Citrus-Almond Sponge Cake ~ Margarita Semifreddo

Reprinted from the book Dessert Fourplay by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini.  Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc.

As I’m a great fan of a true margarita, I thought it would be fun to take the components apart and rearrange them into a dessert. This makes a lot, but leftovers will keep for a month in the freezer.

I learned a version of this sponge cake, which is called biscuit mirliton, at the Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo. I love it for its airy/cakey texture, which is like no other sponge. Perfumed with citrus zest, it is a great complement to the tangy semifreddo.

The key to the sponge is baking just before serving. You’ll need eight to nine 1-ounce aluminum timbale molds for the cake and twenty 2 x 2-inch ring molds for the semifreddo [see note at bottom].

Yield

8 - 9 servings

For the Margarita Semifreddo

Ingredients

1. -1/4 cup (110 g) gold tequila
   

- 1/2 cup Cointreau
- 2 1/2 teaspoons (15 g) simple syrup
- 2 tablespoons (4 g) fresh lime juice
- Grated zest of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin (or 4.5 g sheet gelatin)
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons (90 g) sugar
- 1 cup (240 g) heavy cream

Directions
Put twenty 2 x 2-inch ring molds on a tray and put them in the freezer at least 1 hour before you start to make the semifreddo.

Stir the tequila, Cointreau, simple syrup, and lime juice and zest together to make the margarita base. Measure 2/3 cup (drink the rest).

Pour about 3 tablespoons of the margarita base into a small glass bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface. Let sit for about 1 minute, then microwave for 45 seconds or heat gently in a small saucepan until melted.

Put the egg, egg yolks, and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water—make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water—and whisk until the sugar is melted and the mixture is hot. Whisk in the gelatin.

Move the bowl to the standing mixer fitted with the whisk and whisk at medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and light and the sides of the bowl are cool.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream to medium peaks.

Fold about half of the remaining margarita base into the eggs. Fold in half the cream, then repeat, folding in the remaining base and the cream, gently but thoroughly.

Fill a pastry bag and pipe the semifreddo into the ring molds [see note at bottom], leaving about 1/3 inch of headroom. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

For the Sponge Cake

Ingredients

- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar

- Grated zest of half an orange

- Grated zest of half a lemon

- 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

-  1/2 cup (50 g) almond flour

- 2 teaspoons (5 g) cornstarch

- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) salt

- 1 extra-large egg

- 1 extra-large egg yolk

Directions

Heat the oven to 375ºF or 350ºF on convection. Spray eight to nine 1-ounce aluminum timbale molds with cooking spray and coat them with sugar (vanilla sugar would be best). Set the molds on a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, rub the sugar, orange and lemon zests, and vanilla seeds (rinse, dry, and save the pod for another use) together with your fingers.

Whisk the almond flour, cornstarch, and salt together.

Put the egg and egg yolk in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk. Whisk at medium speed until frothy. Add the sugar mixture and beat at medium-high speed until light and doubled in volume. Add the dry ingredients gradually, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to high and beat until the batter regains its original volume, about 3 minutes. You can prepare the batter about 2 hours in advance.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it right away.

If you’ve made the batter in advance, whisk it again on high speed for about a minute.

Fill a pastry bag and pipe the batter into the molds, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake until puffed, golden, and firm, about 11 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.

Unmold the cakes right away. You’ll need to nudge them out of the molds with a small knife. Serve them warm.

To Serve

Ingredients

- Grated zest of half an orange
- About 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
- Candied kumquats
- Candied lemon zest

Directions

Mix the orange zest and sugar together in a small bowl. Dip the tops of the warm sponge cakes into the sugar and set them on small plates. Garnish with the candied kumquats and lemon zest. Unmold the margarita semifreddos by rubbing each mold briskly between your palms and then pushing the semifreddo out of the mold. Add them to the plates.

Note

You can freeze this dessert in whatever size molds you like (just be sure it’s something you can push the semifreddo out of). For tastings, I use small plastic molds for the semifreddo that I have cut to order at a plastics store on Canal Street. The tubes have a 3/4-inch opening and they’re cut in 13/8-inch lengths. If you are freezing the semifreddo in plastic, make sure you line the molds with acetate first. Muffin tins lined with plastic wrap would also work.

Recipe from chef Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore

- Chef Q & A: Johnny Iuzzini

- Recommendations: Johnny Iuzzini

Photo: Jeff Scott

- For other Johnny Iuzzini recipes, see his website or buy his book Dessert FourPlay

RECIPES

Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef

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