Cherry Blossom Origami Entremets

Entremets are delicate, layered mini cakes that are usually served between courses of a meal. But making these particular entremets will test your patience, precision and artistry.

The origami-inspired texture is achieved by using a template (provided below) and carefully moulding Italian meringue buttercream around both cakes. Inside each work of art lies a three-layer vanilla bean cake filled with white chocolate cherry blossom mousse and a cherry gelée.

If the intricate buttercream design feels a bit too daunting, you can always opt for a simple coat of buttercream — but where’s the fun and challenge in that? But, seriously, it’ll taste just as delicious without the elaborate exterior!

If you’re up for the challenge, however, the origami finish makes for a stunning presentation.

Cherry Blossom Origami Entremets were the Technical Bake for Arts & Crafts Week in Season 8 of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Cherry Blossom Origami Entremets

Special Equipment

• Acetate
• 2¾-inch round cookie cutter
• 2½-inch round cookie cutter
• 2 3-inch cake rings
• 2 4-inch round cake boards
• 11-by-17-inch cardstock (80 lbs. cover, for laser printers, tabloid size)
• Origami template

Ingredients

Vanilla Bean Cake:

• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp kosher salt

Cherry Gelée:

• 3 cups (450 g) frozen dark sweet cherries, thawed
• 2 tbsp tart cherry juice
• 2 tbsp cherry blossom syrup
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 5 sheets gelatin
• Cold water

White Chocolate Cherry Blossom Mousse:

• 1 cup 3.25% milk
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, divided
• 2 tbsp cherry blossom powder
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• Fuchsia food colouring
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 3 sheets gelatin
• Cold water
• 1 cup (170 g) white chocolate
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup 35% cream

Cherry Blossom Soak:

• ½ cup cherry blossom syrup
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Italian Meringue Buttercream:

• 4 egg whites, room temperature
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup water
• 2 cups (454 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp clear vanilla extract
• White gel food colouring

Tuile:

• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup canola oil, plus extra for frying
• Black gel food colouring
• Gold lustre spray

Decor:

• Black, gold and pink lustre dust
• Vodka
• Wafer paper
• Blue lustre spray

Preparation

Vanilla Bean Cake:

Heat oven to 350 F with the rack in the middle position. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and spray the sides of the pan and parchment with cooking spray. 

Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the vanilla bean paste to the bowl with the eggs. Whisk the eggs on medium speed for 1 minute, then increase the speed to high and gradually add the sugar. Beat until light and fluffy and the sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, sift together the flour and salt. 

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Gently whisk in one-third of the flour until no streaks remain. Repeat with the rest of the flour in two additions, being careful not to deflate the batter too much. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Bake until the top is dry and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Run a paring knife around the edge of the hot cake, set the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. 

Cherry Gelée:

Combine the cherries, cherry juice, cherry blossom syrup, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. While the cherries are simmering, soak the gelatin in cold water until softened. Line a quarter sheet pan with plastic wrap. 

Transfer the hot cherry mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Place a fine mesh sieve over the saucepan and pass the cherry puree through, pressing with a rubber spatula to get as much pulp through as possible. Squeeze the water out of the soaked gelatin and stir the gelatin into the cherry mixture. Return the saucepan to the stove over medium heat, mixing to ensure the gelatin is fully melted. Skim any foam from the surface of the gelée with a spoon. Pour the gelée mixture into the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate until fully set.

White Chocolate Cherry Blossom Mousse:

Combine milk, half of the sugar and the cherry blossom powder in a medium saucepan, whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Whisk together the remaining sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, fuschia food colouring and salt in a separate bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water until softened. Place the white chocolate and butter into a large bowl and place a fine mesh sieve on top.

Whisking constantly, slowly add about a third of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. Then pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk and set over medium heat. Continue whisking until the pastry cream has come to a simmer and thickened fully. Squeeze the water out of the softened gelatin and melt it into the pastry cream. Remove from heat. Pour the pastry cream through the sieve and onto the white chocolate and butter. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the pastry cream is smooth and homogeneous. Scrape the pastry cream onto a half sheet pan, spread it evenly and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Place the pan in the fridge to cool.

Place 35% cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer. Whisk to stiff peaks. 

Scrape the cooled pastry cream into a large bowl and whisk until smooth. 

Gently fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream, making sure to leave no white streaks. Scrape the mousse into a piping bag and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cherry Blossom Soak:

Combine the cherry blossom syrup and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside. 

Assembly:

Remove the cake from the pan with the parchment. Use a 2¾-inch round cutter to cut out 6 circles of cake and place the rounds on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

Pull the set gelée out of the pan with the plastic wrap. Use a 2½-inch round cutter to cut out 4 circles of gelée. Place the rounds of gelée on the sheet pan with the cake rounds and chill in the freezer until ready to use.

Remove mousse from the fridge and snip a ½-inch hole in the piping bag.

Place a 3-inch cake ring on top of a 4-inch cake board and line the inside with a 10-by-3-inch strip of acetate. Use tape on the acetate if needed. Pipe a dab of mousse onto the cake board and place a round of cake onto it through the acetate ring. Lightly brush the cake with the cherry blossom soak. Pipe a ring of mousse around the edge of the cake, and then an even layer of mousse on top, making sure not to leave any gaps and that the mousse makes full contact with the acetate ring. Place a round of gelée on top of the mousse and press down gently so the mousse rises around the edge of the gelée. Continue building in your acetate ring until you have a total of three layers of cake with a layer of gelée and mousse between each. Smooth the top of the cake with a thin layer of mousse using an offset spatula. Repeat the process so you have two assembled mousse cakes.

Place the mousse cakes in the freezer while you prepare the buttercream and template. They need to freeze for at least 4 hours. They should be as firm as possible.

Italian Meringue Buttercream:                                                                                                 

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form.

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to cook until the syrup reaches 235 F. 

With the mixer running on medium, slowly pour the hot simple syrup into the egg whites until fully combined. When all of the syrup has been incorporated, increase the mixer speed to high and continue to whisk until the outside of the bowl is cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.

When the meringue has cooled, add butter, a little at a time, while the mixer is still running on high. Add the salt, vanilla extract and white food colouring. The buttercream may look runny but continue whisking on high until thick and fluffy. When it has thickened, switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low to knock out any large air bubbles for a smooth consistency.

Transfer the buttercream to 2 large piping bags with equal amounts in each and set aside.

Origami Template and Application:

Using these images as guides, create two templates on cardstock with a pencil and ruler. They should be 17 inches long and 3.5 inches tall. 

(Not to scale. Download template here.)

Starting from the left side, fold the template along each vertical line to make a crease. This will make it easier to fold later on. Use a bench scraper to fold so the creases are sharp. 

Go back and fold the diagonal lines. Alternate your folds back and forth to create an accordion effect with the vertical and diagonal lines. 

Here’s how the finished folded template should look:

Place one prepared template on a level surface. Pipe a line of buttercream into each crease of the template (with the pencil-drawn lines facing out and away from the cake). Pick up and gently drop the template a few times to remove any air gaps. Fill the rest of the template with buttercream and tap on the surface a few times to settle it. Use an offset spatula to remove excess buttercream from the edges and smooth out the top. 

Remove one mini cake from the freezer and place it on a cake turntable. Remove the metal ring. Because it is frozen, it will be stuck. Warm it with your gloved hands or apply a damp cloth to the metal ring to help release it. Gently remove the acetate. Quickly apply the template to the side of the cake, buttercream side in. Stretch the template to ensure it goes all the way around the cake. Press firmly to adhere it to the cake. Use the bench scraper and your fingers to manipulate and push the creases of the templates to create sharp edges. 

Fill in the top of the cake with buttercream and smooth with an offset spatula. Return the cake to the freezer and repeat with the other mini cake. Chill for another 2 to 3 hours or until hard.  

Tuile:

In a medium bowl, whisk flour and water together. Add oil and food colouring and continue to whisk until well combined. Place mixture in a large spouted measuring cup. Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add oil to the pan and pour about a tablespoon of the mixture and fry. Once the tuile stops bubbling it should be done. Transfer to a paper towel. Once it has cooled and drained, lightly spray the tuile decoration with gold lustre spray, leaving some of the original black colour showing through. Set aside.

Decor:

Place about 1 tsp each of gold, black and pink lustre dust in three separate small bowls. Add vodka to each bowl, ¼ tsp at a time, and mix with a small spoon until they have reached the desired fluidity for splatter effect. Cover and set aside.

Cut cherry blossom flower petals from the wafer paper, about 1 inch long. Paint the petals using the pink lustre mixture. Set aside to dry.

Remove one cake from the freezer and place on a cake turntable. Gently peel back the template. Fill in any visible gaps or bubbles with remaining buttercream, sculpting tools and a paring knife. Use a kitchen torch to heat the tool if needed. Repeat for the second cake and return both to the freezer to chill for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Place a cake on the cake turntable and spray it lightly with blue lustre spray (some white should still be visible). Lightly flick the black and gold lustre paint mix onto the cake to create a splatter effect. Repeat with the remaining cake. Place a small dollop of buttercream on top and secure the tuile so it sticks up on top of the cake. You may need to freeze briefly at this point to secure the tuile. Using a small amount of icing, place petals so they’re cascading over the top and down the front and side of the cakes.

Makes two entremets