The gold disk or palet d’or is a rich chocolate dessert made up of alternating layers of cake and chocolate cream, covered in a chocolate glaze. So yes, A LOT of chocolate. Traditionally a few flecks of gold leaf are placed on top, hence the d’or part of the name. It was the first recipe out of the Bouchon Bakery cookbook where I felt like the challenge was more in the execution and presentation rather than the technique.
Photo courtesy: Valerie Lu
I was pleasantly surprised with the pistachio madeleines I made from the Bouchon Bakery cookbook so I decided to try out the traditional madeleines for my sister’s bridal shower dessert table.
Time to use my favorite fruit, the strawberry. I re-interpreted the Strawberry Parfait in the Bouchon Bakery Cookbook by turning it into an individual dessert.
The cake is an Olive Oil Cake. The middle layer consists of a ring of halved strawberries and a creme moussoline, which is a rich filling that combines pastry cream and Italian buttercream. After another layer of cake, I finished piped little flourishes of creme fraiche.
This classic breakfast cake gets a little twist with a cocoa layer in the middle. That little bit of chocolate flavor is just right and would complement any cup of coffee or hot cocoa. And of course a coffee cake is not complete without the signature crumble on the top. Here an almond streusel is used.
