Pomegranate splinters with homemade vanilla buttercream, sponge cake and shortcrust pastry

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 500 ml milk
• 75 g sugar
• 1 packet of vanilla pudding powder
• 250 g butter, room temperature
• 200 g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 75 g sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• 1 egg(s)
• 100 g butter, cold
• pinch(s) of salt
• 200 g sugar
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 tbsp water, hot
• 200 g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch(s) of salt
• 400 g chocolate coating, dark or milk or white
• 1 tbsp palm fat

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 2 hours

for 20 pieces

Vanilla buttercream: To make the cream, first make a vanilla pudding with milk and pudding powder according to the package instructions, but with 75g of sugar. Let the pudding cool slightly. Place cling film or a freezer bag directly on the pudding to prevent a skin from forming, and let the pudding cool to room temperature. If you prefer a more chocolatey texture, you can also use chocolate pudding powder. Very important: The butter and vanilla pudding must be at room temperature to prevent the vanilla buttercream from curdling. Beat the butter for 3 minutes until fluffy, then stir in the vanilla pudding a spoonful at a time. Shortcrust pastry: Make a shortcrust pastry with flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilla sugar, salt, egg, and cubed, cold butter. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes, otherwise it will stick. Then roll out the dough to about 6mm thick and cut out 20 round cookies, each about 5cm in diameter, using a glass or a serving ring. I always use an espresso cup for this. Roll out the leftover dough into a sheet of approximately 6 mm. Bake the cookies and the dough in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (top/bottom heat) for approximately 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Let the dough cool and cut into short, thin strips. These will later be folded into the pomegranate mixture. This will not only make the pomegranate pieces soft, but also give them a bit of a crunch. Sponge cake base: Place the sugar, vanilla sugar, eggs, salt, and hot water in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer for at least 5 minutes until fluffy. Mix the flour and baking powder and sift it onto the egg mixture. Carefully fold the flour into the egg mixture with a wooden spoon. Line the bottom of a springform pan with baking paper, do not grease the sides, and pour in the sponge cake mixture. Bake the sponge cake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (top/bottom heat) for approximately 35 minutes, until golden brown. Then remove the sponge cake from the pan and let it cool. Cut the sponge cake into roughly walnut-sized pieces. Pomegranate mixture: Place the sponge cake cubes in a bowl. Add the buttercream and the shortcrust pastry strips and carefully fold in with a spoon. Be careful not to crush the sponge cake pieces. Chocolate glaze: Cut the chocolate into small pieces and gently heat it with the palm fat in a water bath, stirring constantly, to about 40 degrees Celsius. The palm fat will make the glaze thinner. If you omit the palm fat, the chocolate won’t be enough and the glaze will be too thick. Finishing: Pile the pomegranate mixture onto the 20 shortcrust pastry biscuits with your hands. Place them on a palette knife, hold them over the chocolate, and pour the chocolate glaze over them with a spoon, allowing the excess to flow back into the pan. Let the pomegranate pieces drain on a wire rack until the chocolate glaze has set. Note: I’ve tried many pomegranate chips from pastry shops and bakeries. But none were as good as the pomegranate chips from my favorite pastry shop, which is unfortunately no longer available. I think pomegranate chips should be light in flavor and consistency, not extremely heavy and sweet. Take your time when baking the pomegranate chips. The recipe is quite simple.