Honey Roasted Nectarine & Cardamom Karpatka

I didn’t think my love for this polish dessert could get any bigger, but you add in honey roasted nectarines and a fragrant cardamom diplomat cream and it might just be my idea of heaven.
If you love éclairs then this will be right up your street. It’s often referred to as an éclair cake because it’s made up of two discs of choux pastry and filled with a pastry cream that’s had softly whipped cream folded through it. It’s absolutely delicious. It’s best eaten fresh but lasts quite well for a day or two.
For this one, I’ve infused crushed cardamom into the pastry cream and placed a layer of soft roasted nectarines into the middle of two cream layers. I’ve also added some fresh slices of nectarine around the edge, which looks pretty but also gives a great contrast against the nectarines nestled inside.

Ingredients - Makes one 8inch cake (serves 8-10)

Honey Roasted Nectarines:
4 ripe nectarines, quartered
2 tbsp runny honey
1/2 tsp vanilla paste

Cardamom Pastry Cream:
250ml whole milk
1/2 vanilla pod
8 cardamom pods, crushed
60g egg yolks
60g caster sugar
10g custard powder
15g cornflour
25g unsalted butter
300ml double cream

Choux Pastry:
90g whole milk
90g water
35g unsalted butter
35g rapeseed oil
1/4 tsp salt
110g strong flour
150g eggs

To Finish:
2-3 ripe nectarines, sliced
Icing sugar, to top

Method
The day before:
For the nectarines; place all of the ingredients into a baking dish and bake at 140°C for 15-20 minutes until softened. Leave to cool before placing in the fridge until needed.

For the pastry cream; place the milk, vanilla, crushed cardamom and half of the sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. In the meantime, whisk together the yolks, remaining sugar, cornflour and custard powder into a bowl. Once the milk begins to simmer, strain it into a bowl to remove the cardamom pod shells. Gradually pour a third of the milk into the yolks while whisking. Transfer the rest of the milk back into the pan along with the yolks. Continue to whisk over medium heat until thick and bubbling. Keep cooking it for about 1 minute to ensure it is cooked out thoroughly. Be careful it doesn't burn! Take it off the heat and place into a bowl. Cover the surface with clingfilm and place into the fridge to chill overnight.

The day of assembly:
Start with making your choux pastry discs. Preheat your oven to 200°C. Grease and line two loose bottom 8inch cake tins or rings. If you only have one, bake one of the choux pastry discs and then the other afterwards.

Bring the milk, water, butter, oil and salt to a boil in a pan over medium heat. Once boiling add in the flour and quickly mix it together, still on the stove, until you have a dough. Continue to cook the choux pastry for a further two minutes or so, until it forms a smooth paste and no longer sticks to the pan. Take the pan off the heat and tip the pastry into a bowl. Leave the pastry to cool for 5 minutes before beating with a spoon whilst gradually adding in your eggs.

The amount of egg you will need will depend on how much you have cooked out your choux pastry. You may not need all of it or you may need a little more. You want to add enough so that it becomes glossy and forms a ‘V’ shape when you let it drop off of the spoon. Be careful, you can always add more egg but you can’t take it out.

Weigh the choux pastry and split it in half. Spread half of the pastry in an even layer in one of your prepared cake tins. Repeat with the other half and other tin. Place the choux discs into the oven and lower the temperature to 170°C. Bake for 30-35 minutes until puffed, crisp and dry to the touch. Leave to cool.

When you’re ready to build your karpatka, take the pastry cream from the fridge and beat it in a large mixing bowl until smooth. In another bowl, whip the cream until you have stiff peaks. Beat a third of the cream into the pastry cream to loosen it. Fold through the remaining cream and set aside.

Line a loose bottom 8inch cake tin or ring with acetate. Place one of the choux discs into the bottom, leaving the prettier one for the top. Spoon in half of the cardamom cream and spread into an even layer so that it reaches the sides of the tin. Arrange your fresh nectarine slices around the edge, pressing them up against the acetate. Spoon the roasted nectarines into the middle of the cream. Spread over the remaining cardamom cream, pushing it up against the fresh peach slices so that everything is stuck together. Place your second choux disc on top and press down lightly to ensure it has contact with the cream. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

When you’re ready to serve, remove the karpatka from the tin and place it onto a serving plate. Peel off the acetate and dust with icing sugar. Serve.