Number Cake with Red Berries

Before starting this Number Cake with Red Berries, organise all the necessary ingredients for the whipped ganache.

For the whipped ganache (start the day before): Heat the whipping cream.

When the cream starts boiling, pour it over the white chocolate pistoles.

Combine with a whisk...

... until homogeneous.

Transfer the ganache in a food tray...

... and cover the surface of the cream with cling film.

Refrigerate overnight, or at least for 4 hours.

For the almond sweet pastry (make the day before) Organise all the necessary ingredients.

Place the soft butter in the stand mixer recipient.

Add the castor sugar...

... and mix with the flat beater.

When smooth and homogeneous...

... add the whole beaten egg.

Combine again until incorporated.

Add the almond powder...

... and flour.

Combine over low speed until the dough forms a ball.

Do not mix further as the dough will be hard after baking.

Pour the dough ball over a sheet of greaseproof paper.

Flatten with your fingers...

... and cover with another sheet of greaseproof paper.

Roll out the pastry with a rolling pin.

For this recipe, I used a professional rolling pin with discs...

... to create a regular thickness of 3mm.

Transfer onto a baking sheet and refrigerate, ideally overnight.

Remove the greaseproof paper on top...

... and divide the pastry in two equal portions (cut the pastry and baking parchment at the bottom altogether). I recommend using a Silpat baking mat as a guide.

Flip the pastry on the silicone mat, placed on top of a Silichef XL perforated baking sheet. The pastry should be to the same dimensions as the mat.

At this stage, the pastry is in direct contact with the silicone mat.

Remove the baking parchment on top. Repeat the operation on a separate silicone mat with the second portion of pastry.

Cut the number of your choice on a piece of paper. Make sure the number shape is quite wide, as show in the photo. Cut the pastry while using the paper as a guide. You can also use the appropriate stainless steel cutter.

Discard the pastry scraps...

... and cut the same number from the same pastry sheet of pastry.

You should now have two identical numbers.

On the second sheet of pastry...

... cut two identical numbers of your choice.

The numbers we made for this recipe allow us to create combinations 28 or 82.

Cover the pastry numbers with a Silpain baking mat...

... and a perforated baking sheet on top to ensure even baking results.

Repeat the operation with the second pair of numbers...

... and cover with a baking sheet.

Bake in a fan-assisted oven at 170°C (gas 3) between 12 and 15 minutes.

While the biscuits are baking, start preparing the red berries. Cut them into quarters or halves.

When cooked, remove the biscuits from the oven and carefully remove the tray on top...

... and the silicone mat.

Repeat the operation with the second tray and set aside to cool.

If needed, trim the sides of the number biscuits with a Microplane grater. The biscuits are really fragile, so be careful. If you break one, use it as the bottom biscuit.

For the whipped ganache (continued): The next day, take the ganache out of the fridge and remove the cling film.

The ganache should be set at this stage.

Place half of the ganache into the stand mixer recipient...

... and add the blueberry purée (30 grams of purée for 100 grams of white chocolate).

Beat the cold ganache.

Don't hesitate to stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl to gather the preparation in the centre.

Whip until smooth and firm.

Transfer the blueberry ganache into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle Ø 10mm, and pipe it into drops over the two biscuit bases.

Pipe two rows on the edges first...

... and fill the gap in the middle.

Place the rest of the ganache in a clean stand mixer recipient. Add a little vanilla powder.

Whip the ganache. Don't hesitate to stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl to gather the preparation in the centre.

Whip until smooth and firm.

Fill another piping bag (fitted with a plain nozzle Ø 10 mm) with the vanilla whipped ganache...

... and pipe it into drops...

over the two remaining biscuits.

The final result should look like this.

If you find the cream too runny, place the biscuit in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Assembling the cake: Stack the biscuits corresponding to each number. It is up to you whether you want to put the blueberry at the bottom or on top.

The whipped ganache is firm enough not to collapse when stacked.
This is what the result should look like.

For the finish: Gather the red berries on your workbench.

Arrange strawberry quarters vertically over the cream.

Repeat with the other fruits, cut into halves or quarters.

Add a few marzipan flowers (white, yellow or red)...

... and a few fresh flowers...

... in red or pale colours.

For the decoration, I added a few gold-coated chocolate squares...

... as well as a few nougatine triangles.

Add a couple of dark chocolate spirals...

... and a few mint leaves.

This is what the result should look like.

Finish with gold-coated shelled almonds...

... and small pieces of gold leaf.

This number cake with red berries is the perfect dessert for a birthday or anniversary. Enjoy!