I LOVE...A BIGB I R T H DAYWELL,HAPPYBIRTHDAYdelicious.! I’vebeenwithyouforalmost
allofthose 18 yearsandit’sbeena blast,whethertravellingto
BuenosAires,SeoulorMadridin searchofculinarygems,writing
aboutthingsI love(anddon’tlovesomuch)orpullingtogether
recipesforfeaturesI knowwouldbewell-readandwell-used,
in well-thumbedissuesonkitchenshelvesallacrosstheland.
We’vehadfun– at specialdinnersandgreatfestivals,suchas
NoosaFoodandWine,andMelbourne– wherewetalked,tasted,
laughed,andstayeduplate,elatedtobewithinourfoodtribe.
Wecried,too,whengoodfriendsandfellowtravellersleftus;
namesthathelpedshapethismagazineandthefoodofthis
nation,nameslikeDarrenSimpson,JeremyStrode,Margaret
Fulton,AntonioCarluccioandAnthonyBourdain.Wemourned
thepassingoffooddirector,ValliLittle,perhapsthemost.Valli
wasa foundationofthismagazineandtaughtusallsomuch.
Therehavealsobeentheyoungcooks,photographers,food
stylistsandwriterswhogottheirstart,ormadetheirname,in this
wonderfulmagazine.Ourcurrentfooddirector,PhoebeWood,
is oneofthosetalents.WhenPhoeberangtosuggestteaming
uptocreatea birthdaycakeforthe18th,I baulkedat first.She
wantedlayers– theyalwayswantlayers– butI ama traditionalist
whenit tocomestobirthdaycakes.I wantjam-and-cream sponge,
chocolate,orpossiblycoffee,butonlytwolayers.
“Whydon’twemakea birthdaycaketrifle?”I suggestedwith
thesortofwide-eyedthinkingthatusuallygets laughed down
assoonasit takesflight.Butnotthistime...
So,hereis our...I meanmy,BirthdayCake Trifle. Phoebe told
meit hadtobe'my',butreallyit is 'our'.
Eachlayerhasbeenchosenbecauseit hasa specificresonance
withbirthdaypartiesfrommypast.Readallabout the layers of my
Birthday Cake Trifle, at delicious.com.au.
BIRTHDAYCAKE TRIFLE
SERVES 10
Begin this recipe 1 day ahead. You will need a 3L-capacity dish.
14 orangesjuiced(tomake750ml juice), strained through a fine
sieve,pluszestof1 orange
(^1) / 2 cup(110g)castersugar
4 titanium-strengthgelatine leaves, soaked in cold water for
5 minutestosoften
1 mandarin, segmented
MattPrestonshowshe'sthelifeoftheparty...
with an epic cake trifle he created for our 18th!
300mlthickenedcream
100gsourcream
(^1) / 3 cup(40g)pureicingsugar,sifted
300gstore-bought chocolate caramel brownie, torn into
largepieces
GrandMarnier,todrizzle
(^1) / 3 cup(45g)toastedslivered almonds
Sprinkles, to serve
GANACHE
500gdark(70%)chocolate,finely chopped
2 cups (500ml) pure cream
MOUSSE
400gdark(70%)chocolate,finelychopped
200geachwhite and milk chocolate, finely chopped
4 eggwhites
1 cup(250ml)thickened cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
CHOCOLATECRACKLE
200gmilkchocolate, finely chopped
80g Coco Pops
Fortheganache,placechocolatein a largeheatproofbowlover
a saucepanofgentlysimmeringwater.Placecreamin a medium
saucepanandbringtotheboil.Pourhotcreamoverchocolate
andstirtocombineuntilchocolateis smooth.Pourganache into
a 3L-capacitydishandchillfor2-3hoursuntilset.
Meanwhileforthecrackle,greasea largeoventrayandlinewith
bakingpaper.Placechocolatein a heatproofbowlovera saucepan
ofgentlysimmeringwater.Stirchocolateuntilmeltedandsmooth.
Addin theCocoPopsandstirtocombine.Place1 heapedtbsof
mixtureontopreparedtrayandrepeatwithremainingmixture
untilallofthemixtureis usedup.Chilluntilneeded.
Placehalfoftheorangejuiceandsugarin a smallsaucepanover
mediumheatandcook,stirringfrequently,for6-8minutesuntil
sugarhasdissolved.Squeezeexcesswaterfromgelatineandstir
intoorangeandsugarmixture.Strainthrougha finesieveinto
a bowlwithremaining375mlorangejuiceandmandarinsegments.
Gentlypouroverganachelayerandchillfor4-5hoursuntilset.
Tomakethecream,placethethickenedcream,sourcreamand
icingsugarin thebowlofa standmixerwiththewhiskattachment
andwhisktostiffpeaks.Refrigerateuntilreadytouse.
Forthemousse,placechocolatesand1 cup(250ml)boiling
waterin a blender,andwhizuntilmeltedandsmooth.Add
eggwhitesandwhizuntilsmoothandcombined,thenaddthe
creamandvanilla,andwhiztocombine.Pourontopoftheorange
andmandarinjellyandrefrigeratefor2-3hoursuntilset.
Scattermousselayerwithcrumbledbrownieanddrizzlewith
asmuchGrandMarnierasyou'dlike.Spoonoverthecreamand
scatterwithalmondsandchocolate crackle. Scatter over orange
zest and sprinkles to serve. PHOTOGRAPHY
BEN DEARNLEY
STYLING
KIRSTEN JENKINS
MERCHANDISING
EMMALY STEWART
I’M LOVING.
52 delicious.com.au