Macaron cake

Ingredients:

Macaron cake

• 3 cups almond flour
• 2 and 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 7-8 g of gel food coloring of any color
• Whites of 7 large eggs, preferably aged (see Note)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• A little lemon juice
• 1 and 1/3 cups granulated sugar

Butter cream

• 12 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 0.5 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 440 g butter, cut into 1 tbsp pieces, at room temperature
• 0.5 tsp lemon extract
• 1/3 cup seedless blackberry jam
• 4 cups blackberries
• 2 cups of raspberries

Special equipment

• 3 large pastry bags
• Large open tip
• Cake pan with a diameter of 22 cm.
• Cake pan with a diameter of 15 cm.
• 2 large open star tips
• Multi-tiered cake stand

Preparation:

1. Macaron cake:
   
   Fit a large pastry bag with a large open tip. Line three baking sheets with parchment. Place a 9-inch (22 cm) diameter pan on the parchment on each baking sheet and trace around the cake layers with a marker to create an outline. On each sheet of parchment, next to the large circle, trace around a 6-inch (15 cm) diameter pan. Turn the sheets of parchment over so the ink is facing down, but you can still see the outline of the circles. Set aside.
2. Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar into a large bowl. Add the food coloring and 2 tablespoons of egg whites, but do not mix. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add salt and the remaining egg whites, whisking quickly. Set aside.
4. Sprinkle lemon juice into a saucepan and add 1/3 cup water, then granulated sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring gently and brushing away any sugar grains stuck to the sides of the pan with a damp pastry brush, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Continue heating, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 112°C (230°F). Then turn the mixer on high speed with the egg whites.
5. Continue heating the syrup, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 118°C (250°F). At this point, ensure the egg whites are well-foamed, then carefully pour the sugar syrup along the edge of the bowl, being careful not to get it on the moving whisk. Beat on high speed until the whites are snow-white and shiny, but not yet stiff.
6. Place the meringue in a bowl with the powdered sugar and almond flour and mix until the batter is smooth like ketchup and shiny.
7. Transfer the dough to the prepared pastry bag. Pipe the dough into one of the larger circles in a spiral, filling the circle completely, starting from the very center and tracing tight circles around the edges. Pipe the dough into the smaller circle in the same manner. Repeat with the remaining circles on each baking sheet. If you have excess dough, pipe 0.5 cm balls or hearts into the empty spaces on the baking sheets. Tap the baking sheets lightly on the work surface a few times to release any air bubbles, and let them sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes to form a crust.
8. Preheat oven to 135°C.
9. Bake the cakes, opening the oven door once or twice during baking to allow moisture to escape, for 20–25 minutes. Let the cakes cool completely before assembling.
10. Butter cream:
    
    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk until smooth. In a large saucepan, bring the heavy cream and milk to a simmer. With the mixer on medium speed, slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture along the edge of the bowl, whisking until fully incorporated. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook, whisking, over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise and begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.
11. Transfer the hot cream to a clean stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment and beat until cooled to room temperature, 10–15 minutes. Add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, beating between additions. Continue adding and beating until the cream thickens and becomes smooth. You may not need all the butter.
12. Transfer a third of the cream to a small bowl and stir in the lemon extract. Add the blackberry jam to the remaining cream in the bowl and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer the cream to separate large pastry bags fitted with large, open, star-shaped tips.
13. On the flat side of one of the large cake layers, arrange blackberries around the perimeter, spacing them about 1 cm apart. Space the berries evenly in the center. Pipe blackberry buttercream around the berries. Place the second large cake layer on top and repeat with the remaining blackberries and buttercream. Place the third large cake layer on top. Assemble the second cake using the smaller cake layers, raspberries, and lemon curd in the same manner.
14. Place a smaller cake on top of a larger one, or use a tiered cake stand to separate the two cakes.
    
    Note
    
    This recipe works best with aged egg whites. To do this, separate the whites from the yolks and place them in a bowl. Cover with a paper towel and refrigerate for 24 hours before using. Transfer the egg yolks to a lidded container and use them to make the buttercream.