Allow me to introduce you to Marjolaine. She's a French layered gateau, with a certain je ne sais quoi. She could possibly be the poshest, most sophisticated and elegant dessert here on Only Crumbs Remain. With her four layers of dacquoise, French buttercream, chocolate ganache and a whole heap of nuts she's certainly what you might call high-maintenance, but boy she certainly can command presence in a room. Marjolaine certainly isn't one of those desserts that you might choose to rustle up in a few minutes for a mid-week treat or for when your children's friends come for tea after school. But rather, this French dessert is perfect for dinner parties where you're aiming to impress or for family celebrations like Christmas and anniversaries.
I have to admit that this French dessert isn't the usual sort of sweet treat I would make in our Only Crumbs Remain kitchen, but having watched GBBO's dessert week I felt compelled to try. The six remaining bakers in the GBBO tent were faced with making a family sized roulard as their signature bake (though weren't they really Swiss rolls having been made with sponge rather than meringue?), the Marjolaine set by Mary as the technical bake and a batch of 24 mini mousse cakes as their showstopper where some of the bakers looked to be drowning amongst sheets of gelatin.
Prior to the bakers commencing their Marjolaine bake, Mary advised the bakers to be 'organised' due to the need to 'multi task' during the 3 hour time period they were given to complete the bake. I have to admit, that our Marjolaine took a wee while longer than that, having left the dacquoise to cool in the oven whilst visiting the hair salon....but surely that's multi tasking 😉
On the face of it this French dessert is quite complex, but after separating the bake into its component parts it's not overly difficult. A large batch of classic French meringue is whipped up before ground toasted nuts are folded through to create the dacquoise. Once baked, the dacquoise is sandwiched together with French buttercream which incorporates ground praline. The buttercream is also spread over the upper surface and sides of the Marjolaine. A layer of rich chocolate ganache can be found through the centre layer of the dessert once it's sliced into. The remaining ganache is then piped on top of the dessert creating sections for slithered pistachios and chopped hazelnuts to sit, though I'm sure you have noticed that our Marjoliane is only topped with chopped nuts having been unable to source slithered pistachios easily and running out of available time to prepare the pistachios we had. Toasted flaked almonds finish off the sides of the Marjolaine.
Besides omitting the pistachios from the top of the gateau, I also substituted the French buttercream for something easier and which wasn't made with egg yolks. French buttercream is made with egg yolks which has hot syrup whipped into it, followed by butter, and in this case ground praline. As Mr E often has concerns about undercooked eggs, which no-doubt harks back to the days of Edwina Currie in the late 1980s, I chose to set our egg yolks aside for another bake and made a regular frosting instead, sweetened with the ground praline rather than the usual icing sugar.
The final alteration I made to the Marjolaine bake was to slice the baked dacquoise width ways as opposed to length ways. This was simply due to not having a serving plate which would accomodate a 30cm long gateau. Though the GBBO's recipe may result in something even more slender and elegant, and which serves more guests, the dimensions of our Marjolaine was far more practical and produced slices which were more generous 😉
You may disagree, but when making something a little special we often aim to purchase higher quality ingredients than the standard. In this bake we chose to use Tesco's Finest chocolate, using both the milk and plain chocolate for our ganache. The rich smooth flavour of the chocolate was the perfect counterbalance to the sweetness of the dacquoise and buttercream.
And the result? Although this dessert clearly took some time to pull together, it certainly packs a punch in terms of flavour and presence. Each of the elements were fabulous together from the crisp melt in the mouth dacquoise, the creamy sweet buttercream, the delicious rich chocolate ganache, and of course the plentiful nuts. Surprisingly Mr E, who is a self-confessed meringue-phobe which I commented upon in our recent Lemon Meringue Pie (with thyme pastry) absolutely loved this gateau as much as I did!
Let's get to it and baaaake!
of dacquoise, buttercream, chocolate ganache and nuts. As the component
parts can be made ahead of time, it's a great choice for those special
dinner parties and family celebrations like Christmas or anniversaries.
Hands on time: about 2 hours Cook time: 45-60 mins Yield: 1 layered gateau, about 9-12 slices depending on how it's assembled (see recipe).
Specific Equipment
2 x Swiss Roll Tins Measuring30cm x 20cm. Alternatively consider using flat bottomed roasting tins of the same or similar dimension, see note a below.
Large mixing bowl
Sugar Thermometer
For the Dacquoise
- 125g Blanched or Ground Almonds
- 125g Blanched or Ground Hazelnuts
- 200g + 100g Caster Sugar
- 25g Cornflour
- 6 Egg Whites
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 360g Chocolate (I used 200g Milk & 160g Dark Chocolate)
- 300g Double Cream
For the Praline
- 100g Flaked or Blanched Almonds
- 300g Caster Sugar
- 100ml Water
For the Buttercream
- 250g Butter, unsalted & softened
- 200g Cream Cheese, Full Fat
- Icing Sugar (to taste)
To Decorate
- 80g - 100g Chopped Nuts
- Slithered Pistachios (optional)
Notes
a) We baked our dacquoise in flat bottomed roasting tins measuring 33cm x 24cm. As they were a little larger than swiss roll tins the dacquoise ingredients were increased to: 160g each of almonds and hazlenuts, 267g + 133g caster sugar, 33g corn flour, 8 egg whites. The recipe produces sufficinet buttercream etc to assemble the slightly larger gateau. b) Check the nuts regularly whilst they are being toasted as they can easily burn. c) Each component part can be made ahead of time and stored until ready to assemble. Keep the dacquoise in an air tight container. The buttercream and ganache can be kept in the fridge, covered, though they will need a thorough stir before using. d) If the daquise cracks when cutting it in half, place that as one of the centre layers. e) If the chocolate ganache is a little thick to spread / pipe when you are ready to assemble the gateau, simply place the bowl over a bain marie for a couple of minutes until it is a little slacker. f) Once assembled store the Marjolaine in the fridge until required. g) The dessert will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.
Charlotte Oates
As soon as I saw this on GBBO I thought it was my kind of dessert, I love everything in it. Your version looks absolutely fantastic and not suffering at all from the lack of chopped pistachios on top 🙂
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thank you Charlotte 🙂 It's an absolutely amazingly delicious dessert, really yummy, and defo worth the effort 🙂 Though I do like those which have the flash of green from the pistachios on top...but alas time got the better of me...still tasted great though 😉
Angela x
Sarah James
Wow Angela, what a fantastic job, your marjolaine looks beautiful. I love reading how you make your cakes, your instructions are always clear with plenty of advice.
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Awe thankyou Sarah, that means such a lot to me 🙂 I try to provide as much info as I can to make it clear (hopefully) how it's made....especially for those who don't bake often. I often think that vague recipes often result in disappointing bakes. I always find your recipe posts are great, which lovely clear instructions.
Thanks again for your lovely comments 🙂
Angela x
Kathryn
This looks incredible! Perfect decorating on the top! x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Aw thankyou Kathryn 🙂
Angela x
Amanda
It looks gorgeous! x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thank you Amanda 🙂
Angela x
Midge
Wow Angela - that is stunning & I could eat a slice of it right now! well done you! I reckon an egg & dairyfree version will be gracing my kitchen shortly!! #cookblogshare x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thankyou Midge 🙂 I'd imagine a dairy and eggfree version would be great and relatively straightforward given how good aquafaba is.
Angela x
Kat BakingExplorer
Wow you've done an amazing job with this it looks perfect!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Awe thankyou Kat 🙂
Angela x
The Intolerant Gourmand
Wowee, this looks fantastic!! Well done! I can't make this due to little dude and his allergies, but my goodness would I like to try it, especially as your photos make it look so enticing! x #cookblogshare
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Aw that's such a shame, but I can fully understand your restrictions. It really was yummy, so if you do get the opportunity to try it (without affecting your little dude) I'd defo recommend having a slice,
Angela x
Eb Gargano
Wow, Angela! You have excelled yourself this week. This must have taken you hours!!! (Though I did like the bit about multitasking 🙂 ) Seriously impressed - definitely deserves Star Baker 🙂 Eb x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Awe thankyou Eb 🙂 Glad you liked the multi-tasking with the hairdressers appointment 😉 the time I spent away from the kitchen was perfect allowing everything to cool and firmup, and prevented me from being a little impatient in assembling it too soon.
Thankyou for your lovely comments,
Angela x
Mandy
Wow Angela - this is stunning! I can't imagine having enough time to make this so I'll just enjoy yours from afar!!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thank you Mandy 🙂 I have to admit it does take some time, but each element can be made ahead of time and even the whole thing can be assembled a number of hours ahead without spoiling at all (infact i think the flavours and firmness improved when i tried it again the following day), though I can only imagine the limited time you have with youngsters to occupy 🙂
Angela x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
Wow Angela, that is simply stunning! Well done, this looks so good, I love all of the flavours I would love a slice! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
If you're anything like me Kirsty, it wouldn't just be one slice 😉 it's sooo yummy 🙂
Angela x
Lucy Allen
It looks brilliant Angela! As nut avoiders in our household (possible allergies) it wasn't one for me but I agree that it looks brilliant for a special occasion,
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
What a shame you need to avoid such bakes Lucy, though I completely understand. It defo is a lovely bake for a special occassion,
Angela x
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
I was worried that it would all be too sweet but i like meringues and praline so much and now having read your post I'm going to have to make it after all. and I have put a link to it on my GBBO post, to encourage others to check it out. j x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Ooh definitely make it Jacjueline. I must admit that I do have a sweet tooth, but Mr E doesn't and he didn't feel it was too sweet. Besides the rich chocolate cutting through the sweetness, I wonder if the volume of nuts helps to counter the sweetness?? Thank you so much for linking back to my bake too, that's so lovely of you 🙂
Angela x
Cathy Glynn
Angela this looks perfect, better than the ones on the bake off 🙂 x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
🙂 Thankyou Cathy, but the bakers in the tent only had a limited amount time to play with, which personally I find defeats the object of enjoying baking when you're working against the clock.
Angela x
Hannah Spannah CB
That it absolutely stunning. Well done for trying something completely different to you usual bakes as you've mastered it!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Awe thankyou Hannah. Like you, I love baking along with GBBO as it gives me a great excuse to try someting new and learn different techniques and try differenct flavour combos.
Thanks you for your lovely comment Hannah,
Angela x
Louise Fairweather
I am really impressed - this looks fantastic. I would quite like some now actually 🙂
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Hahaha, it was so yummy Louise, it didn't last long at all 🙂
Angela x
Jenny
so beautiful Angela - Mary would be proud of your efforts. I guess it was not too fiddly after i saw it being made on the GBBO but i don't think mine would have looked as neat . I bet it tasted delicious xx
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Surprisingly, it wasn't fiddly at all. I think the area which took a little patience was decorating the sides and the top with the different nuts and trying not to get them in the wrong places or all over the piped ganache. But even that just took 5 or 10 minutes. My words, it really did taste yummy, even hubby enjoyed it (well it was daquoise and not meringue 😉 ).
Thanks for your lovely comments jenny,
Angela x
Gina
I wish I'd made regular buttercream for mine too. I found mine far too rich and sweet! Yours looks lovely.
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Yeah, I can imagine all of those egg yolks making it really rich.
Thankyou Gina,
Angela x
Kate Glutenfreealchemist
Well done... This looks great! I have been toying with making one too (as they are naturally gluten free)...... but Miss GF is insisting on a roulade! What a dilemma to have... Marjolaine or roulade....... Maybe I could just try a slice of yours?!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
What a dilema indeed! I know that the Marjolaine is tasty and I can well imagine that the roulade that Miss GF has in mind will be tasty too....and given that Mr E & I have demolished our dessert bake (yup it was that yummy) so we can't post you a slice, you could perhaps make both 😉
Thank you for your lovely comments Kate,
Angela x