This type of dessert has been capturing my attention more and more. Effortlessly elegant and pretty straightforward to prepare, it has the perfect blend of visual appeal and flavour.
Marvellously soft and tender vanilla cake, gorgeously earthy pumpkin insert, and an airy layer of lemon ganache, whipped to perfection. Just a wonderful little symphony of flavours.
My tips for success.
Once you cook the batter for the insert, depending on your texture preferences, you can use an immersion blender to make it perfectly smooth. It will be equally delicious in that form, as well. This can also be done prior to cooking, if that is easier for you.
When it comes to the lemon ganache, I find that it performs the best after chilling for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator. That will, however, greatly depend on the chocolate and cream themselves. Some will whip up beautifully after barely 2-3 hours, and some will need the full 6, so do adjust the chilling time to your ingredients.
As for the decoration, I chose a bit of lemon gel and some gorgeous and vibrant pistachios for the colour and a bit of crunch, but you can decorate however you like.
Ingredients
For the delicate cake layer
60 grams flour
15 grams cornflour
75 grams sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
65 millilitres water
15 millilitres oil
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
For the whipped vegan white chocolate ganache
100 grams white chocolate
50 grams butter
50 grams cream
1 heaping teaspoon vanilla bean paste
zest of two lemons
pinch of salt
For the pumpkin lemon insert
150 grams grated pumpkin
50 grams fresh lemon juice
75 grams granulated sugar
30 grams cornflour
100 millilitres water
25 grams butter
Preparation
Start by making the pumpkin insert, as it needs to be frozen. Mix together all the ingredients for the insert apart from the butter, and add them to a saucepan. Place it over medium high heat and let it slowly come to a boil. Once it starts to bubble, cook and stir for 2-3 minutes, until very thick and fragrant. Remove from the heat and add in the butter. Mix until incorporated, using an immersion blender if desire. Pour it into a 12 cm cake or pastry ring and freeze it solid, preferably overnight.
To make the white chocolate ganache, start by zesting the lemons and heating up the cream and butter until it almost comes to a boil. While the cream is heating up, mix together the chopped chocolate, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt. Pour the cream over the chocolate and mix until everything is smooth and blended. Let it cool down to room temperature, stirring from time to time as it cools. Cover the top with cling film and let it cool completely in the refrigerator, for at least 4 hours.
To make the soft cake layer, take a large bowl and sift in the plain flour, cornflour, and the baking powder. Whisk them together very well, and add in the sugar. Combine and set aside. Turn on the oven to preheat to 180°C and line the bottom and sides of a small round cake pan (15 cm) with baking parchment. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, and add in water, oil, and vanilla. Quickly whisk until blended, and as soon as the batter is ready, pour it into the prepared pan, tap it lightly once or twice on the counter, and bake in a nicely preheated oven, at 180°C, for 12-15 minutes, checking for doneness early. Every oven bakes differently, so as soon as a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, it is done. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool down in the pan completely.
When everything is ready, whip the ganache with an electric mixer on high until very firm peaks form, and set it aside. Place the cake onto the serving platter, close a cake ring around it, and line it with a strip of acetate. Remove the pumpkin insert from the mould and place it on top of the cake layer. Gently spread the whipped filling on top and all around it, leaving a few tablespoons for the decoration. Tap the platter a few times on the counter so the filling settles, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. Yields 12 generous servings.
