Barbados cake - Cake

Method

Pineapple cubes

Toss all ingredients together in a glass or ceramic bowl until they are well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Coconut rice mousse

Cut gelatine leaves into small squares, place in a bowl with the water and set aside to soak. Line a square 20cm cake tin with non-stick baking paper. Rinse rice under cold running water and drain well. Put rice, 185g cream, milk, sugars, makrut leaves and coconut milk powder in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally at the start and then continuously as it nears the end of the cooking time and has absorbed most of the liquid. The rice should still have a tiny bit of bite to it.

Remove from heat and stir in gelatine and any soaking liquid. Cool mixture to 28°C, then fold through 185g lightly whipped cream. Pour into the lined tin and smooth the surface. Freeze for 3 hours or until frozen.

Palm sugar mousse

Cut gelatine leaves into small squares, place in a bowl with the cold water and refrigerate until ready to use. To make caramel, place sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook for 1 minute or until edges start to liquefy.

Cook, swirling pan continuously, for 3 minutes or until all sugar has liquefied. Do not stir. Continue to cook for 4 minutes or until caramel reaches 165°C and starts to smell like toffee.

Meanwhile, bring 205g cream to the boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, then remove from heat. When caramel is at the right temperature, remove from heat and stir in hot cream mixture - watch out, it will spit and release a lot of heat.

Bring simple sugar syrup to the boil in another small saucepan. Place egg yolks in a bowl and beat with hand-held electric beaters on medium speed. With beaters running, gradually pour hot sugar syrup down the side of the bowl, mixing until it is thick and foamy, for about 3 minutes. Continue beating until egg mixture has cooled.

Heat gelatine mixture in a heatproof bowl in the microwave for 5-10 seconds on high (100 per cent) until liquefied (you can also do this in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water). Add a third of the caramel, stirring until smooth, then stir this mixture into remaining caramel until smooth.

Fold cooled egg mixture into the extra whipped cream. Stir a spoonful of cream and egg mixture through caramel mixture to lighten it slightly. Then, fold caramel mixture into the cream and egg mixture until well combined. Pour mixture into 8 rectangular Flexipan silicone moulds (9cm x 4.5cm), placed on a baking tray, and freeze for 3 hours or until frozen through.

Coconut jelly

Line a square 20cm cake tin with plastic wrap, extending over each side. Cut gelatine leaves into small squares, place in a bowl with the cold water and set aside to soak.

Place half the coconut milk and all the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, add gelatine and any soaking liquid and stir until dissolved.

Place coconut cream and remaining coconut milk in a bowl and add coconut gelatine mixture, stirring to combine. Pour into the lined tin and place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours, until set.

Mango jelly

When coconut jelly has set, make the mango jelly. Cut gelatine leaves into small squares, place in a bowl with the water and set aside to soak. Heat a third of the mango purée and all the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved.

Remove from heat, add gelatine and any soaking liquid and stir until dissolved. Add rest of the mango purée and stir until well combined. Chill mixture in the refrigerator, checking it regularly as you don't want it to set. When chilled, pour over the set coconut jelly. Drain the pineapple cubes, sprinkle over the top and refrigerate for 2 1/2 hours or until set.

Sable Breton

Preheat oven to 170°C. Place icing sugar, almond meal and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with a beater attachment and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Gradually add egg yolks, beating well between each addition. Beat in flour and salt until just combined. Gather dough together and place on a sheet of plastic wrap, then flatten to about 2cm thick.

Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 2 hours or until dough has firmed up. Line a square 35cm flat baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Roll pastry out on the lined tray to 6mm thick. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until pastry is lightly golden.

Remove from oven and cool for 3-5 minutes, then use a serrated knife to cut out 8 x 9cm squares and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (The sablé must be cut soon after it is removed from the oven, as it hardens upon cooling and may otherwise break up when cut.)

To assemble

Place sablé squares on the benchtop. Remove both jelly and rice mousse from their tins and cut 8 x 4.5cm x 9cm rectangles from each.

Place a piece of jelly and a piece of rice mousse next to each other on each sablé square. Pop the palm sugar mousse rectangles out of the moulds and sit them on top of the rice mousse rectangles. Set aside at room temperature for 45-60 minutes or until palm sugar mousse has defrosted, then place on a serving platter or individual plates and serve. •