Edible Gold A 18K Ornament

 

The use of gold as food for sacred purposes came from the East about 5,000 years ago. Used for religious purposes in China and Japan, and several testimonies prove that it was widely used as a food to express gratitude to the gods in the time of the ancient Egyptians.

After losing its traces for a few centuries, we find it again, for purely decorative purposes, in Renaissance Europe of the 15th century, widespread during gallas organized by Lords and in palaces of the era. It was so widespread that it forced the Municipal Council of the city of Padua in 1500 to impose restrictive measures on its use.

Because gold is a noble metal, it does not react with the human body. It is safe to ingest because it is not absorbed during the digestion process. Its ingestion, on the other hand, has no nutritional or health benefits. Nowadays, edible gold is used in high gastronomy and pastry but also for the decoration of drinks, liqueurs and cocktails. Gives a special note of radiance and luxury. Its difference from the simple gold leaves is in its composition since it contains exclusively gold and silver while during its production process all hygienic measures are taken so that it is suitable for eating. Its taste is neutral while it has no side effects for the human body since you do not absorb it. It is available in 4 forms: powder, flakes, thick flakes and leaves.

Dobos Torte, Hungarian origin cake

FOR DOBOS SPONGE CAKE:

6 large eggs

75 g sugar

75 g icing sugar

150 g pastry/cake flour

40 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

FOR THE SYRUP:

115 g water

115 g sugar

a shot of Bourbon

FOR MOKA SMBC:

155 g egg whites

285 g sugar

375 g unsalted butter at room temperature

200 g 70% black chocolate, melted and cooled

few drops of coffee aroma

FOR CARAMEL

170 g sugar

40 g glucose or inverted sugar

a dash of fresh lemon juice

30 g unsalted butter at room temperature

 

Instructions

Make Dobos sponge cake.

Preheat oven to 410ºF/210ºC.

Draw circles 8 inch/20 cm in diameter on baking paper. We will be able to draw 2 for each sheet, but to bake them we will have to do it of 1 in 1 unless your trays are very wide.

Sift the flour, set aside.

In the bowl of the KitchenAid or a stand mixer, add the eggs along with the sugar and salt. Beat, increasing progressively the speed without reaching the maximum, until reaching the rippon stage* (see in NOTES).

Add vanilla and mix again for a few seconds.

Incorporate dry ingredients, little by little, with enveloping movements helping us with a spatula.

Finally, add the melted butter and integrate again with enveloping and soft movements.

Place the mixture in a piping bag.

Bake.

To prevent the ends of the paper from lifting or moving when you pipe the batter, place a few small "points" of batter in the corners. In this way the paper will remain fixed.

Remember to place the paper with the painted area facing down.

Cut the tip of the piping bag and pipe the batter. Make a rectangle and then fill the inside trying to exert the same pressure all the time. We will make a circle following the pattern we have drawn. Then fill the interior trying to exert the same pressure at all times.

If we have any holes left, we can use a spatula to smooth the surface.

In total we need to make 7 discs. In my case I got 8, will depend on the pressure you exert when squaring the dough.

Place in the oven for 5-6 minutes. We will see that it acquires a light golden color for the surface.

Remove from the oven and let it cool completely on a rack.

Repeat the process with the rest of the cake discs.

If we are going to use them the next day, once it is completely cold, cover it with film and leave it at room temperature.

Make the syrup.

Pour the water  with the sugar in a saucepan. Place at medium heat and let it boil. The sugar should be completely dissolved.

Once it comes to the boil, turn off the heat and let it cool completely.

Place the syrup in a bottle with the help of a funnel, add Bourbon to taste, close and shake to mix well.

Set aside at room temperature.

Make Moka Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

Melt the black chocolate in a water-bath. Set aside.

In a heat-resistant bowl, add the egg whites along with the sugar.

Place on a water-bath at medium low heat. Stirring constantly, leave until the egg whites reach 165ºF/74ºC. For it we will help ourselves of a digital thermometer.

Remove from the heat, pour the egg whites into the bowl of the KitchenAid or a stand mixer and whip at medium high speed until a firm and shiny meringue is obtained.

Once we have the firm meringue, begin to add the butter cut into squares little by little and at the same time the mixer continues whipping.

Once we have all the butter added, increase the speed and finish whipping.

Stop, scrap the cream with the help of a spatula.

Turn the kneader back on, speed 1, and add the chocolate in a fine continuous thread along with the coffee essence. Taste and rectify until the desired flavor is achieved.

Whip again at high speed until the ingredients are fully integrated.

Fill.

To give a round finish to the sponge cakes, since piping will not have that luck, place a plate on the cake and cut the edges.

Reserve one of the discs for the final decoration. Wrap it in film to prevent it from drying out.

Place a disc to serve the cake on a rotating cake stand. Under the disc place a piece of anti-slip so that it does not move.

Put a small amount of SMBC and place the first disc.

Soak with syrup, be generous.

Put 2 tablespoons of SMBC and spread with the help of a spatula. We will try to leave it as smooth as possible.

Place another disc of sponge cake and press lightly. Repeat the same process as the previous time. Soak in syrup and spread a layer of SMBC.

We make this same step with all the layers. Remember to reserve a sponge disc!

Spread the SMBC with a spatula over the entire surface and remove the excess with the help of an edge smoother. This layer will help us to "pick up" possible crumbs from the cake that could come to the surface when we decorate it.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes for the SMBC to harden.

Remove from the cold, place another layer of SBMC all over the surface, smooth out the excess and cool for 60 minutes.

At this point, we can leave it refrigerated until the next day. In my case that's what I did.

Cover the rest of SMBC with film and leave it at room temperature in winter, not summer.

Make the caramel.

Put the sponge cake we had reserved on a silpat or teflon sheet. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan or a large saucepan, add the sugar together with the glucose or invert sugar and the lemon juice.

Place at medium-low heat and let it begin to melt. Once it begins to caramelize, stir often to prevent some areas from burning. Reduce the heat a little if necessary.

Once we have a golden caramel, add the butter and stir well until completely dissolved.

Remove from the heat and poured on the cake. Spread with the help of a spatula to cover the entire surface and prevent the top layer is too thick.

With the help of a sharp and long knife, well spread in butter, make the cuts. In total we will have to obtain 12 triangles. You will probably have to butter the knife more than once. Leave a bowl nearby with a little quantity to be able to work fast, otherwise the caramel will begin to harden and will be very difficult to cut.

Let it cool completely.

Finish decorating the cake.

Take the cake out of the fridge. With the help of a spatula, cut the superior surplus of SMBC.

Spread a small amount of SMBC over the top and smooth. This will give a smooth and beautiful finish to the top.

Introduce the SMBC in a piping bag with a Wilton 1M tip (or the one you prefer).

With the help of a knife, draw the cuts on the top of the cake. In total we will make 12 triangles. This makes it much easier to decorate the cake.

Pipe a pile of SMBC in each triangle, the ideal is to pipe it in the right side of the triangle.

With the help of a knife, finish separating the caramel triangles and remove the surplus, cutting it, that they can have.

Place in the upper part of the cake, having as pattern the marks that we have made previously. The final aspect will be very similar to a pinwheel.

Pipe a small amount of SMBC in the center, decorate with caramel threads and edible gold leaf.

In a mortar, put caramel leftovers and crush it.

Decorate the sides with this caramel powder.

The ideal is to consume the cake at room temperature, the cream will have better texture. Otherwise, refrigerate until we need it. But remember to temper it about 5-6 hours before consuming it if it is winter.

 

Recipe Source and more tips: bake street