Ingredients – makes 35 x 25 cm
sheets – 9 ingredients
2 medium sized eggs (100-110g)
800g flour
225g of butter (at least 80% fat, preferably unsalted)
150g sugar
3 tsp (20g) of bicarb soda
1 packet (20-25g) of vanillin sugar
1 finely grated lemon rind (whole lemon)
200ml whole milk
10g salt
Mousseline cream – 7 ingredients
500ml whole milk
2 whole eggs + 1 additional yolk
260g sugar
10g salt
60g cornstarch/cornflour
2 packet (40-50g) of vanillin sugar
350g butter (at least 82% fat, preferably unsalted)
Frosting – 4 ingredients
100g chocolate (50-60% cocoa)
150-200g white chocolate
30g butter
(optional) 120g roasted walnuts
Instructions
The Layers – 2h
1.1. After weighing the ingredients, turn the oven to 180°C fan forced (200°C conventional). If available, use fan forced to bake 2 sheets at the same time, reducing the baking time.
1.2. Soften the butter and put it into a bowl. Then add the salt, sugar, and vanillin sugar and mix it with a mixer until the butter becomes foamy(?) or smooth.
Note: it is not necessary for the butter to dissolve completely however it is important for the butter to lighten in colour and increase in volume.
1.3. Add one egg at a time and mix vigorously, do not add the second egg until the first is completely incorporated.
1.4. In another bowl, dissolve the bicarb soda in half the total amount of milk (100ml), then add the bicarb-milk combination into the butter and egg mixture and mix again. Even if the composition looks as it has been cut, it will not affect the final result
1.5. In a bowl, add the flour and grated lemon rinds. Once the lemon rinds are mixed well into the flour, even split into 3 batches and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate. Add the rest of the milk (100ml), split evenly among the 3 batches.
1.6. Once the wooden spoon is no longer useful, begin kneading with your hands.
Note: do not knead any more than necessary for homogenization, as soon as you see little to no dry traces of flour, it’s ready. Depending on the quality of the flour or size of the eggs, you may need a little more flour.
1.7. Once you have a homogeneous dough, divide it into 4 equal parts. (i had 1400g of dough, which gives about 350g per quarter)
1.8. Measure 4 sheets of baking paper to 35x25cm.
1.9. Sprinkle flour on the surface you’re working on. The first sheet of baking paper is spread to the desired size and then using the rolling pin to expand the ball of dough to the desired size. If it does not fit perfectly, cut off where there is too much and add where it is missing. Once done with all four, aerate the dough by poking small holes into it with something like a fork.
Note: As previously mentioned, i baked these two at a time in two batches. If you know your oven doesn’t bake evenly, it’s better to bake one at a time.
1.10. It takes 13 minutes to bake once in the oven. It’s best to stick around once they’re in the oven because they ready quickly, when the edges turn golden brown, they’re ready.
1.11. While hot, the pastry is very fragile, you must handle them carefully so they do not crack. Once cooled, they are like a solid biscuit. The dryness will help them become tender.
Note: these layers are very practical, they can be kept for 10-14 days in a cool pantry.
Mousseline Cream – 2h + 10h wait
2.1. From the amount of sugar, weigh 200g into a saucepan. Once in the saucepan, put the stove top on med/low heat. Slowly let the sugar caramelise without stirring. From time to time, tilt the pan so it caramelises evenly.
2.2. When the sugar is golden brown, becoming like toffee, pour 450ml of the total amount of milk in the saucepan above the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer. Stir from time to time (this will be very difficult at first), until the caramelised sugar is completely dissolved in the milk.
2.3. While the caramel milk is simmering, put the two eggs and additional yolk into another bowl. Add the salt (10g) and sugar (60g) with the aim to homogenise it all. The sugar doesn’t have to dissolve and it doesn’t have to turn into a cream either, everything just needs to be combined well. Once combined, add starch and combine before finally adding the remaining 50ml of milk and homogenising it too.
2.4. Once the sugar has dissolved in the milk, take the pan off the heat and pour the egg and starch mixture into the saucepan.
2.5. Put this composition back on low heat, stirring continuously until it thickens, take it off heat and continue to stir if unable to thicken.
2.6. Once thickened, turn it into a sieve over a clean bowl. Gently push it through the sieve, waiting patiently until it has all passed through. This is necessary as it is a boiled custard with eggs and it will help remove some solids of the yolk.
2.7. Once finished, add 100g of butter, in pieces to the warm cream. Mix until the butter is fully incorporated. Then add the 2 packets of vanillin sugar. Once homogenised, cover the cream with cling film and apply to the surface to prevent lumps forming.
2.8. Let the cream cool to room temperature and then put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or even overnight.
2.9. When the cream and sugar combination has cooled well, transfer it to a mixer bowl and wait 90 minutes. After those 90 minutes, add the cream/foams attachment to the mixer to make it smoother. Immediately, little by little, add bits of the remaining 250g of butter and mix on high speed until it’s all incorporated.
2.10. Once the cream is ready, put the solid layers into a (preferably glass) tin, before pouring in around a third of the cream. Once a third is poured in, even out the layers of cream as best you can until it’s about flat. Repeat this step until you’ve used all the cream, putting a final biscuit layer on top.
2.11. Once constructed this way, place in a cool pantry for at least 4-5 hours, ideally at least 8, with a layer of baking paper on top to absorb moisture.
Chocolate Topping – 1h
3.1. Melt the dark chocolate in a pot, along with the butter, in a double boiler (over a pot of boiling water). Once the chocolate is melted, stir and (optionally, add the roasted walnuts, chopped with a knife), and pour onto the cake, spreading with a spatula and flattening it
3.2. Transfer the white chocolate into a disposable bag, cut a small opening in the corner of the pouch, and draw thin lines of the desired pattern over the dark chocolate layer.