Citrus 'madeleine' Recipe
Olive Oil Génoise Sponge, Citrus Mousseline, Citrus Medley
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Ingredients
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Olive Oil Génoise Sponge
Citrus Mousseline (Pastry Cream + Butter)
Citrus Medley & Finish
Method
Olive Oil Génoise Sponge
- 1
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter and line an 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan with parchment, or line two 6-inch round pans for a layered presentation. Have a fine-mesh sieve ready for dry ingredients.
- 2
Whisk eggs and sugar
Place the eggs and granulated sugar in a large heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a small pot of barely simmering water (bain-marie), making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 40–45°C (105–115°F) and feels warm to the touch, and the sugar is dissolved (about 3–4 minutes). Remove from heat.
- 3
Beat to ribbon stage
Using an electric mixer, beat the warm egg-sugar mixture on high until tripled in volume and falls in a thick ribbon from the whisk (about 6–8 minutes). The mixture should be pale and stiff but still glossy.
- 4
Sift dry ingredients
Sift together the all-purpose flour, semolina, baking powder and salt. Sprinkle the dry mixture over the whipped eggs in two additions, folding gently with a flexible spatula to preserve volume. Fold only until no streaks of flour remain.
- 5
Incorporate liquids
Combine the olive oil, milk, orange zest, lemon zest and vanilla in a small bowl. Take about 1/3 of the genoise batter and whisk it quickly into the oil mixture to lighten it, then fold this mixture back into the main batter gently and quickly until uniform. Do not overmix.
- 6
- 7
Cool
Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. If making layers, level the tops when cool.
Citrus Mousseline (Pastry Cream + Butter)
- 8
- 9
Mix yolks and sugar
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 100 g sugar until slightly thickened. Whisk in the cornstarch until smooth and no lumps remain.
- 10
Temper and cook pastry cream
While whisking the yolk mixture constantly, slowly pour about 1/3 of the hot infused milk into the yolks to temper. Then pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture thickens and comes to a gentle boil (1–2 minutes after boiling) and is glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- 11
Finish and cool
Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the orange juice, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Pass the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove zest bits and ensure smoothness. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and cool to room temperature, then chill until 4–6°C (cold) — about 1–2 hours.
- 12
Make mousseline
Once the pastry cream is cold, beat the room-temperature butter (150 g) with a mixer until pale and smooth. Beat the chilled pastry cream briefly to loosen it, then add it in three additions to the butter, beating on medium until fully incorporated and silky. Add the grated orange and lemon zest and adjust acidity with up to 5 ml extra lemon juice or orange juice to taste. Chill briefly if the mousseline is too soft before assembling.
Citrus Medley & Finish
- 13
Segment citrus fruits
Using a sharp knife, remove the peel and pith from the blood oranges, navel orange and grapefruit, then cut between the membranes to release clean segments (suprêmes). Reserve any juices that collect and mix with the light simple syrup and 5 ml lemon juice — this will be used to glaze the fruit.
- 14
Assemble
If using two cake layers, place one cooled genoise layer on your serving plate. Brush lightly with 15 ml of the syrup/juice mixture to moisten. Pipe or spread an even layer (about half) of the citrus mousseline over the sponge. Arrange a selection of citrus segments decoratively across the mousseline, pressing them gently so they sit slightly into the cream. Place the second sponge layer on top (if using), brush lightly with syrup, and spread remaining mousseline over the top. Alternatively, assemble as one single-layer tart-like presentation with mousseline on top of the sponge and fruit arranged above.
- 15
Glaze and finish
Brush the citrus segments lightly with the reserved syrup-juice mixture to give shine and prevent drying. Dust any exposed sponge edges with confectioners' sugar if desired and tuck fresh mint leaves and optional candied lemon slices among the segments for contrast.
- 16
Chill and serve
Chill the assembled cake for at least 1 hour to let the mousseline set. Serve chilled or at cool room temperature. Keeps refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days; bring to cool room temp 20–30 minutes before serving for best flavor.
