.
- Add dry ingredients in three batches, scraping down sides with each addition. Mix just until all ingredients are thoroughly combined; don’t overmix.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.
- Meanwhile, prepare passionfruit gel. In nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, combine passionfruit puree, honey and salt; stir in combine. When slightly hot, slowly add the agar agar, whisking vigorously to eliminate clumps. Bring to a boil; let boil for 60 seconds.
- Transfer mixture to blast chiller or chill in refrigerator until set.
- Once gel sets, transfer to blender container; blend thoroughly and pass through fine mesh sieve to remove any clumps or particles. Transfer to squeeze bottle until needed.
- For honeycomb candy, in deep stockpot, combine sugar, corn syrup and water; heat to exactly 300 F. With wire whisk, whisk in baking soda all at once. Pour foam evenly onto silpat baking sheet; do not spread out. Once cool, shatter honeycomb and reserve in container with silica pearls.
- To serve, with 2-inch cookie cutter, cut cooled cake into circles. Top with gel and whipped cream; garnish each cake with a piece of shattered honeycomb and an edible flower.