The Great British Bake Off is one my favorite shows, inspiring new bakes, new flavors, and new techniques! Join me on my journey to bake through all the Season 13 Challenges.
Since replicating Season 8 of the Great British Bake Off wasn’t enough, I decided to try my hand at a different season! This time, I am working on season 13 which is the most recent season! This season had some great bake ideas as well as some not-so-great ones (but we’ll get there when we get there).
So, I figured, let’s do this all again! One of the big challenges I wanted to attempt this time around was coming up with original ideas for the signature and showstopper challenges instead of doing a recreation. On your mark… Get set… Bake!
It has been a long voyage, but I have made it to week nine of baking my way through season 13 of the Great British Bake Off! The signature challenge was one I was really looking forward to: Mini Charlottes! From what I gather, mini charlottes are typically made up of mousses or custards and wrapped in cake strips or ladyfingers.
For this dessert, I wanted to go with flavors I do not typically work with. I decided to go with a tropical feeling. I made mousses out of mango and lychee. This is my first time really using lychee in baking. Which is weird because I love lychee. It is my favorite fruit as it really embodies a lot of my childhood.
Check out the Season 13 Great British Bake Off Page to see other bakes from this series or the Make section for more recipes! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think and how the recipe works for you!
Ingredients
For what feels like a simple dessert, there are a surprising amount of ingredients. Well, a lot of them are used in all the dishes (the mousses are basically identical except for the fruit puree). But still a good amount of ingredients. I just discovered that full lychee fruit in a can is a thing! So excited.
Process
Savoiardi Sponge
The first step of this process was making the savoiardi sponge which is something I have never made before. And new experiences are scary. But exciting. I do like finding good new recipes. I was nervous about this recipe because there was no leavening agent and I typically struggle with those types of recipes. But I still had to try!
The savoiardi sponges are important because they wrap around the body of the mini charlottes. They act as a barrier for all the delicious insides.
To start, I whipped up the egg whites into a fluffy mass. This is important because the air whipped in the eggs is going to be one of the main ways to bring air into the sponge without a leavening agent.
In another bowl, I whisked together the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and lemon extract. I wanted to whip the egg yolks because I thought it would bring more air into the mixture. I then folded the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites. The folding method is good for keeping the air in the egg whites.
Then the flour, cornstarch, and salt were sifted over the egg mixture. Once again, I folded one mixture into the other. Trying my best to keep the air in the mixture.
I put the mixture into a piping back and because to pipe out strips next to each other. I was aiming for a certain length and width so it could go around the mini charlottes. Then it was time to bake. They did not keep shape as well as I was hoping for, but I set the savoiardi sponge to the cool before putting them in the acetate molds.
Mango Mousse
I have made several mousses before, but I wanted to go with some flavors I haven’t tried. And the first one is mango! I started by soaking in the gelatin. I know I could make mousse without gelatin, but I was not very successful last time so I’m sticking to the easier method.
Then I put half of the mango puree into the pan. I blended the good parts of the mango to get the puree. Straining the mango after blending is important to get a smooth texture. With the mango puree on the stove, I added in sugar and let the sugar dissolve over a low heat.
The pan was removed from the stove, and I added in the gelatin. I stirred the mixture until the gelatin was fully dissolved. The remaining puree was added to help cool down the mixture.
While the puree mixture was cooling, I whipped up the heavy whipping cream to make a light and fluffy texture. Once the puree mixture had cooled down enough, I folded it into the cream to make the mousse that with be the base layer for my mini charlottes.
I poured the mousse into the middle of the savoiardi sponge and then set it in the fridge to set.
Lychee Mousse
The process for the lychee mousse was the same as the mango mousse. The only difference was that I used lychee fruit instead of mango. I had to cook down the lychee a little more than the mango since it has more water in the fruit.
Since fresh lychee is not available all year round, I decided to go with a canned variety. This is my first time really working with canned fruit so I wasn’t too sure what I should expect. But it turned out great! I am excited to incorporate more lychee into my desserts.
Raspberry Custard – Chocolate Dome
The last (and top) layer for the mini charlottes is a raspberry custard dome covered in a white chocolate shell. I know I have struggled with chocolate in the past so of course I decided to use it again. Why don’t I ever learn?
I started with the chocolate. Getting the chocolate set in the mold is important. And setting takes time. First, I melted the chocolate in the microwave. I used chocolate candy melts for this process because they are a little easier to work with when making candy coatings. (something I learned when making the truffles for my pinata lantern challenge).
Then I poured a bit of chocolate into each cavity of the molds and used gravity to move the chocolate around t in the mold to get full coverage. I was hoping that I did the chocolate temper right to get a shiny white dome but only time would tell.
Raspberry Custard
Then it was time to make the raspberry custard. I needed a puree for this, so I blended up the raspberries and strained out all the seeds. Doing this with a blender was so much easier than doing it by hand. Why did I do it by hand? Because that’s what I was told to do, and I did not put too much thought into it. Which was not the brightest idea on my part.
In a large bowl, I whisked together the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and sugar. And I whisked this to oblivion. I wanted to get that light and fluffy egg yolk texture. I still find it strange that it does that. Then I heated up the heavy whipping cream.
The hot cream is what I am using to temper the eggs. I slowly poured the hot mixture into the egg yolks and then poured it back into the pan once the eggs were tempered. The mixture should thicken a bit over the cream, I like to aim for about 170° Fahrenheit in temperature.
After removing the mixture from the stove, I added in the gelatin and raspberry puree. I made sure that the gelatin was fully dissolved before setting the mixture aside and letting it cool (but not set).
When the mixture was cool enough, I poured it into the semi-sphere, chocolate covered molds and then put everything in the fridge to set. Then I placed it on top of the mousses in the center and used white chocolate to do some extra decorations.
Reflections
I am having a secret affair with mousse desserts. I am in love with this! The lychee flavor came through so well. It was singing. And the flavors all fit together. The savoiardi sponge also was a great part of this dessert. Although the definition wasn’t really there, the taste and texture were fantastic.
If I did this recipe again, I would make the egg whipped up really well, so the batter did not fall slack. I think if I had more repetition making this dessert, I could make it look really really good.
Lessons
Working with Mousse
I did have to make the mousse for this recipe twice. I originally placed the mousse into a silicone mold and tried to set all the components at the same time and assemble them later. This strategy did not work. Mousse does not really want to stay together like a jelly would. And it can slacken after being disturbed (i.e., moved) rather than have an acetate mold being taken off.
recipe
Tropical Mini Charlottes
Equipment
- 6 Ribbons
Ingredients
Savoiardi Sponge
- 6 Eggs
- ⅔ Cup Sugar
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Lemon Extract
- 2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ Cup Cake Flour
- 4 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- Pinch of Salt
- 12 Tablespoon Powdered Sugar plus more as needed
Mango Mousse
- 1 Teaspoon Gelatin
- 1 ½ Cup Mango Puree
- 1 ½ Tablespoon Sugar
- ½ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Lychee Mousse
- 1 Teaspoon Gelatin
- 1 ½ Cup Lychee Puree
- 1 ½ Tablespoon Sugar
- ½ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Raspberry Custard
- 1 Teaspoon Gelatin
- ¾ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Egg Yolks
- ¼ Cup Sugar
- ½ Cup Raspberry Puree
- ¼ Cup White Chocolate Candy Melts
Instructions
Savoiardi Sponge
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit
- Separate egg whites and egg yolks. Set the egg yolks aside.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks are reached. Gradually add in sugar, one teaspoon at a time, until stiff and glossy
- Mix in lemon and vanilla extracts into the egg yolks.
- Fold the egg yolks into the egg whites until combined. Sift flour, cornstarch, and salt over the egg mixture and fold until combined.
- Using a piping bag, cut the tip of the piping bag to have a ½ inch opening. Pipe into 3-inch length logs. Pipe the logs to be close / touching until the sponge is 6 ¼ inches in width. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet and then bake for another 5 minutes.
- Let cool, create an acetate tube and line the inside of the tube with the sponge. Cut off excess sponge to even out bottom.
Mango Mousse
- Soak the gelatin in 2 teaspoons of cold water.
- Pour half of the mango puree into a pan (if you have the mango but need to puree it, see notes). Stir in sugar and stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin until dissolved. Add in the remaining mango puree. Let cool until warm but not hot.
- In a large bowl, whisk the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks are reached.
- Fold the puree into the cream.
- Pour into the center of the savoiardi sponge tube and let set.
Lychee Mousse
- Soak the gelatin in 2 teaspoons of cold water.
- Pour half of the lychee puree into a pan (if you have the lychee but need to puree it, see notes). Stir in sugar and stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin until dissolved. Add in the remaining lychee puree. Let cool until warm but not hot.
- In a large bowl, whisk the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks are reached.
- Fold the puree into the cream.
- Pour into the center of the savoiardi sponge tube (on top of the mango mousse) and let set.
Raspberry Custard
- Soak the gelatin in 2 teaspoons of cold water.
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, vanilla extract, and sugar until pale and cream.
- In a medium pan, heat heavy whipping cream on a low heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat if tiny bubbles are starting to form.
- Slowly pour hot cream into the egg yolk mixture while continuously whisking. Pour it back into the saucepan and heat until thickened but not boiling.
- Remove from heat and stir in gelatin and puree. Strain into a heat proof bowl and let cool.
- Melt white chocolate candy melts in the microwave on 30 second bursts. Once melted, line each cavity of a semi-circle mold with the chocolate. Fill with the raspberry custard. Place in fridge and let set.
- Place spheres on top of the lychee mousse. Remove acetate and replace with a ribbon.
Leave a ReplyCancel reply