Today is the day the Daring Bakers post the October 2007 challenge and TaDa! -this month Mary at Alpineberryis hosting and she has chosen a “Bostini.” This is a variation of a Boston Cream Pie. A chiffon cake sits atop a pastry cream custard base and is topped by a chocolate glaze.
Allowed modifications were basically scaling, garnishes, finished size and flavour substitution for orange juice -as long as the cake was still light colored -so no espresso or chocolate variations.
My recipe notes:
This dessert was good but very rich with a huge amount of eggs and cream. I don’t love chiffon cakes in general- if I am going to have cake I prefer one made with butter to one made with oil. And…this is the kind of cake that requires careful mixing- making sure you have enough loft in your egg whites to support the cake and so they will not deflate when folding them in- I always lighten the batter with about a 1/3 of the whites then fold the rest in. You need to make sure you don’t have any gummy stuff left on the bottom of your bowl after mixing and you need to be careful  with the oven arrangements as this cake can deflate and fall. Mine turned out great. No gumminess- no separation, no falling. I baked these in brioche tins for the lovely scalloped edges.
The pastry cream custard is straight forward- make sure you split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds out with the dull side of a paring knife into the cream for maximum vanilla flavour infusion.
I’m sure you already know this tip but in case not: When separating eggs I find it best to break the egg over a small glass and transfer the egg white and yolk to other bowls. That way I never get yolk in my whites (which will prevent them from whipping properly) and if you get a bad egg you can dispose of it without ruining your other eggs.
Make sure to cook the pastry cream sufficiently to get a definite coating on the back of a wooden spoon as shown above. I use a “gravy style” whisk to stir for absolutely smooth results. I also added a little more vanilla bean paste after the pastry cream was cooked to amplify the flavour. I chose to use cherry juice instead of orange juice in my cake and added a little finely chopped cherries and tangerine zest instead of just the orange zest. I like the flavour combination of cherry, vanilla and chocolate- it worked for me. As for the chocolate glaze I used bittersweet Callebaut. Next time I think I will make a ganache with cream and a little liqueur rather than a glaze with just butter. I want it a little creamier with maybe some kirsch.
Here’s the recipe we were given:
Bostini Cream Pie
(from Donna Scala & Kurtis Baguley of Bistro Don Giovanni and Scala’s Bistro)
Makes 8 generous servings
INGREDIENTS:
Custard
3/4 cup whole milk
2 3/4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 whole egg, beaten
9 egg yolks, beaten
3 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 vanilla bean (EDITED: vanilla extract is okay)
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
Chiffon Cake
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup beaten egg yolks (3 to 4 yolks)
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup egg whites (about 8 large)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Chocolate Glaze
8 ounces semi or bittersweet chocolate
8 ounces unsalted butter
INSTRUCTIONS
To prepare the custard:
Combine the milk and cornstarch in a bowl; blend until smooth. Whisk in the whole egg and yolks, beating until smooth. Combine the cream, vanilla bean and sugar in a saucepan and carefully bring to a boil. When the mixture just boils, whisk a ladleful into the egg mixture to temper it, then whisk this back into the cream mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain the custard and pour into 8 large custard cups. Refrigerate to chill.
To prepare the chiffon cakes:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray 8 molds with nonstick cooking spray. You may use 7-ounce custard cups, ovenproof wide mugs or even large foil cups. Whatever you use should be the same size as the custard cups.
Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the oil, egg yolks, orange juice, zest and vanilla. Stir until smooth, but do not over-beat.
Beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the beaten whites into the orange batter. Fill the sprayed molds nearly to the top with the batter.
Bake approximately 25 minutes, until the cakes bounce back when lightly pressed with your fingertip. Do not over-bake. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, remove the cakes from the molds. Cover the cakes to keep them moist.
To prepare the glaze:
Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place the butter in a saucepan and heat until it is just about to bubble. Remove from the heat; add the chocolate and stir to melt. Pour through a strainer and keep warm.
To assemble:
Cut a thin slice from the top of each cake to create a flat surface. Place a cake flat-side down on top of each custard. Cover the tops with warm chocolate glaze. Serve immediately.
The final verdict: Very yummy, Very Rich – a special occasion dessert!
Take some time and check out what the other Daring Bakers did with this recipe by clicking on the link.
Enjoy!
Well done! I love that ooey gooey chocolate sauce running down the pie…
Cheers,
Rosa
Your bostinis are beautiful. I loved the bostinis but they sure were rich.
On to challenge #3. This is fun!
Great presentation! Nice post. The pictures look great. Well done!
Wow, look at that! Your Bostinis is a real work of art!
Amazing presentation. It looks like an orange chiffon volcano spewing chocolaty goodness down its slopes into a sea of vanilla custard.
A lovely job with your bostini.
Wow – I think i finally made it round to all of the other DB blogs. The group is so creative and getting very large- it took me over a week!
If i missed anyone let me know! What inspirations you all are -simply great- and thanks all of you for stopping by here and leaving such supportive and wonderful comments. As I wrote before- the DBs are fabulous!
xoxo
Absolutely gorgeous!
I will attempt the custard again but you’ve inspired me to attempt Torta della Nonna. My husband loves it. It was a favourite made by his Nonna.
I love the cherry on top. so cute!
I love that the chocolate ran down the side creases, it reminds me of lava from a volcano! Lookin good!
Wow. You have some great recepies up. I love what you did with the DBchallenge and the Torta afterwards. And I think I’ll make some carnitas this weekend. Yummo.
Gabi,
What a wonderful job! The bostini’s look great and I wish my custard set as nicely as yours!!
Love the cherries and tangerine zest! What an inspired combination and the Brioche tins make it look so elegant! What a nice touch – Great Job!
What an elegant presentation! I also thought about a volcano. Got to have those tins.
That beautiful shape really does allow for maximum custard and chocolate flow doesn’t it?!
I love your final touch on the Bostini. All together very nicely done. I only wished that there had been leftover custard. I would have eaten it, but your solution looks very yummy. Reminds me of a pastry I used to buy at Lucalus Bakery in Hong Kong called huit. I love custard.
Hi Gabi,
Thanks for dropping by my blog and for the wonderful comments you left. 🙂
That cherry on top makes it all that much more special. Looking forward to seeing your DB work.
Julius
Thanks again every one- you’re all great and i have truly enjoyed jetting around the internet to see all of your beautiful Bostini.
Dolores- I put a picture of my gravy whisk up in the Torta Della Nonna post. It’s basically a flattened whisk that really smooths anything you’re cooking out super fast. 🙂
Love to you all
xoxo
This was my second challenge, too. I love that you put the cherry on top. 😉 Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Best,
Paz
The cherry is a great touch. And I agree with the idea of butter instead of oil in cakes — as long as it isn’t too much butter. Nice job on your challenge!
I love how you took the spirit of this recipe and made it a bit more your own while staying within the guidelines Mary provided.
Inquiring minds are curious… it’s probably obvious, but what’s a gravy whisk?
I adore the way you presented your bostini! That cherry on top is the icing on the cake … no pun intended!
I love the shape! They look truly professional!
That’s a fun plating! I like how the chocolate follows the scallops’ grooves so well. I like the sound of a cherry substitution, too! And it’s nice that you left all the tips!
love the way you’ve got the chocolate oozing down the grooves. Beautiful!
Nice presentation! It looks beautiful!
Cherry! Wow, now that sounds great. I think that might change my mind on this one. Cherry and chocolate is always good! Beautiful Bostini!!
Thanks everyone, you are all great!
Your supportiveness proves my theory that you have to be a wonderful person to bake well! 🙂
xoxo
oo, oo! i like the way it looks like a cake/custard volcane erupting with gooey chocolate sauce! love it!
Ohhh I love your ideas about how the chocolate glaze should go next time.. yum!
Beautiful bostinis!!
xoxo
I love the cherry on top, and all the photos of the process. Well done!
This is beautiful. I love the angles of the cake.
You did a wonderful job on your bostinis. I bet the chocolate and cherry combination was fabulous.
Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go
It’s so lovely! the cherry on top is sure bonus 🙂
Thanks for doing such a great job on the challenge. Cherries and chocolate are a great combo!
I love your presentation!! It looks great!
this was my first time trying chiffon cake and i really liked it. mainly because it wasn’t as eggy as our sponge cakes are back home. love the moulds, they look great!
Nice touch with the cherry! Looks delicious.
I love the scalloped edges on your cakes, it looks so pretty with the chocolate running down into the custard. Beautiful Bostini!
I love the way you drizzled your chocolate glaze over the cake, and that cherry is the sweetest topper I have seen…great idea! 🙂
Wonderful choice with the brioche tins!
Beautiful job!! Glad you participated this month again!
Nice. What a great photo of the pastry cream. That looks so perfect. Yum. Mmm.
Great jog on your 2nd challenge!! Glad you joined us this month with a cherry on top too!!!
The brioche tins really make for a beautiful cake!
I’m digging the cherry flavor and garnish.
Awesome job! The cherry on top is too cute.
Everything’s better with a cherry on top, nicely done!
It looks great!! I love the cherry on top – and the cherry flavor sounds very intriguing!