Délices et Caprices: Let them eat cake !!! Gâteau Marjolaine (leçon)

This is the first lesson of the series of French pâtisserie.

Gâteau Marjolaine is an “old fashioned” cake, as it is the masterpiece of the revolutionner of the French nouvelle cuisine, Fernand Point’s (1897-1955) La Pyramide (3-starrred Michelin restaurant in Vienne, near Lyon), that I wonder still permissible– even if Marie Antoinette had uttered “let them eat cake”, wouldn’t she have approved of mere commoners reveling in the luscious, riveting Gâteau Marjolaine, and the least on the dessert plate of my home table…

Sinfully luxurious (that’s why I should love to let the one, if there is one, to eat it… and spare myself…) – five creamy layers of chocolate ganache (x5 or 4), praline (exquisite !) butter cream (x1) , Gianduja (or Gianduia, milk chocolate containing 30% hazelnuts, of Piedmontese origin) butter cream (x1) , almond and hazelnut meringue (the barely perceptible crunch x5) tucked between each layer.

But in the making it was extremely daunting task to me the novice. (creams to make and to handle with a spatula... spreading evenly and nicely is not that easy! )

Here is not the classroom recipe but better still Fernard Point's original recipe, in his all time classic, "Ma Gastronomie" (I have the English version)

MARJOLAINE (La Pyramide’s Famous Cake)

"This cake is one of Fernard Point’s masterpieces. Years of trial-and-error experimentation into its creation – not to mention hundred pounds of ingredients – before he was satisfied that he had achieved just the right combination of tastes and textures and could serve it proudly to his guests. His original recipe called for quantities four times those given here and produced a cake large enough to serve both the luncheon and dinner guests on any average day. This recipe will generously serve twelve to sixteen persons.

Roast 2 cups (200g) of blanched almonds and 1 ½ cups (150 g) of hazelnuts on two separate tins in the oven. When the hazelnuts are roasted, rub off all their skins. Grind the almonds and the hazelnuts together and add 1 ½ cups (300g) of sugar and scant1/4 cup (30 g) of flour.

Beat 8 egg whites until stiff and fold them gently into the nut mixture. Divide the mixture into four long, narrow hands (approximately4 x 12 inch / 10 by 10 cm each) on buttered baking sheets. Bake them in a slow oven for about 45 mins or until they are crisp on top but still pliable. Cool.

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The cake will be stacked in layers with the following fillings:

1) A chocolate cream made by mixing 1 cup (250ml) of crème fraiche into 12 ounces (300g) of melted semi-sweet chocolate. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, then remove from the heat and let it cool.

2) A butter cream made by carefully blending about 1 cup (250ml) of sweetened whipped cream should first be drained in a sieve of as much water as possible and added to the butter very slowly and gradually until the butter will not absorb any more cream.

3) A praline butter cream made by adding 1/3 to ½ cup (75-100g) of praline powder to another mixture of filling No. 2 above.

Spread half of the chocolate cream mixture onto the first layer, top with the second layer and spread with all of the butter cream, top with the third layer and spread with all of the praline butter cream, then top with the fourth layer and frost the entire cake with the remaining chocolate cream mixture. Sprinkle some shaved chocolate on the sides and refrigerate for 24 hours

Dust the top with confectioner’s sugar before serving."

(photo : emblematic Pyramide, Vienne - motif, dusting icing sugar on stencil on top of the gateau)

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