"Grumpy's Bath" Macaron Cake

 It's been a long time since I made something out of curiosity and for fun! This project and experiment came about because I was wondering what I can make with the colours of batter for a batch of milk bottle macarons I had to make for a client's baby's first month celebration. The image of Grumpy Bear in a duck floatie came to mind and I started to giggle 🤭. 

I took this chance to experiment with making a 3D macaron tub. Although it would have made things easier if I had a silicone loaf pan, I decided to risk using metal disposable loaf tin wrapped in parchment and disposable paper loaf pans as experiments. So glad they worked!

I used my default Swiss meringue method recipe for making the macaron shells.

Here's the video tutorial of how I made the tub. Please read the captions in the reel for important technical details:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7wMvAxSdMg/?igsh=MWt0OWlkeDFua2Yzcw==

I coated the insides of the tub with a thin layer of royal icing to reinforce the thin macaron shell although this is optional. You may coat with a layer of chocolate instead. Did it turn out too sweet? Nope! That's because I filled the macaron tub as well as Grumpy and the duck floatie with a tangy lemon ganache. I included two layers of lavender honey butter cake as well in the tub. All bubble baths can't do without the bubbles so I made the foam out of aerated honey lemon jelly.

Check out some works-in-progress pictures below and the cut cross- section of the tub!

I have a sable cookie stool and some mini meringue duckies in storage I used as props.

I coated the base of the duck floatie with a thin layer of ganache to insulate it from the jelly

My kids loved the tangy macaron cake! It's been some time since they had a just-for-fun bake from me too!

Lemon ganache

(Adapted from here)

Ingredients: 

250g white chocolate couverture 

60g fresh lemon juice

zest of 2 lemons

60g heavy cream

Steps:

1. Melt chocolate over double-boiler or in microwave oven. Set aside.

2. Heat the rest of the ingredients until warm (46C) in a small saucepan or microwave. Don't worry if it looks a little curdled because when milk/cream comes into contact with acid, this happens.

3. Pour warm lemon juice and cream over melted chocolate. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth and emulsified. Press cling wrap onto surface of ganache.

4. Let the ganache firm up in the fridge for half an hour or overnight in air-conditioned room (22-24C). Transfer into piping bag.

Honey Lavender Cake

(adapted from here)

I baked the cake in the same mini loaf pans I used for piping the macaron bathtubs. I didn't want to grind the sugar with dried lavender flowers because I wanted to simplify things and have less things to wash/set up. So in my adaptation of the reference recipe, I made a concentrated lavender tea instead and replaced the yoghurt with that. I reduced the sugar by a little as well.

Ingredients (3 mini loaves):

50g unsalted butter

45g caster sugar

10g honey

1/8 tsp salt

1 medium egg (about 45g without shell), lightly beaten

75g cake flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

30g concentrated lavender tea*

* Steep 3g dried lavender flowers in 45g hot water for 10 min. Strain and squeeze out as much tea as possible from the flowers. Reserve 30g for the cake.

Steps:

1. Grease loaf pans. Preheat oven to 160Cfan/175C.

2. Whisk together baking powder and flour. Set aside 

3. Cream butter, sugar, honey and salt until pale and fluffy.

4. Gradually add egg and mix until smooth after each addition.

5. Gradually add half the flour mixture by sifting over the batter, mixing well after each addition.

6. Add concentrated tea. Mix well.

7. Add the remaining flour mix gradually by sifting over batter and mixing well after each addition.

8. Pour into loaf pans and bake for 25 min or until skewer comes out clean.

7. Cool in pan for 10 min before tipping the cake out and cooling completely. 

I sliced the loaves horizontally till 1.5cm thick for layering in the tubs. I brushed the cake with a little lemon syrup too but this is optional.

Honey lemon foam

Ingredients:

5g gelatin bloomed in 40g ice water

25g lemon juice

30g honey 

80g hot water 

Steps:

1. Dissolve honey in hot water. Add lemon juice. Mix well

2. Melt bloomed gelatin and add it to honey lemon water. Whisk until well combined.

3. Set the mixture over an ice water bath and gently stir with a whisk for 5min to cool the mixture down and thicken it.

4. Whisk more vigorously to create the foam bubbles.

5. Chill in fridge for 5 min to stabilize the bubbles before scooping onto the bathtub to create the "bath bubbles".

You may watch the video of the process over here in my reel:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8BLaS4S8Sv/?igsh=MWJtcHp6Z2NxOXBvdQ==

with love,

Phay Shing