CROUCHING STRAWBERRY, HIDDEN PANDAN

Dining at one of Dan Hong’s Sydney restaurants, Ms. G’s, we tasted his iconic pandan, strawberry and coconut pudding. On our return home, this concoction was the result. For weeks the cake remained unnamed as we tossed around different ideas, until one sleepless night, watching some really bad kung-fu movies on late-night television, inspiration hit and this name stuck.

MAKES ONE 20 CM (8 INCH) CAKE

ALMOND SPONGE

55 g (2 oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar

55 g (2 oz) almond meal

1 egg

3 egg whites

30 g (1 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

45 g (1½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour

Preheat the oven to 175ºC (345ºF/Gas 3–4). Draw a 20 cm (8 inch) circle on a sheet of baking paper. Turn the paper over and use to line a baking tray.

Put the icing sugar, almond meal and whole egg in a mixing bowl and whisk together until pale and creamy.

Using a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then slowly add the caster sugar until you have a smooth, shiny meringue.

Fold the meringue into the almond mixture, then gently fold in the flour.

Spoon the sponge onto the baking paper circle and smooth the top. Bake for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container until ready to use; the sponge will keep for up to 2 days.

COCONUT PANDAN DACQUOISE

50 g (1¾ oz) almond meal

50 g (1¾ oz) dessicated (shredded) coconut

60 g (2¼ oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar

3 egg whites

a pinch of cream of tartar

25 g (1 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

2 teaspoons pandan paste

Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF/Gas 6). Draw a 20 cm (8 inch) circle on a sheet of baking paper. Turn the paper over and use to line a baking tray.

Combine the almond meal, coconut and icing sugar and set aside.

Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer until stiff peaks form.Slowly add the caster sugar down the side of the bowl and whisk for 3–4 minutes, or until the meringue is shiny and smooth.

Add the pandan paste and watch the meringue turn vibrant green. Using a spatula, gently fold the coconut mixture into the meringue.

Deposit the meringue mixture onto the baking paper circle, then smooth the top with a palette knife or the back of a spoon. Don’t worry too much if the meringue goes over the line, as you can always trim with a knife prior to assembling the cake.

Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 170ºC (325ºF/Gas 3) and bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the dacquoise feels firm, like a sponge. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray.

Transfer to an airtight container until ready to use; the dacquoise will keep for up to 2 days.

PASSIONFRUIT AND STRAWBERRY MOUSSE

8 g (¹/₆ oz) gelatine sheets

200 ml (7 fl oz) thin (pouring) cream

2 egg yolks

60 g (2¼ oz) sugar

100 g (3½ oz) passionfruit purée

100 g (3½ oz) strawberry purée

Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the excess liquid.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Add the egg yolks and sugar to the bowl and whisk until pale and creamy, using hand-held electric beaters.

Add the passionfruit purée and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon (83ºC/181ºF on a sugar thermometer).

Add the gelatine to the passionfruit sabayon, then fold the strawberry purée through, followed by the whipped cream.

COCONUT JELLY

5 g (¹/₈ oz) gelatine sheets

100 ml (3½ fl oz) coconut cream

10 g (¼ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the excess liquid.

Warm the coconut cream with the sugar. Add the gelatine and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature.

TO ASSEMBLE

50 g (1¾ oz) dark chocolate, melted

50 g (1¾ oz) strawberry jam

Line a 20 cm (8 inch) cake ring with some acetate, so that the finished cake will slide out easily. (If you don’t have a cake ring, use a loose-based tin without the base.) Ensure your dacquoise fits into the ring; if it doesn’t, trim the dacquoise edges. Place on a baking tray.

Smear the melted chocolate over the base of the dacquoise. Allow to set briefly, then place the dacquoise in the ring, chocolate side down. (The main purpose of this is to stop the dacquoise sticking to the plate or stand, making the cake more manageable when it comes to eating.)

Smear the dacquoise with the strawberry jam, then place the almond sponge on top. Add the mousse and set the cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Float the coconut jelly on top of the cake. Chill for a further 1 hour before unmoulding.

The cake will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 1–2 days.