Chocolate baba, chocolate discs and mangosteen mousse

Inspired by a trip to the Carribean islands, where mangosteen and cocoa were farmed in neighbouring plots, this rework of the classic rum baba showcases the tropical fruit’s quiet flavour, with chocolate acting as a natural sweetener.

Makes 2

Prep time 1 hour + 1 hour rising + 3 hours refrigeration + 2 hours chilling

Cook time 30 minutes

chocolate baba

220g organic flour

7g fast action yeast

½ tsp sea salt

50g raw sugar + extra for lining tins 70ml milk

2 medium eggs

100g unsalted butter, softened

honey syrup

250g Go Pure Acacia Honey 2 tbsp dark rum

2 tbsp chocolate liqueur 200ml water

» Add flour into a large bowl. Place yeast on one side of the bowl and the salt on the other side. (Make sure that the salt is not placed on top of the yeast as it can kill it and render the yeast inactive.)

» Add sugar and stir everything together with a spoon until evenly mixed.

» In another bowl, mix milk with eggs until well combined.

» Add ¾ of the egg mixture to the flour and stir to combine.

» Mix in the remaining egg mixture and knead the dough on a worktop until smooth and glossy, about 10 minutes. » Work softened butter thoroughly through the dough until the dough is silky and stretchy, about 6 minutes.

» Place dough back into a bowl and cover with cling film. Set aside at room temperature to rise for at least 1 hour, until doubled in size.

» Grease and sugar four 11cm cylinder tins. (Adding sugar helps the fragile sponges be removed more easily from the moulds.) » Turn dough out of the bowl and knock it down by kneading a few times.

» Place dough into a piping bag with a large plain nozzle. Pipe dough into the four tins as equally as possible.

» Preheat oven to 180°C.

» Allow doughs to proof a second time, until it has expanded to almost the top of the tins. Be careful not to over-proof so that you don’t get a muffin top around the tin edges.

» Bake dough in tins in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

» Meanwhile, add honey, rum and chocolate liqueur to a small saucepan with water, then bring to a rolling boil. Take off heat and allow to cool in saucepan.

» When babas are baked, take out of the oven and allow to cool a little before carefully removing from the tins. They will be very fragile.

» Place babas on a dish. Pour ½ of warm honey syrup over the babas, allowing them to soak up the liquid.

» Turn babas over and pour remaining liquid over, allowing them to soak up the liquid. Transfer babas to the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.

mangosteen mousse

1 gelatine leaf 230g mangosteen pulp 1 tsp lemon juice

3 tbsp water 75ml double cream

» Fill ½ a bowl with cold water, then add gelatine leaf. Soak for 5 minutes to soften. » Remove seeds from mangosteens, then blend pulp while adding lemon juice until a smooth purée is achieved.

» In a small saucepan, add water and heat very gently until lukewarm. Using your hands, transfer gelatine leaf out of cold water and drop into the warm water, then stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for a few seconds until dissolved. Remove saucepan from heat.

» Whip double cream using an electric whisk in a large bowl until fairly stiff peaks are achieved.

» In a food processor, pour gelatine solution slowly into mangosteen purée and pulse until completely combined.

» Add mangosteen purée to whipped cream and whisk lightly until smooth.

» Cover mousse with cling film and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

chocolate ornaments

280g white chocolate, chopped 140g Go Pure Acacia Honey » Melted white chocolate in a grease-free bowl over a bain-marie.

» Once melted, stir in honey.

» Take mixture off heat and allow to cool slightly. Pour mixture onto a plastic or silicone mat.

» Before the mixture fully hardens, use a knife tip to mark out the ornament designs you desire, and a round disc to place on top of the baba.

» Once mixture has hardened, break chocolate based on knife markings. Smoothen edges by rubbing your warm thumb along the sides and edges. » Cover ornaments loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

assembly

100g white chocolate edible bronze powder (available from Phoon Huat) » Melt white chocolate over a bain-marie, then mix in bronze powder a pinch at a time until the colour you desire is achieved.

» Once mixed well, dip chilled baba into the melted chocolate.

» Allow babas to stand upright on parchment paper. Refrigerate until needed. » When ready to serve, coat babas with any leftover honey syrup.

» Place a chocolate disc on top of each baba, then add a quenelle of mangosteen mousse. Finish by adding your desired chocolate ornaments.