by Aude Camus
When it comes to excellent gastronomy, Paris has so much on offer whether you have a sweet-tooth or are a sucker for savoury things. I’m both a sweet and savoury lover and can never decide if I should go for a starter or for a dessert so usually end up going for both. If I find it quite easy to indulge on French savoury food in Hong Kong, I have to say I find the sweet food scene definitely less exciting and can’t help but over-indulge on pastries whenever I go back home. But, since traveling back to Paris doesn’t seem to be an option at the moment and because I definitely think sweet is needed in challenging times like the current ones, I thought “why not bring the best of Parisian pastries to Hong Kong and share some iconic recipes with you guys?”. Starting with a cake, but not just any cake, the Marble Cake created by Chef Julien Alvarez for historic palace hotel Le Bristol Paris.
When it comes to excellent gastronomy, Paris has so much on offer whether you have a sweet-tooth or are a sucker for savoury things. I’m both a sweet and savoury lover and can never decide if I should go for a starter or for a dessert so usually end up going for both. If I find it quite easy to indulge on French savoury food in Hong Kong, I have to say I find the sweet food scene definitely less exciting and can’t help but over-indulge on pastries whenever I go back home. But, since traveling back to Paris doesn’t seem to be an option at the moment and because I definitely think sweet is needed in challenging times like the current ones, I thought “why not bring the best of Parisian pastries to Hong Kong and share some iconic recipes with you guys?”. Starting with a cake, but not just any cake, the Marble Cake created by Chef Julien Alvarez for historic palace hotel Le Bristol Paris.
Look at this cake? How fancy? Well, great news is; it’s easier to bake than you think. So, who’s in for a sweet break?
Ingredients:
For the Chocolate Ganache
600ml of double cream
380g of Coeur de Guanaja chocolate by Valrhona (can be replaced with 80% dark chocolate)
100g of invert sugar (which you can buy or easily DIY)
For the Marble Cake
270g of butter
590g of sugar
430g of flour
2 table spoons of vanilla powder
4 table spoons of vanilla extract
2 table spoons of salt
4 eggs
2 table spoons of baking soda
400ml of double cream
40g of cacao powder
Let’s start with the Chocolate Ganache:
Bring the cream and invert sugar to a boil.
Once it’s boiling, add the chocolate to the mixture and stir.
Store at 16°C for 12 minutes.
Now on to the Marble Cake:
Place all ingredients together in listed order – except the cacao powder - and beat with a whisk until smooth.
Separate the mixture in half and add the cacao powder to one half in a separate bowl, whisking again. Line a nonstick cake pan (ideally 40x60) with half the vanilla batter, add the chocolate batter and cover with the remaining half of vanilla batter.
Insert a clean knife vertically to touch the bottom of the pan and move in a swirling gesture from one side of the pan to the other.
Bake at 170°C for 18 minutes.
Set aside to cool.
Cut the cake into three equal horizontal layers.
Stack each section with a thin layer of ganache in-between.
You can also cover with ganache on sides and top.
And if you feel like serving this cake in a proper palace way, you can present it together with a miniature pitcher of light rum syrup to pour onto cake: bring 500ml of water and 200g of sugar to a boil and add to it 3 table spoons of rum and 1 table spoon of vanilla extract.
Ingredients:
For the Chocolate Ganache
600ml of double cream
380g of Coeur de Guanaja chocolate by Valrhona (can be replaced with 80% dark chocolate)
100g of invert sugar (which you can buy or easily DIY)
For the Marble Cake
270g of butter
590g of sugar
430g of flour
2 table spoons of vanilla powder
4 table spoons of vanilla extract
2 table spoons of salt
4 eggs
2 table spoons of baking soda
400ml of double cream
40g of cacao powder
Let’s start with the Chocolate Ganache:
Bring the cream and invert sugar to a boil.
Once it’s boiling, add the chocolate to the mixture and stir.
Store at 16°C for 12 minutes.
Now on to the Marble Cake:
Place all ingredients together in listed order – except the cacao powder - and beat with a whisk until smooth.
Separate the mixture in half and add the cacao powder to one half in a separate bowl, whisking again. Line a nonstick cake pan (ideally 40x60) with half the vanilla batter, add the chocolate batter and cover with the remaining half of vanilla batter.
Insert a clean knife vertically to touch the bottom of the pan and move in a swirling gesture from one side of the pan to the other.
Bake at 170°C for 18 minutes.
Set aside to cool.
Cut the cake into three equal horizontal layers.
Stack each section with a thin layer of ganache in-between.
You can also cover with ganache on sides and top.
And if you feel like serving this cake in a proper palace way, you can present it together with a miniature pitcher of light rum syrup to pour onto cake: bring 500ml of water and 200g of sugar to a boil and add to it 3 table spoons of rum and 1 table spoon of vanilla extract.
About Le Bristol Paris
From our elegant address on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Le Bristol Paris embodies the true sense of luxury. With talent, expertise and warm pleasure we put an extraordinary level of preparation into distinguishing each guest’s experience. With nearly a century of history behind us, Le Bristol Paris still leads the way with fresh ideas, assiduously crafting every detail to become the first hotel in France to earn the distinction of "Palace hotel".
From our elegant address on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Le Bristol Paris embodies the true sense of luxury. With talent, expertise and warm pleasure we put an extraordinary level of preparation into distinguishing each guest’s experience. With nearly a century of history behind us, Le Bristol Paris still leads the way with fresh ideas, assiduously crafting every detail to become the first hotel in France to earn the distinction of "Palace hotel".