
An entremet (French baking term) is an ornate dessert with many different layers of cake and pastry creams in a mold, usually served cold. Think Trifle in a mold vs. a glass bowl. The January 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.

I have to admit I was intimidated by this challenge. It all sounded so foreign and fancy, but taken step by step it really isn’t hard at all. Time consuming definitely, but all the steps were fairly easy. This challenge gave me some badly needed piping practice. Now I just need to work on my math skills because I didn’t plan very well and needed more filling and still had to cut the cake shorter. I also had struggles with the gelee spilling over the top of the cake and staining my design, but for my first try I’m really happy with the results.
I made a chocolate jaconde filled with lemon cheesecake, topped with a strawberry mousse and a strawberry gelee. I just finished it this afternoon, served it for dessert tonight, and I’m having a hard time not having a third piece right now for a late night snack. I would have like the chocolate jaconde to have a stronger/sweeter flavor, but overall a scrumptious, elegant dessert.
A joconde imprime (French Baking term) is a decorative design baked into a light sponge cake providing an elegant finish to desserts/torts/entremets/ formed in ring molds. A joconde batter is used because it bakes into a moist, flexible cake. The cake batter may be tinted or marbleized for a further decorative effect.
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons/100g unsalted butter, softened
- 100g Confectioners’ (icing) sugar
- 100g egg whites (about four)
- 110g cake flour
- 85g almond flour/meal
- 75g confectioners' (icing) sugar
- 15g cake flour
- 10g Dutch cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs / 150g
- 3 large egg whites / 90g
- 10g white granulated sugar or superfine (caster) sugar
- 2 tablespoons / 30g unsalted butter, melted
- adatped from [melskitchencafe.com|http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/05/lemon-icebox-cheesecake.html
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 envelope (2 3/4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
- 16 oz. (2 bars) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- pinch salt
- 2/3 cup whipping cream
- adapted from Cannelle Et Vanille
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 200 grams strawberry puree
- 40 grams sugar
- 1 envelope (2 3/4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
- 150 grams whipping cream, soft peaks
- adapted from Cannelle Et Vanille
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 300 grams strawberry puree
- 80 grams sugar
- 1 envelope (2 3/4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
Directions
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (use stand mixer with blade, hand held mixer, or by hand). Gradually add egg whites. Beat continuously. Fold in sifted flour. Tint batter with coloring if desired.
- Place silicone mat on an upside down baking sheet. Pipe design onto baking mat. (If you do not have a piping bag. Fill a ziplock bag and snip off corner for a homemade version of one.) Slide the baking sheet with paste into the freezer.
- Freeze hard. Approx 15 minutes. While design is in freezer prepare Joconde batter (recipe below.)
- Remove from freezer. Quickly pour the Joconde batter over the design. Spread evenly to completely cover the pattern of the Décor paste.
- Bake at 475ºF until the joconde bounces back when slightly pressed, approx. 5 – 15 minutes. It is a very quick bake, so watch carefully.
- Cool. Do not leave too long, or you will have difficulty removing it from mat.
- Flip cooled cake on to a powdered sugared parchment paper. Remove silpat. Cake should be right side up, and pattern showing! (The powdered sugar helps the cake from sticking when cutting. I didn’t use powdered sugar and didn’t have a problem with sticking.)
- (This short video will help explain the process of lining the mold http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca4eLDok-4Q )
- Preparing the MOLD for entremets: Start with a large piece of parchment paper laid on a very flat baking sheet. Then a large piece of cling wrap over the parchment paper. Place a spring form pan ring, with the base removed, over the cling wrap and pull the cling wrap tightly up on the outside of the mold. Line the inside of the ring with a curled piece of parchment paper overlapping top edge by ½ inch. CUT the parchment paper to the TOP OF THE MOLD. It will be easier to smooth the top of the cake.
- Preparing the Jaconde for Molding: Trim the cake of any dark crispy edges. You should have a nice rectangle shape. Decide how thick you want your “Joconde wrapper”. Traditionally, it is ½ the height of your mold. This is done so more layers of the plated dessert can be shown. However, you can make it the full height. Once your height is measured, then you can cut the cake into equal strips, of height and length. (Use a very sharp paring knife and ruler.)
- Make sure your strips are cut cleanly and ends are cut perfectly straight. Press the cake strips inside of the mold, decorative side facing out. Once wrapped inside the mold, overlap your ends slightly. You want your Joconde to fit very tightly pressed up to the sides of the mold. (I’ll need to do a much better job of this next time.) Then gently push and press the ends to meet together to make a seamless cake. The cake is very flexible so you can push it into place. You can use more than one piece to “wrap “your mold, if one cut piece is not long enough. The mold is done, and ready to fill.
- In a clean mixing bowl whip the egg whites and white granulated sugar to firm, glossy peeks. Reserve in a separate clean bowl to use later.
- Sift almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, cake flour and cocoa powder. (This can be done into your dirty egg white bowl)
- On medium speed, add the eggs a little at a time. Mix well after each addition. Mix until smooth and light. (If using a stand mixer use blade attachment. If hand held a whisk attachment is fine, or by hand. )
- Fold in one third reserved whipped egg whites to almond mixture to lighten the batter. Fold in remaining whipped egg whites. Do not over mix.
- Fold in melted butter.
- Note: Makes enough sponge for the side and bottom of an 8" round mold.
- Put the lemon juice in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let it stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture until it is bubbling around the edges and the gelatin dissolves, about 30 seconds or less. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and salt until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the cream and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture. Beat until the mixture is smooth and airy, about 3 minutes.
- Pour the filling into the prepared jaconde and smooth the top. Refrigerate the cheesecake until set, about 1 hour.
- Put the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let it stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture until it is bubbling around the edges and the gelatin dissolves, about 30 seconds or less. Add the gelatin to the strawberry puree.
- Fold the whipped cream in to the puree. Pour the mousse on top of the cheesecake layer and let it set in the refrigerator.
- Put the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let it stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture until it is bubbling around the edges and the gelatin dissolves, about 30 seconds or less. Add the gelatin to the strawberry puree. Chill the gelee until it starts to thickened.
- Pour the gelee on top of the strawberry mousse and let it set several hours in the refrigerator before serving.
Thanks accro for a fabulous challenge! Please visit the Daring Kitchen to see a slideshow of the fabulous entremets the Daring Bakers created for this challenge and additional tips and recipes. I’ve included a link to this recipe in ceo a’s draiocht Decidedly Healthy or Horridly Decadent Blog Hop.
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I love to bake, especially cookies, cakes, and pies. I’ll post my adventures in the kitchen, my favorite new recipes, as well as our family favorites.




















Hello Barbara
Really Surprises and beautiful
I love cooking ,Specially Cakes and desserts
I do not know much English But I’m trying to translate your commands and recipe.
After cooking, I would send her picture.
Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent and Really Surprises and beautiful
I was very happy to meet you dear artist
Thank you
Please translate this recipe for us measurements!
Here’s a link to the hostess’s post with the US measurements http://astheroshe-accro.blogspot.com/2011/01/daring-bakers-january-2011-spumoni.html
Hello Barbara,
How thick should the whole joconde spread should be?
Thanks!
About half an inch thick or less when baked.
Barbara, this looks so absolutely gorgeous! It was great meeting you at BTP1!!!!