The Supreme eG Pastry and Baking Challenge (Round 1)

[Ling]

I had a wierd idea of slicing the pineapple thinly and lining the insides of rings, then piping the cake batter inside.

←

Similar to your idea, I was thinking of wrapping the pineapple carpaccio around the (already baked) slice of jelly roll.

This is what I'm envisioning:

-a thick slice of jelly roll as the base, with the cherry confit jam stuff as the filling

-layer of pineapple mousse

-a slice of pineapple carpaccio that's sliced down the middle lengthwise, then wrapped around the cake so the uneven edges are facing up, and the straight edge is touching the plate...I am hoping this will look like a pineapple ruffle

-caramel sauce on the plate...or ground brittle?

I would like to make the cherry ice-cream and the oven-dried pineapple too, but I can't figure out how to plate it with the cake so they don't look like two separate desserts. If I made a pineapple cup and filled it with cherry ice-cream and set it next to the cake, it would look kind of odd...opinions?

Edited September 27, 2006 by Ling (log)

[Renee K]

Oh, what a fun thread! I'm lovin' it...

My immediate feelings about PUDC is that it's very much a 70s thing... ya know... Or at least in Asia it is. I remember that was when we started having more "Western" baking books etc here... and nearly everyone of them books had a PUDC recipe And yeah, that red maraschino cherry is always present in the photo... but always just as a decoration / finishing touch / to add some color.

Have to admit I never did like the PUDC cake. Just never appealed to me. So, I'm really looking forward to this updated version.

Ling, I like the jelly roll component. Just a thought... using a recipe that includes a little bit of oil (sort of in between a classic sponge and a chiffon) would make for better rollability I think.

[Ling]

I guess now would be a good time to ask for a tried-and-true jelly roll recipe! I looked at a couple today...one of them has 15 egg yolks and less than a cup of flour...

[Rebecca263]

Lorna, don't forget, it can't be so precious that it can't become a new classic. You're tweaking a classic to update it, not for us all to have a long distance affair with it! Artists, sheesh.

[Chufi]

this is going to be my new favorite topic. I can't wait to see what Lorna will come up with! Thanks Kerry for this exciting thread!

[Kerry Beal]

this is going to be my new favorite topic. I can't wait to see what Lorna will come up with! Thanks Kerry for this exciting thread!

←

Klary,

You're back. How was the pacific Northwest?

[Chufi]

this is going to be my new favorite topic. I can't wait to see what Lorna will come up with! Thanks Kerry for this exciting thread!

←

Klary,

You're back. How was the pacific Northwest?

←

It was fantastic. Lots of great desserts , and I even had the good fortune to taste one of Lorna's! I will have to be looking at desserts only for a time though, I'm afraid, instead of eating them, which makes this thread even more welcome.

[K8memphis]

I agree that the cherry was only for looks--the lonely naked hole inside of the pineapple begged for something. The cherry was not a flavor component--it was just a visual. As if it needed a sweet bit of anything added but anyway.

And umm, Ling. you said crunch something praline crunch or something --yes yes yes it needs some bit of that. When I made mine the carmelization went to light crunch stage in a good way. A streusal topping might be too stuffy? You'd get the crunch and the brown sugar.

Oops, I never got Mom's jelly roll recipe. Nick says use genoise. Mom's had to be loaded with egg yolks 'cause they were very yellow and red creatures all coiled around like two sweet snakes cuddling.

I make tea rings every Christmas and all I use for filling is butter and brown sugar and some flour to keep it from running out. That flavor is key to p-i-n-e-a-p-p-l-e u-p-s-i-d-e-d-o-w-n c-a-k-e.

Spelled out especially for FistFullaRoux^^^^

edited to say: you said ground brittle not praline--yes but little chunks would even be cool. What about a sprinkle of spiced walnuts? The nut protein helps balance out all that sweetness ~~ just a thought.

Edited September 27, 2006 by K8memphis (log)

[miladyinsanity]

Okay, everybody wants an actual PUDC...

Can't you line your jellyroll pan with pineapple slices, pour the cake batter on top and bake? Since you don't plan to actually roll the thing, it shouldn't be a problem, right?

And once I type my jellyroll recipe into RecipeGullet, I'll come back and post a link. This one does actually roll, which I can attest to because I've managed to roll one after dozens (slight exaggeration here) of attempts. It only uses 4 eggs too.

ETA: Spongeroll recipe

Edited September 27, 2006 by miladyinsanity (log)

[Ling]

Sorry, May and Rebecca, I'm set on slightly fancying-up the old classic. As much as I want to stay true to the flavours, I couldn't compromise too much and come up with something I think is too easy and boring. Who says the jelly roll and mousse can't be a new classic? I don't think it sounds out of reach for the average home baker. Just because I was a klutz and got discouraged 10 years ago when my jelly roll cracked doesn't mean there aren't plenty of home bakers out there who can't do mighty fine jelly rolls!

If the construction sounds too complicated, one could always skip the pineapple carpaccio (which, btw, I've decided this morning should be an oven-dried pineapple ruffle, so it'll be sturdier) and just fill the jelly roll with the mousse and roll.

K8--the butter and brown sugar filling sounds interesting. I assume you just cook the two on the stove before brushing it on the jelly roll? That's another option. I still want to include cherries somehow, even if their flavour isn't integral to the cake, because so many people associate the maraschino cherries with this dessert. I might confit some cherries in the spiced port, then skewer them one by one and dip them in caramel, and let the caramel strand harden into a spike, and lean that against the cake. Yeah, that sounds good to me. Got the caramel in there too.

I'm scrapping the cherry ice-cream. Still using the oven-dried pineapple, but as the ruffle around the cake.

[Renee K]

Ling,

Here are 2 jelly roll (Swiss rolls to us ) recipes. One has an additional chemical leavener on top of the rising action of the eggs.

Sorry the recipes are in metric only...

Swiss Roll I

200g eggs -- separated

120g caster (superfine) sugar

125g cake flour

1/2 t baking powder

40g oil

sift flour and baking powder together twice

whisk egg whites till foamy, and gradually add the sugar.

at soft peaks, add the yolks gradually and continue whisking to ribbon stage

fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the oil

pour into 28cm x 36cm (11 x 14 inch) or 25 x 36cm (10 x 14 inch) swiss roll pan

bake at 200C (ummm... I think that's about 400F??) for about 8-10 minutes, depending on oven. Do not overbake

Swiss Roll II

200g eggs

85g caster (superfine) sugar

90g cake flour

55g oil

sift flour twice

whisk eggs and sugar together until ribbon stage

gently fold in the flour, followed by the oil

pour into 10 x 14 inch swiss roll pan

bake at 200C (400F) for about 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake.

Personally, I actually prefer working with a sponge mix (flour with added emulsifiers)... I find that gives a very nice, soft and fluffy texture... and is very easy to work with in the rolling department. But I'm not sure if you can get hold of sponge mix flours there. If you like, I can dig up that recipe too.

[ps. I'll be posting the recipes in recipegullet too... just as soon as I go off now to find out how to do that ]

ETA: http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1810.html

http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1811.html

Edited September 27, 2006 by Renee K (log)

[Pam R]

[ps. I'll be posting the recipes in recipegullet too... just as soon as I go off now to find out how to do that  ]

ETA: http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1810.html

http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1811.html

←

[thanks]

[Swisskaese]

I still think that sponge roll needs ice cream. It is a shame you don't want to try the brown sugar ice cream.

Brown Sugar Ice Cream

Edited September 27, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Ling]

^The ice-cream recipe looks great! I have no problem doing ice-cream...I just don't know how to arrange it on the plate so that it looks pretty.

Thanks also for the Swiss cake rolls! I will try those recipes soon, but I had to get going on my cake before I start work, so the cake is already baked. I basically combined a standard jelly roll (genoise) recipe with a Julia Child recipe that includes some oil. The entire recipe will be posted in Recipe Gullet, but here are the ingredients I used. I guess you can call it a sponge cake. I had a bit of batter leftover so I baked it in a muffin tin, and the cupcake turned out great--beautiful even crumb, moist, and eggy. Tasty! I'm happy with it.

Sponge:

-5 eggs, separated

-5 tbsp vegetable oil

-1 cup of cake flour, sifted

-1 tsp. baking soda

-1/2 tsp salt

-1 tsp vanilla

-3/4 cup sugar

The cake is in its tea towel (well, actually a clean pillowcase) cooling and I don't think there will be any cracks, but we'll see when it cools and I pull off the pillowcase...

[Rebecca263]

Brown sugar and butter, yes, yes, YES! Maybe you can make a hard sauce of a sort with these components and rum?

[ludja]

So many interesting ideas...

Here's another that I've been pictured for fun...

(It's not really complicated in execution although it took me too many words to describe it.) It's only relation to pineapple upside down cake is the combination of flavors and that there is cooked pineapple that permeates the cake. An additional flavor is kirsch with the pineapple.

Overview: A split yellow cake filled with a cooked pineapple filling that is flavored with kirsch and mixed with small cubes of cake. I would use a technique to split and fill the cake as is used in an Austrian Cake called "Punschtorte" and would ice the cake with a caramel icing made with brown sugar, butter and cream. Garnish with kirsch soaked cherries.

Details: Bake a genoise-style cake that will be about 3 inches high. Cut off the bottom of the cake leaving it about ¾ inch thick. Set the bottom aside.

For the remaining top piece of cake, slice off the top 1/2 inch layer and set that aside.

Now you have a "middle round piece of cake" that would be about 2 inches thick. Cut out a smaller circle of cake within that piece. If it is a 9 inch round, cut out an 8 or 8 1/2 inch circle. Take the remaining "ring of cake" that results and lay it on top of the bottom round of cake. You now have a cake ‘container’ that can be filled.

Take the 8 inch round of cake that you cut out from the center section and cut it up into small cubes and set aside.

Make a cooked pineapple fillilng and flavor it with kirsch. When cool, gently mix the pineapple filling with the cubed pieces of cake. (Maybe the cake pieces should also be soaked in a kirsch syrup.) Place this pineapple/cubed cake filling in the "container" formed by the original cake bottom that has the cake "ring" on top of it. Finally, place the original top part of the cake as a lid on top of it all.

Cover the whole cake with a caramel icing. Garnish with kirsch soaked cherries.

(Typically the Punschtorte filling is just the cubed cake pieces soaked in a rum and citrus juice flavored-syrup. Also the assembled cake is usually weighted down a bit before icing the cake; maybe this should be done here also.)

The fillilng should be moist enough to flavor the cake pieces well. Cover the cake in a Southern caramel icing and garnish with kirsch soaked cherries.

Just a crazy idea! (While I can't guarantee in my mind that this variation would work, the original Punschtorte is a delcious cake!)

edited to add: Have fun, Ling! Your ideas sound great.

Edited September 27, 2006 by ludja (log)

[ludja]

...

Looking back on it now the things that I remember most were the caramelized sauce, the pineapple, and the cake.  I might suggest that it be served as a tall slice(say about 1 1/4 inch thick) of a yellow cake jelly role filled with pineapple mint mouse.  The slice of cake would be topped with a brown sugar caramelized pineapple slice and a maraschino cherry in the center.  A light caramelized sauce could be drizzled over the pineapple and cake.  The cake could be accompanied by a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream and of course strong black coffee and wonderful conversation with good friends.

←

I like this too. It is different and elegant but close to the original in having a carmelized slice of pineapple on top. This would look very pretty.

[Varmint]

If you make the jellyroll vertical, couldn't you end up constructing something using the pineapple carpaccio that actually looks like a fresh pineapple?

[Chris Amirault]

I'll get brick-bats for this suggestion from some quarters, but here goes nuthin'.

Given that you're leaning heavily toward sage, there's a little voice in my addled brain urging you to smoke that oven-dried pineapple a bit. Or, perhaps, just sprinkle on a little smoked salt? Or even smoked sugar?

(ducks)

[phlawless]

how bout this:

subing a bit of smokey bacon fat into your crust...it would work beautifully with the sage and the pineapple

[Ling]

ludja: That's a very creative idea. When I was looking through the Eurodelice book yesterday, I came across something similar where they had an Riesling cake with a cake bottom and three stacked rings of marzipan going up the side, leaving a void in the center for the Riesling cream. Then slices of apple are fanned out around the top. I thought that might be workable for the PUDC interpretation too. But alas, I only have one shot at this! So many great ideas, though...

Varmint: I won't be standing up the entire jelly roll vertically, just slicing a piece and laying it flat on the plate. But if I cut a nice thick portion, it will kind of look like a pineapple with the ruffle around it.

chrisamirault: I don't have a smoker! And I don't know how to start a bbq grill...

So here's the jelly roll! Look! No cracks! I haven't sliced off the ends yet and you can still see the parchment. I have to go to work now, so the rest of the project will have to wait til tomorrow...

ETA: The white stuff is dessicated coconut. I just used a little bit because I didn't realize I was out of icing sugar.

Edited September 27, 2006 by Ling (log)

[chiantiglace]

And umm, Ling. you said crunch something praline crunch or something --yes yes yes it needs some bit of that. When I made mine the carmelization went to light crunch stage in a good way. A streusal topping might be too stuffy? You'd get the crunch and the brown sugar.

I'd like to use a bed of roughly ground ginger snap cookies to hold a quenelle of cherry ice cream. I think that will add flavor, the desired texture and appearance for the frozen component.

[Ling]

how bout this:

subing a bit of smokey bacon fat into your crust...it would work beautifully with the sage and the pineapple

←

What crust? Tart crust? The tart crust is no more...I'm doing the jelly roll and pineapple mousse now.

[phlawless]

sorry...I haven't followed the entire thread.

some candied bacon would be lovely as well

[Ling]

I'd like to use a bed of roughly ground ginger snap cookies to hold a quenelle of cherry ice cream.  I think that will add flavor, the desired texture and appearance for the frozen component.

←

That's a good idea. If I don't do the ground ginger snap cookies, I could just put the ice-cream on ground brittle for the caramel flavour.

This also means that I'll have to wait til bf comes up here with the ice-cream maker on Friday...which means by then, my cake won't be fresh. But that's OK, I can just use this one as a test cake and try filling it with mousse...then bake a fresh cake on Friday.