Almond and Strawberry Gâteau

This stunning Almond and Strawberry Gâteau is the perfect combination of sweet and tart, with layers of moist almond cake with strawberry jam and covered with a delicious white chocolate rocher. The combination of flavors and textures is absolutely divine, making it a show-stopping dessert that is sure to impress, perfect for any special occasion or date night! This gâteau is sure to be a hit with anyone who tries it. So why wait? Let’s get started on this delicious treat!

The very base of this recipe is the gâteau. But what is a gâteau?

A gâteau is a type of cake, often made with layers of cake, cream or fruit, and frosting or glaze. The word “gâteau” is French for cake, and many gâteaux are inspired by French desserts. Gâteaux can be made in a variety of flavors and styles, and are often served on special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, and holidays.

How To Make Almond And Strawberry Gâteau?

We’re going to make this cake one component at a time, starting with the Almond Cake. Ingredients are almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, icing sugar, and granulated sugar.

Preheat oven to 180’C / 356’F. Place almond flour into a mixing bowl and break it down with a spatula if there are any clumps. Sift in all-purpose flour, icing sugar, and baking powder. Add white sugar then mix everything using a spatula. Set aside.

For the wet ingredients, you’ll need egg yolks, whole milk, heavy cream and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl combine, whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil then whisk everything together.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk everything until well incorporated. Set this mixture aside.

Meringue is what makes this cake airy and spongy.

And to make that, mix granulated sugar and egg replacement powder together. This powder will make the meringue sturdy. If you don’t have it, use cream of tartar or you can just leave it if you don’t have both. In another bowl, place egg whites and beat them using an electric mixer at low speed. When it starts to form big air bubbles you can start adding the white sugar mixture one teaspoon at a time, about 15 seconds in each addition. Turn the speed to medium-high when you finish adding the sugar mixture. Keep beating until you reach soft peaks.

Add 1/3 of the meringue into the cake batter and fold them together. Add the rest of the meringue to the batter when everything is incorporated. Continue to mix them gently using a folding method to keep the meringue from deflating.

Transfer this mixture to a baking 22 cm X 18 cm pan lined with parchment paper. Level the batter with an offset spatula and gently tap the pan to release big air bubbles.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Stick a toothpick and when it comes out clean that means it’s ready. Let the cake cool on a cooling rack.

Cut the sides of the cake using a serrated knife.

Cut them into equal pieces about 2.5 cm by 8 cm.

Place them in a container lined with plastic. Make sure that the cakes are not touching each other so they won’t stick. Cover them with plastic wrap and freeze them until they’re firm.

To make the Rocher Glaze, you’ll need white chocolate chips, vegetable oil, food coloring powder, and chopped almond nuts.

Place white chocolate chips and oil in a bowl and melt them in the microwave or double boiler.

Add chocolate coloring and chopped almond nuts. Mix everything together to make the glaze and bring it to 28-30’C. Transfer this mixture to a deep rectangle container.

Remove the cakes from the freezer. These cakes or gâteau will be covered with rocher glaze later. Unfortunately, you cannot refrigerate the gâteau after the glaze application as they will harden.

So take out just as much as you need. See below notes on how to store almond cake.

One at a time, dip the cakes into the rocher glaze. This could go messy real quick so what you can do is stick two toothpicks or a small knife on the top of each cake, but don’t poke them through. Use this as your holder when you dip the cakes into the glaze.

Keep the top part of the cakes unglazed. Place the cakes in a pan lined with parchment paper. Now the gâteau is almost ready. Set them aside.

Brush the top part of the cakes with strawberry jam.

Decorate the cakes with chantilly cream. This chantilly recipe can cover all 16 gâteau. If you’re serving this dessert to a small crowd you can divide this recipe into 3. 1/3 of this chantilly recipe is good for 5-6 gatâeu.

For this you’ll need heavy whipping cream and icing sugar.

To make the chantilly cream, beat heavy whipping cream and icing sugar until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a pastry bag with saint honoré tip. If you don’t have this tip, you can cut the pastry bag as shown in the photo below. 

Place the pastry bag on top of the gâteau at a 45-degree angle. Start piping the cream with an S motion until you covered the top of the cake just as shown in the picture.

Decorate with freeze-dried strawberry bits and dried edible rose petals.

Serve and enjoy

NOTE:

There are several reasons why meringue may not have reached soft peaks. It may be because you added the sugar too early or too quickly. It could also be because you did not beat the egg whites long enough or you may have overbeaten it.  To make the meringue sturdy, use an egg replacer or cream of tartar powder. Ensure your mixing bowl is free of any liquids, fats, and oils. To make sure your bowl is clear of any of these, use a paper towel and a tiny bit of vinegar to wipe it. Wipe the whisk as well.

To store Almond cakes, transfer them to an airtight container and place them in the fridge for up to 3 months.

To store untouched Rocher Glaze, transfer it to an airtight jar or container. This can last up to a few weeks at room temperature. Just reheat and temper it back to 28-30’C whenever you need it. 

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @missconfections on Instagram and hashtag it #missconfections.