Cheong Liew

Orange and grand marnier souffle cake

Cheong says this dessert expresses his wife Mary's love for Italian desserts which she thinks are very suited to the Asian palate. Intense sweetness contarsts with the bitter zest. This recipe requires the pulp of whole oranges and is cooked like a souffle. Mary's original recipe did not use a rising agent and was therefore heavier and richer. Hardy Jecher, master patissier at Regency Hotel School , refined this recipe to allow students to present a simpler and lighter dessert without loss of character.

Ingredients

3 oranges
100ml Grand Marnier
8 eggs separated
265g sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
400g blanched walnut meal
400g orange marmalade, strained to remove rind
1/4 cup flaked almonds, roasted
mascarpone or clotted cream to garnish
candied orange zest to garnish

Method

Clean and boil the oranges for 2 hours.

Allow oranges to cool then puree skin and flesh.

Add Grand Marnier to taste. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.

Over a pot of simmering water, make a sabayon with the egg yolks and 200g of the sugar, then whisk to cool.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.

Sift together the baking powder and walnut meal and add remaining sugar.

Fold the orange puree and the sifted dry ingredients alternately into the sabayon.

Fold in the egg whites.

Divide evenly into two 22cm cake rings and bake for approximately 55 minutes.

To glaze, bring the marmalade to the boil and pour over the cake.

Finish the sides of the cake with roasted flaked almonds and garnish with julienne of candied orange zest.

Serve with a dollop of fresh mascapone or clotted cream.