Almudena's crown

Featured tools:

Stand mixer

Mix, knead, whisk

Decorating nozzle tips

For pipping bag

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1. White chocolate ganache

   • 300 g of double cream
   • 130 g of white chocolate

   • In a saucepan, heat half of the cream until it begins to steam.
   • Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in the microwave in short bursts at low power or over a bain-marie.
   • Pour the hot cream over the melted chocolate and mix with a rubber spatula until fully combined.
   • Add the remaining cream and emulsify with a hand whisk.
   • Cover with cling film in direct contact with the cream and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

2. Dark chocolate ganache

   • 300 g of double cream
   • 90 g of dark chocolate (54%)

   • In a saucepan, heat half of the cream until it begins to steam.
   • Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in the microwave in short bursts at low power or over a bain-marie.
   • Pour the hot cream over the melted chocolate and mix with a rubber spatula until fully combined.
   • Add the remaining cream and emulsify with a hand whisk.
   • Cover with cling film in direct contact with the cream and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

3. Brioche dough

   • 250 g strong bread flour
   • 100 g whole milk
   • 60 g butter
   • 55 g white sugar
   • 50 g egg (1 pc)
   • 15 g honey
   • 15 g rum
   • 12 g fresh yeast
   • 2 g salt

   • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, milk, sugar, egg, honey, rum, fresh yeast and salt.
   • Mix on low speed for 5 minutes until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
   • Increase the speed to medium-high and knead for 10 minutes until the dough becomes elastic.
   • Add the cubed butter and knead for another 10 minutes until fully incorporated and the dough becomes shiny and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
   • Cover with cling film, prick it, and chill in the fridge until the next day.
   • The next day, remove the dough from the fridge, place it on the work surface and gently deflate it.
   • Lightly oil your hands, shape the dough into a ball, and make a hole in the centre with your index finger.
   • From the central hole, begin stretching the dough, turning it and gradually widening the opening until forming a ring about 24 cm in diameter.
   • Place the dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper, adjust it to form a circle, and leave to proof in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
   • The ideal proofing temperature for this dough is 27°C. If you don’t have a proofing chamber, you can recreate a similar environment by placing a saucepan of boiling water inside the switched-off oven. This provides the right level of heat and humidity for proper fermentation.

4. Assembly

   • 50 g flaked almonds
   • 20 g icing sugar

   • Once the dough has doubled in size, brush it with beaten egg and sprinkle flaked almonds over the top.
   • Bake with top and bottom heat at 180°C for 17 minutes.
   • Allow to cool completely at room temperature.
   • Slice the crown into two discs of similar thickness, place a plate smaller than the top disc over it and dust the edges with icing sugar.
   • Remove both ganaches from the fridge and whip them until they reach a Chantilly-like texture.
   • Transfer the whipped ganaches into two separate piping bags with an opening of about 2 cm in diameter and then place both inside a larger piping bag fitted with a 2 cm star nozzle.
   • To achieve a uniform two-colour spiral, place each cream in its own piping bag, distributing it vertically along the inner walls (without concentrating it in the tip), then insert both bags into a third piping bag fitted with a star nozzle; this way, when you squeeze, both creams are released evenly and form a perfectly defined mixed flow.
   • Pipe the cream onto the bottom disc in a spiral shape, covering the whole surface. You can do this in two or three rings.
   • Place the top disc on top.
   • Store in the fridge until serving and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before eating.

Discover the history of Almudena's crown.

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