Almond macaroon cake

 

                          Almond genoise

                          160gr                                                                 cake flour, shifted

                           5                                                                        eggs

                           120gr                                                                 granulated sugar

                           70gr                                                                   almond powder

                           as preferred                                                       vanilla powder

                          Syrup

                          30gr                                                                    granulated sugar

                          40gr                                                                    water

                         Cocoa crumble 

                         75gr                                                                     flour

                         75gr                                                                     butter, melted

                         100gr                                                                   almond powder

                          75gr                                                                    dark brown sugar

                          15gr                                                                    cocoa powder

                          2gr                                                                      salt

                          Macaroon cookies

                          175gr                                                                   almond powder

                          75gr                                                                     granulated sugar

                          40gr                                                                     white whine

                          2                                                                          egg whites

                          60gr                                                                     powdered sugar

                          35gr                                                                     cointreau

                          White chocolate mousseline pastry cream

                          350gr                                                                    milk

                          70gr                                                                      granulated sugar

                          42gr                                                                      flour

                          70gr                                                                      eggs

                          18gr                                                                      butter

                          as preferred                                                          vanilla

                          120gr                                                                    cream, whipped to soft peaks

                          4gr                                                                       gelatin

                          53gr                                                                     white chocolate

                          Topping

                          120gr                                                                   heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks

Start with the crumble by mixing all the ingredients together into a crumbly dough. Press some of it on the bottom of a 20cm-diameter ring and into a 5mm thick layer and coarsely brake the rest on a separate pan. Set aside and start with the macaroons. Bring the almond powder, granulated sugar, one egg white and half of the wine together in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until homogeneous, add the rest of the wine and keep stirring for 1-2 more minutes. Remove from heat, let slightly cool and incorporate the last egg white and 50gr of the powdered sugar. Fill a pastry bag attached with a plain tip, pipe about 3cm-diameter balls of batter on parchment paper, dust with the remaining sugar and bake at preheated oven to 175C along with the cocoa crumble for approximately 5min. The last may be done sooner.

As soon as they are done start whisking the eggs and sugar needed for the genoise to thick ribbon stage and preheat the oven to 180C. When ready, fold in the flour mixed with the almond powder and vanilla, pour the batter in a 20cm-diameter cake ring and bake for 25-27min until the cake is risen in the middle and proved to be done by the toothpick test. For the syrup, which can be made anytime as long as it is cooled when used, boil sugar with water for a couple of minutes and for the mousseline first prepare its base as any pastry cream. Whisk eggs with flour and sugar until no lumps remain, warm the milk, and before boiling point temper with 1/3 of it the egg mixture. Return the combination to heat and stir continuously until boil. Remove from heat, soften the gelatin in cold water and incorporate it to the hot cream stirring until it is completely dissolved.

Then add the butter with the white chocolate, let the cream cool but not set, and in the meantime soak about half of the macaroons -cut to quarters- in the cointreau. As soon as the cream has cooled, fold in the whipped cream and incorporate the macaroon pieces. Place the crumble layer on the bottom of the cake ring -trimming optionally 5mm off the edges- and spread half of the mousse. Cover with half of the genoise (the second layer is not needed) moisten with the syrup, and fill with the rest of the mousseline on top. Refrigerate until set and finish with a whipped cream coating. Garnish with the remaining macaroons and cocoa crumbles.