Image is for illustrative purposes only.
This is the coloured paste used to print patterns into a Joconde sponge before it is baked. It is a simple mixture of butter, icing sugar, egg white and flour, tinted with powder colour, spread in a thin layer over a silicone mat and combed, piped or stencilled into a design. The mat goes into the freezer to set the pattern, the Joconde batter is spread straight over the top, and the pattern bakes into the surface of the sponge.
The paste itself is soft and smooth, a little like a thin buttercream, and it bakes to a firm, even colour that stays crisp against the pale sponge. Use it for striped, checked or marbled sponge strips to line entremets and mousse cakes, for sponge collars around round cakes, or for patterned sheets to roll into log cakes. The base is neutral in flavour, so you can colour it to whatever suits the cake.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 200
Number of Units: 2
Unit Size: 40 x 30 cm patterned Joconde sponge sheet
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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100 |
3.5 ounces
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Butter
Butter is a solid dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk, to separate the butterfat from the buttermilk. It is generally used as a spread on plain or toasted bread products and a condiment on cooked vegetables, as well as in cooking, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying. Butter consists of butterfat, milk proteins and water.
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soft, room temperature |
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B
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100 |
3.5 ounces
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Pure Icing Sugar
Pure icing sugar is also made from pulverised granulated sugar but contains no cornflour. For everyday cooking, icing sugar mixture does the trick; the only place where pure icing sugar is a must is when making royal icing, modelling fondant and the like.
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sifted |
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C
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100 |
3.3 Egg Whites
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Egg White
Egg white is the common name for the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms around fertilized or unfertilized egg yolks. The primary natural purpose of egg white is to protect the yolk and provide additional nutrition for the growth of the embryo (when fertilized). Egg white consists primarily of about 90% water into which is dissolved 10% proteins (including albumins, mucoproteins, and globulins). Unlike the yolk, which is high in lipids (fats), egg white contains almost no fat, and carbohydrate content is less than 1%. Egg whites contain just over 50% of the protein in the egg. Egg white has many uses in food (e.g. mousse) and also many other uses (e.g. in the preparation of vaccines such as those for influenza).
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room temperature |
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D
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100 |
3.5 ounces
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Cake Flour
Cake flour is a finely milled white flour made from soft wheat. It has very low protein content, between 8% and 10%, making it suitable for soft-textured cakes and cookies. The higher protein content of other flours would make the cakes tough. Highly sifted cake flours may require different volume amounts in recipes than all-purpose flour. Using the scoop and level method, well-sifted flour usually produces 125 g per cup. However, most American recipes are written with 140 g of flour per cup, so weighing and experimentation can be helpful in baking unfamiliar recipes. Small weight differences can greatly affect the texture. American Cake flour is bleached; in countries where bleached flour is prohibited, plain flour can be treated in a domestic microwave to improve the texture of the end product.
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sifted |
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E
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0.5 |
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Powder Colour
Powder colour is a highly concentrated dry food colouring sold in small pots for cake decorating. Because it contains no water it can be stirred straight into melted chocolate without causing it to seize, unlike liquid or gel colours.
food grade, colour of your choice
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400
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Have a silicone baking mat or a sheet of baking paper on a flat tray ready, along with a decorating comb, stencil or piping bag, and clear a space in the freezer for the tray. |
Mat completely clean, dry and grease free |
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2 |
Cream |
Beat A and B (unsalted butter and pure icing sugar) together with a paddle or hand mixer. |
Pale, light and smooth, with no lumps of sugar |
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3 |
Add |
Add C (egg white) a little at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping the bowl down. |
Smooth and creamy; if it looks split, beat harder until it comes back together |
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4 |
Fold |
Sift D (cake flour) over the mixture and fold it in gently with a spatula. |
Just combined, smooth and spreadable, with no dry flour left |
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5 |
Colour |
Mix E (powder colour) into the paste, adding it a pinch at a time. For more than one colour, divide the paste into separate bowls first and tint each one. |
Even, streak free colour; a little stronger than you want it, as it lightens slightly when baked |
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6 |
Spread |
Spread a thin, even layer of the paste over the silicone mat with a palette knife or large scraper. |
About 1–2 mm thick and level from edge to edge |
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7 |
Pattern |
Drag a decorating comb, a fork or the tip of a palette knife through the paste to make stripes, waves or a check, or pipe and stencil your design. Wipe the comb clean between passes. |
The mat shows clearly through the lines of the pattern |
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8 |
Freeze |
Slide the tray into the freezer and leave the patterned paste to harden. |
Firm and set to the touch, about 20–30 minutes |
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9 |
Bake |
Spread the Joconde sponge batter straight over the frozen pattern, level it, and bake as for the sponge recipe. Turn out while still warm and peel the mat away. |
Pattern set into the surface of the sponge, sharp and evenly coloured |
Important Notes
This batch makes about 400 g of paste, enough to pattern roughly two 40 x 30 cm sponge sheets, depending on how thickly you spread it. The paste is not eaten on its own; it is always baked into the surface of a Joconde or similar thin sponge.
Spread the paste as thinly as you can while still covering the mat. Too thick and the pattern will be heavy and may come away from the sponge; too thin and it will disappear into the batter. The frozen, patterned mat can be kept covered in the freezer for a day or two before you bake on it, which makes it easy to prepare ahead.
Any paste left over keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for about a week. Bring it back to room temperature and beat it smooth again before spreading. Powder colour is very strong, so add it in tiny pinches; it is much easier to darken a paste than to lighten it.
Tools & Arrangements
Mixing bowl and paddle or hand mixer, spatula, sieve, silicone baking mat or baking paper on a flat tray, large palette knife or scraper, decorating comb (or fork, stencil and piping bag), freezer space, oven
