Peach Chamomille Mousse Cakes

By á-114543

The two different mousses start with the same base, a pate a bombe for which I flavored the sugar syrup with a good handful of dried chamomille buds (organic, usually by the bulk teas), and added pureed peaches to half of the mousse base.

Ingredients

• LEMON OLIVE OIL CAKES:
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup egg whites (about 3-4)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• Zest of one lemon, grated
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• CHAMOMILLE AND PEACH MOUSSES:
• 1.5 tablespoons powdered gelatin
• 7 tablespoons water, divided
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons dried organic chamomille buds
• 3/4 to 1 cup peach puree (I process 2 to 3 cut peaches until finely pureed)

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 45mins
Cooking time 65mins
Adapted from tarteletteblog.com

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare the cakes:

Preheat oven to 300°F and position a rack in the center.

In a bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients for the cake. Set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg whites and the milk. Make a well in the center of the flour mix and slowly add in the egg white mixture while stirring with a whisk. Add lemon juice, zest and the olive oil. Mix with a whisk until smooth. Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper, lightly spray with cooking spray and pour in the batter.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes back clean. Let cool and cut out four 3-inch rounds to fit your cake rings (extra cakes freeze well for up to 3 months). Line 4 cake rings with rhodoid or plastic sheets cut to fit and place your cake bases at the bottom. Place the rings on a baking tray and set aside.

Prepare the mousses:

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons of water and let stand while you prepare the pate a bombe.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or hand held beaters), beat the cream until it holds soft peaks. Chill it while you prepare the mousse base. Wash your bowl and whisk attachment.

In a heavy saucepan, stir together 5 tablespoons of water, sugar and chamomille buds. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Since you are not making caramel, it is ok to stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Let it boil and bring the mixture to 238°F on thermometer (soft-ball stage). Strain the syrup to remove the chamomille over a container with a spout (makes it easier to pour over the egg yolks)

In the clean bowl of your mixer, still using the whisk attachment, beat the yolks slightly to break them up. Increase the speed to medium high and slowly pour the hot syrup over the yolks. Go fast enough to prevent the eggs from scrambling but not so fast that you end up with most of the syrup on the wall of the bowl or the whisk. Dissolve the gelatin in the microwave for 10-12 seconds and quickly add it to the pate a bombe. Continue to whip until the mass is completely cold and airy.
Fold about one third of the pate a bombe base into the chilled whipped cream to loosen it up and make it easier to incorporate homogeneously. Fold in the remaining pate a bombe.

Assemble: Divide the mixture in half and carefully fold the peach puree into one part. Spoon or pipe the chamomille mousse over the cake base and do the same with the peach mousse. Refrigerate or freeze until set.

Tips:

Notes: I build these cakes in 3-inch wide entremet or mousse cake rings but you could build one single cake in a 8-inch round or 8x8-inch cake pan. Only the look will be different. Instead of using rhodoid to line the rings, (nothing against it, just did not have any on hand), I used a much less expensive medium: plastic proctector sheets (yes the ones used around the office to protect documents) and cut them to fit the inside of the rings. I did brush the cake base with Limoncello but you can skip this step if you wish.