Image is for illustrative purposes only.
This is the coloured paste used to decorate a Joconde sponge before it is baked. It is a very simple mixture of equal parts butter, icing sugar, egg white and cake flour, tinted a strong red. Spread thinly onto a silicone mat, combed or piped into a pattern and frozen firm, it holds its shape when the Joconde batter is poured over it, so the pattern bakes into the surface of the sponge.
The paste itself is soft, smooth and easy to spread, a little like a thick butter cream that stiffens as it chills. The finished sponge is used to line the sides of charlottes, entremets and mousse cakes, giving stripes, chevrons or free drawn patterns in clean red against the pale sponge. Make it ahead and keep it in the fridge; it only needs a short beating to bring it back to spreading consistency.
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: 151
Number of Units: 4
Unit Size: 40 x 30 cm baking tray of patterned Joconde lining sponge
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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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150 |
5.3 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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150 |
5.3 ounces
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Icing Sugar Mixture
Icing sugar mixture, also known as confectioners' sugar or powdered sugar, is pulverised granulated sugar crushed together with a small amount (about three percent) of cornflour. This icing sugar is great to use when making icing for kids' birthday cakes or dusting sweet treats.
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sifted |
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C
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150 |
5 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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150 |
5.3 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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5 |
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Red Food Colouring
Red food colouring is a concentrated edible colour, sold as a paste, gel or powder, used in tiny amounts to lift or correct the colour of a preparation. Here it only deepens the natural red of the cooked berries, so it can be left out if you prefer.
strawberry red, or to the shade you want
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605
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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 palette knife and a decorating comb or patterned scraper. Clear space in the freezer for the tray. |
Everything ready before you spread, as the paste must go straight into the freezer |
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2 |
Cream |
Beat A and B (unsalted butter and icing sugar) together with a paddle until light and smooth, scraping the bowl down once or twice. |
Pale, soft and completely free of lumps |
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3 |
Add |
Add C (egg white) a little at a time, beating well between each addition. |
Smooth and emulsified, not split or curdled looking |
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4 |
Fold |
Fold in D (cake flour) by hand with a spatula, working just until it disappears. |
Smooth, soft paste with no dry flour; do not overwork |
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5 |
Colour |
Mix in E (red food colouring) a few drops at a time until you reach the shade you want, remembering the colour lightens slightly when baked. |
Evenly coloured with no streaks |
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6 |
Spread |
Spread about 150 g of paste very thinly and evenly over the silicone mat with a palette knife, then draw a decorating comb, a fork or the tip of a knife through it to make stripes, chevrons or a free pattern, scraping the removed paste away cleanly. |
A thin, even layer with the pattern showing the mat clearly beneath it |
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7 |
Freeze |
Place the tray flat in the freezer. |
The pattern is hard and firm to the touch, about 20 to 30 minutes |
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8 |
Bake |
Pour the Joconde sponge batter straight over the frozen pattern, level it gently so the pattern is not disturbed, and bake as the Joconde recipe directs. |
The sponge is just set and springy, with the pattern clear and coloured on the underside when turned out |
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9 |
Store |
Keep any leftover paste in a sealed container in the fridge, or freeze it. Bring it back to room temperature and beat it briefly before using again. |
Soft and spreadable again, about a week in the fridge |
Important Notes
This quarter batch makes about 600 g of paste, enough to pattern roughly four 40 x 30 cm trays of Joconde sponge at about 150 g a tray. Spread it as thinly as you can: a thick layer stays soft and smudges when the batter is poured over. Always freeze the patterned mat hard before adding the Joconde batter, and bake it straight from the freezer. The patterned sponge is cut into long strips to line the sides of charlottes and mousse cakes. The paste keeps about a week in a sealed container in the fridge, or several months frozen; beat it soft again before spreading.
Tools & Arrangements
Electric mixer with paddle attachment, sieve, rubber spatula, silicone baking mat (or baking paper) on a flat tray, offset palette knife, decorating comb or patterned scraper, freezer space, flat baking tray
