Aren’t mirror glaze cakes stunning? Intricate layers of different textures, precise temperatures and an ultra-shiny appearance. Simply mesmerizing. Through Olga Noskova’s amazing showmanship, this old-school French technique is currently experiencing a revival. My cake encompasses a vibrant, Orange and bitter orange flavored, purple grape jelly inside a feather-light orange mousse on a juicy coconut sponge covered by a soft, translucent, beholder reflecting veil.
Grape jelly: Bring grapes of your choice with some water to the boil. Simmer until the juices start to run. Sieve into a new pan. Add orange juice and dried, grounded bitter orange zest. Measure the amount of liquid and add 6 bloomed gelatine leaves per 500 ml liquide. Transfer to a bowl and allow to set.
Orange jelly: Bring the juice of one orange to a boil. Blend with 2 bloomed gelatine leaves. Allow to cool somewhat.
Coconut sponge: Beat 3 eggs and 1.5 dl sugar until fluffy and white. Blend in 1.5 dl wheat flour, 0.5 dl shredded coconut and 1 tsp baking powder. Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with 0.5 dl shredded coconut and bake for 5 minutes at 250°C. Allow to cool completely and cut to fit your cake mold. Enjoy the leftovers with a cup of coffee.
Orange mousse: Whip 200 ml heavy cream. Mix in 200 g Greek yoghurt, 50 ml powdered sugar as well as the zest and juice of two oranges. Add 6 bloomed gelatine leaves.
Mirror glaze: Bring 200 g condensed milk, 150 ml water and 300 g caster sugar to a boil. Add 12 bloomed gelatine leaves and mix carefully. Sieve the mixture into 350 g chopped white chocolate. The chocolate will melt in a couple of minutes. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Make sure to submerge the blender completely in order to avoid bubbles. Color, if you fancy, and allow the glaze to cool to 32-34°C before pouring it over the cake. I poured uncolored and red glaze into yellow glaze without stirring to create a marble effect.
Timing and assembly: Start with the grape jelly. Allow to set for a day. Continue with the sponge. The cooking-off will take an hour or so. Simultaneously, prepare the mousse and orange jelly. Transfer the orange mousse to a cake mold lined with cling film. Allow to cool somewhat (half an hour in the freezer will do). Carefully remove the grape jelly from its bowl and place it in the orange mousse. Cover with the orange jelly coated sponge. Allow to set in the fridge completely. This will take at least four hours. Remove from the mold. Even the mousse, if necessary, and transfer to the freezer. It’s important that the cake is completely frozen before pouring the glaze. This’ll take another day (or night). Once the glaze has set, decorate to your liking. I used – as always – edible flowers. Allow the cake to thaw completely before enjoying (another four hours of waiting or so). As you can see, the preparation time amounts to almost three days. Therefore, make sure to start well in time.
