A team of rising stars from the kitchens at Royal Plaza Hotel were recently recognised by the World Association of Chefs' Societies, winning six prizes at the 2019 Hong Kong International Culinary Classic Competition @ HOFEX. The competition consisted of contestants from 11 countries and regions (including elite local chefs), and the Royal Plaza team came away victoriously with three gold medals, two silvers and one bronze, demonstrating the young Hong Kong chefs' high dedication to and passion for cooking. Royal Plaza Hotel will offer a "HOFEX 2019 ― Gold Award Wine Pairing Menu" in July, to provide its guests with the rare opportunity of sampling the team's five award-winning dishes and witnessing the extraordinary creativity of this young team. Please click here for details.
SHKP Club has invited Hugo Lam, a chef from the competition team, to demonstrate one of the winning dishes with us. In this joyous occasion, Hugo will show how to make the "Passion Fruit and Banana Chocolate Mousse Cake" so that you can create and experience this splendid cake by yourselves!
Ingredients
| Chocolate sponge cake | |
| Cake flour | 60g |
| Cocoa powder | 60g |
| Egg yolks | 230g |
| Egg whites | 230g |
| Sugar | 230g |
| Banana filling | |
| Banana | 2 |
| Butter | 15g |
| Sugar | 20g |
| Black pepper | 1g |
| Lemon juice | 5ml |
| Passion fruit foam | |
| Gelatine strips | 2g |
| Passion fruit puree | 25g |
| Protein powder | 2g |
| Sugar | 30g |
| Water | 30ml |
| Caramelised pecan nuts | |
| Pecan nuts | 70g |
| Sugar | 70g |
| Chocolate mousse | |
| Gelatine strips | 4g |
| 80% dark chocolate | 240g |
| Cream | 240g |
| Whipping cream | 300g |
| Egg yolks | 50g |
| Baileys Irish Cream | 10ml |
| Chocolate mirror glaze | |
| Gelatine strips | 15g |
| Cocoa powder | 100g |
| Cream | 200g |
| Sugar | 300g |
| Corn syrup | 150g |
| Water | 150ml |
| Garnish: edible gold dust, caramelised pecan nuts, passion fruit foam, thin red chocolate discs and a tempered chocolate wave | |
Demonstration
Preparation
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Firstly soak the gelatine strips in cold water.
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Make the chocolate sponge cake.
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Pass the cake flour and cocoa powder through a fine sieve to remove any coarse grains or impurities.
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Pour 115g sugar and the egg yolks in a mixer on a high speed until light and fluffy. Set aside for later.
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Then use the mixer to whisk another 115g sugar and the egg whites on a high speed until frothy and set aside.
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Pour the yolk mixture into the whites mixture evenly, then add the sieved cake flour and cocoa powder. Mix well into a cake batter.
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Line the base of a 5 inch cake tin with baking paper, then put it on a baking tray.
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Pour the cake batter into the cake tin and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for around 20 minutes. Once the cake is baked turn it out onto a cooling rack and remove the tin after it has cooled. Slice the cake into three layers and set them aside for later.
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Make the banana filling.
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Peel the bananas and slice into 5mm discs. Then, sprinkle the banana discs with lemon juice.
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Place the butter and sugar in a pre-heated pan, and warm gently until the sugar has completely melted.
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Add the bananas and some black pepper to the pan and cook into a paste.
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Make the passion fruit foam.
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Put the protein powder, sugar and water in a mixer and whisk for a few minutes on a medium speed until it makes foam.
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Put the passion fruit puree in a pan on a low heat and add the gelatine strips. Keep warming the mixture until the gelatine has completely melted and remove from the stove when the mixture reaches 25°C.
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Mix the puree and the foam together and put the mixture into a piping bag.
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Place the first layer of the chocolate sponge into a 5-inch cake ring, then spread a layer of the banana filling on top. Now pipe a layer of the passion fruit foam in concentric circles to cover the banana layer and put into the fridge to set for around 2 hours.
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Make the caramelised pecan nuts.
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Put the chopped pecan nuts on a baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 5 to 10 minutes.
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Put the sugar into a pan and place on a high heat until it becomes a golden caramel.
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Take the pecans out of the oven and tip into the caramel. Mix well, then use a fork to separate the chunks of pecan immediately.
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Sprinkle some edible gold dust on 8 or 9 of the pecans and set them aside for decorating the cake later.
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Make the chocolate mousse.
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Whip up the egg yolks and then add to a pan with the cream. Warm the mixture on a low heat until it reaches 82°C.
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Add 80% dark chocolate, gelatine strips and Baileys Irish Cream to the mixture and stir until fully combined.
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Put the whipping cream in the mixer and mix until it becomes frothy. Pour the whipping cream into the above mixture.
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Fill a 7 inch silicone mould to around half-full with the chocolate mousse.
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Take the cake from the fridge, remove from the tin and place it gently into the chocolate mousse with the passion fruit foam facing upwards.
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Spread another layer of chocolate mousse on top of the set passion fruit foam, then add the caramelised pecan nuts on top, before adding a further layer of chocolate mousse.
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Now add the second layer of chocolate sponge cake on top of the mousse, then put the silicone mould into the fridge to set for around 8 hours.
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Make the chocolate mirror glaze.
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Mix the cream, sugar and corn syrup together, then place in a pan with the water. Cook the ingredients on a high heat until boiling.
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Stir in the cocoa powder and gelatine strips until completely combined, then pass through a sieve to remove any lumps.
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Remove the silicone mould from the fridge and release the cake, place it on a cake rack. Pour the glaze over the cake to create the chocolate mirror glaze effect.
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Finally, decorate the top of your cake with the gold-dusted pecan chunks, some piped passion fruit foam, thin red chocolate discs and a tempered chocolate wave and it is ready to serve.
Note: Pictures are for reference only.
Royal Plaza Hotel's "HOFEX 2019 ― Gold Award Wine Pairing Menu"
Promotion period: Until 31 August 2019
Address: Di King Heen, Level 3, Royal Plaza Hotel, 193 Prince Edward Road West, Mong Kok (MTR Mong Kok East Station Exit D)
Reservations: (852) 2622 6161
