Carolina Cakes

6 people

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

Carolinas are a typical patisserie cake from Bilbao. They are on my top list of childhood food memories and one of my favourite old time cakes. They also look really good, if you are looking for something different to serve in an afternoon tea. The perfectly pipped meringue sat on an egg custard and drizzled with melted chocolate and a sweet egg yolk mix looks stunning, as well as tasty. They are one of those cakes that becomes an icon to a city and region. Oh Carolina…

Ingredients
Method

For the egg custards:
200g ready-made puff pastry, rolled out thinly with a dusting of flour
3 eggs
125g flour
125g caster sugar
125g unsalted butter, melted
500ml fresh whole milk
Peel of one whole lemon, no white rind
1 stick of cinnamon
Cinnamon powder for dusting
For the Carolinas:
6 custard tartlets
4 eggs, separated
150g caster sugar
3 tbsp icing sugar
150g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, finely chopped

Warm the milk with the lemon peel and cinnamon, remove from the heat cover with cling film and allow to infuse for 10 minutes. Remove the lemon peel and cinnamon and allow the milk to cool down.
Pre-heat the oven at 180˚C/350˚F/Gas Mark 4 and grease a muffin tray with butter. Cut the puff pastry sheets into circles and fit within each whole of the muffin tray making sure they fit tightly.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar, add the flour slowly to make a smooth paste and finally add the milk until you obtain a smooth batter. Finally, add the melted butter on a slow stream until the batter absorbs the butter fully.
Pour the batter on each puff pastry tartlet without reaching the top of the rim and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and puffed up. Cool down on a wire tray and dust some cinnamon powder.
Start by mixing the egg yolks and 4 tablespoons of the sugar in a sauce pan on a low heat, stirring continuously until all the sugar has been dissolved. Set aside and cool down.
Pre-heat the oven at 100˚C/212˚F/Gas Mark ¼ whilst the oven warms up, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks, adding the remaining sugar slowly whilst whisking, until the egg white has formed a silky and stiff meringue. Add the icing sugar with the help of a spatula and fold into the meringue. Place the meringue in a piping bag with a straight round nozzle and pipe a conical shape on top of the rice tartlets ending on a point.
Bake the tartlets for 10 minutes so the meringue is slightly dryer and set. Remove from the oven and with the help of a teaspoon pour from the top of the meringue, the egg yolk mix on two opposite sides of the meringue cone and bake for a further 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a small bowl over simmering water, remove the cakes from the oven and again pour the chocolate from the top of the Carolina on the other two opposite sides of the meringue cone.
Allow to cool down and serve.

Ingredients

For the egg custards:
200g ready-made puff pastry, rolled out thinly with a dusting of flour
3 eggs
125g flour
125g caster sugar
125g unsalted butter, melted
500ml fresh whole milk
Peel of one whole lemon, no white rind
1 stick of cinnamon
Cinnamon powder for dusting
For the Carolinas:
6 custard tartlets
4 eggs, separated
150g caster sugar
3 tbsp icing sugar
150g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, finely chopped

Method

Warm the milk with the lemon peel and cinnamon, remove from the heat cover with cling film and allow to infuse for 10 minutes. Remove the lemon peel and cinnamon and allow the milk to cool down.
Pre-heat the oven at 180˚C/350˚F/Gas Mark 4 and grease a muffin tray with butter. Cut the puff pastry sheets into circles and fit within each whole of the muffin tray making sure they fit tightly.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar, add the flour slowly to make a smooth paste and finally add the milk until you obtain a smooth batter. Finally, add the melted butter on a slow stream until the batter absorbs the butter fully.
Pour the batter on each puff pastry tartlet without reaching the top of the rim and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and puffed up. Cool down on a wire tray and dust some cinnamon powder.
Start by mixing the egg yolks and 4 tablespoons of the sugar in a sauce pan on a low heat, stirring continuously until all the sugar has been dissolved. Set aside and cool down.
Pre-heat the oven at 100˚C/212˚F/Gas Mark ¼ whilst the oven warms up, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks, adding the remaining sugar slowly whilst whisking, until the egg white has formed a silky and stiff meringue. Add the icing sugar with the help of a spatula and fold into the meringue. Place the meringue in a piping bag with a straight round nozzle and pipe a conical shape on top of the rice tartlets ending on a point.
Bake the tartlets for 10 minutes so the meringue is slightly dryer and set. Remove from the oven and with the help of a teaspoon pour from the top of the meringue, the egg yolk mix on two opposite sides of the meringue cone and bake for a further 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a small bowl over simmering water, remove the cakes from the oven and again pour the chocolate from the top of the Carolina on the other two opposite sides of the meringue cone.
Allow to cool down and serve.

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Chef's Profile

Javier De La Hormaza

Javier is a Basque born, trained chef and hospitality professional, owner of Basco Fine Foods, a Spanish food and drink importer based in Yorkshire. He regularly runs client food and drink events around the country and he is a course tutor at Hartingtons of Bakewell cookery school. Javier's passion lies on bringing quality Spanish ingredients and recipes to as many people as possible.

Twitter: @bascofinefoods
Instagram: @mrbasco