Chocolate hedgehog cake

[Lior]

Chocolate Hedgehog Cake picture

I wonder if anyone knows how to do this pointy hedgehog merangue looking decoration? It is a gluten free cake and the store says:

chocolate torte, different chocolate mousses and nut merangue. An aquaintence of mine asked...

Thanks

Edited April 28, 2009 by nakji (log)

[Darienne]

If you decide you want to make the hedgehog spikes out of Mexican paste, I have the Nicholas Lodge book out of the library...on ILL... I can send you a photo of his hedgehogs.

Mexican Paste is made from icing sugar, gum tragacanth, glucose and water. I can send the recipe.

I would warn you that Lodge's hedgehogs are incredibly labor intensive and you're probably better off if you can get your original recipe.

[Darienne]

This is the online recipe from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. The meringue is up in spikey bits on top of the pomegranate curd, but I think it would be the same thing.

Swiss Meringue

Ingredients

6 large egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Lightly whisk egg whites and sugar together over simmering water until egg white mixture is hot to touch or a candy thermometer reads 140°F.

2. Pour hot whites into the bowl of a stand mixer or any large bowl if you’re going to mix by hand or use electric beaters. Beat until double in volume and thick and glossy, holding firm peaks that just curl at the tip. Quickly beat in vanilla extract.

3. Spoon evenly or pipe decoratively over tarts. Brown meringue with a kitchen or blow torch or place tarts on a baking sheet in a preheated 375 F oven for about 15 minutes until meringue is browned.

Omigod I got the photo up online for you.

Edited April 26, 2009 by Darienne (log)

[Lisa Shock]

It looks like a meringue that has been dusted with cocoa. They probably just put in a small amount of nut flour, my guess is that it's far less nut flour than used in macaroons.

Either they piped out the spikes and baked them, and then placed them on top the mousse, finally dusting with cocoa. Or, they piped it onto the mousse and used a torch or salamander to lightly cook it (like baked alaska) before dusting with cocoa.

[Darienne]

It looks like a meringue that has been dusted with cocoa. They probably just put in a small amount of nut flour, my guess is that it's far less nut flour than used in macaroons.

Either they piped out the spikes and baked them, and then placed them on top the mousse, finally dusting with cocoa. Or, they piped it onto the mousse and used a torch or salamander to lightly cook it (like baked alaska) before dusting with cocoa.

←

I found a salamander online...but why would it be called that? It bears no resemblance to a salamander. Curious.

[Lisa Shock]

Several kitchen items actually share the name salamander. I have an Escoffier book showing it to be a long-handled tool that hot coals get placed on, then it gets waved over the tops of food to brown/crisp them.

Nowadays, it's a broiler/oven.

HERE's a link to a site with a pretty good explanation.

[Lior]

Thanks guys! And thanks for the picture-it is amazing!!!

[Darienne]

Several kitchen items actually share the name salamander. I have an Escoffier book showing it to be a long-handled tool that hot coals get placed on, then it gets waved over the tops of food to brown/crisp them.

Nowadays, it's a broiler/oven.

HERE's a link to a site with a pretty good explanation.

←

Thanks. That's a fascinating website.

[Lior]

I just finished reading the site about salamandar! Wow! Incredibly fascinating! Thank you!