A world of chocolates at Diamond Hotel Philippines

Chocoholics have much to rejoice with the Diamond Hotel Philippines’ new cakes and pastries.
Its lineup of sweets celebrates chocolate in its many flavors. Just imagine: white chocolate passion fruit cake, Desire cake, Trilogy cake, Sacher cake, mint chocolate cake, and pineapple caramel cake. And those are just the cakes.

Chef consultant Guillaume Bonnety says chocolate-based cakes and desserts are much in vogue now, as well as low calorie sweets. And when he says chocolate, he doesn’t mean mousses.

"I try to combine textures and flavors together. In some cakes, it could be crispy and moussy at the same time, or creamy with a jelly center. As a rule, I do not mix more than two of three flavors and textures together," says Bonnety.

And lest you think the words "chocolate" and "healthy" are incompatible, think again. Chef Bonnety points out that chocolate itself when taken in small quantities daily is healthy. And pure chocolate isn’t sweet.

To produce his low-calorie desserts, he reduces the amount of sugar in his recipes, and holds back on the cream. This produces a less rich dessert that the weight conscious can enjoy.

The old line of cakes and desserts at the Diamond was sponge based. The new sweets are more creative in the use of ingredients, particularly fruits.

"I went to market with the kitchen staff to see what fruits are available here. I incorporated those fruits into some of the desserts," he adds.

Chef Bonnety also took into account the taste buds of the Diamond’s market. Japanese and Korean diners prefer lighter desserts, particularly French pastries. On the other hand, Filipino diners like them sweeter.

The chef knows what he is speaking of. He has worked as executive pastry chef for the Raffles Hotel Singapore, The Oberoi Hotels and Resorts India, Conrad Hotel and Casino Cairo, among others.

One thing is sure: whether you have a sweet tooth or not, you will be spoiled for choices at the Diamond Hotel Philippines.

Our choices among the cake are the Desire, Trilogy and Sacher cakes. For adventurous taste buds, try the pineapple caramel cake (rich with the taste of oven-roasted pineapples) and the coconut calamansi pastry (really tart with the unique flavor of calamansi).

Chef Guillaume Bonnety shares the recipe to one of his unique desserts.

Coconut Calamansi Pastry

For the coconut dacquoise biscuit:
440 g. egg whites
140 g. sugar
400 g. icing sugar
150 g. fresh coconut (niyog), grated
200 g. desiccated coconut powder
50 g. flour
2 calamansi skin, grated
For the coconut mousse:
1/2 pint coconut milk
100 g. sugar
1/2 pint whipped cream
125 g. young coconut (buko), chopped
7 pcs. gelatin leaf
1 calamansi skin, grated
For the calamansi jelly:
1 pint calamansi juice
2 calamansi skin, grated
250 g. sugar
6 pcs. gelatin leaf

For the coconut dacquoise biscuit:

Whisk the egg whites and sugar to a thick meringue. Add the rest of the ingredients, folding slowly into the meringue. Pile with a piping bag on to a baking paper-lined sheet pan. Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes. Set aside.

For the coconut mousse:

Warm the coconut milk with the sugar and grated calamansi skin. Add the gelatin and the young coconut. When cold, fold in the whipped cream. Set aside.

For the calamansi jelly:

Warm the juice with the calamansi skin and sugar. Add the gelatin. When cold, pour into a mold. Place in the freezer until it freezes.

To assemble:

On a paper frame or plate, set one coconut dacquoise. Pour enough coconut mousse to fill the center of the dacquoise. Freeze.

Add another layer of coconut dacquoise. Top with the frozen calamansi jelly. Top with the remaining coconut mousse. Freeze.

When frozen, sprinkle cocoa powder on top of the mousse and glaze with a neutral gel. Slice into portions and decorate as desired.