A Cake Fit for a Queen
Pastry Chef Warda Bouguettaya’s decadent dessert adorned in a regal history
Queen of Sheba Entremet: Almond-Pistachio Cornflake Sablé Cookie, Chocolate Ganache, Salted Caramel, Pistachio Frangipane, Coffee-Chocolate Mirror Glaze, Candied Pistachio |. Photos: Alexander Zeren
At Detroit’s Warda Pâtisserie, Pastry Chef-Owner Warda Bouguettaya’s confections are driven not only by the seasons, but also by her community. So, when Ramadan rolled around in the late winter, Bouguettaya saw an opportunity to create a celebratory dessert, specifically for the bakery’s Muslim patrons.
“We always have an entremet on the menu at the pâtisserie, and every season we rotate it,” explains Bouguettaya. “[This winter,] we wanted to give a nod to the Middle Eastern community.” With limited fresh produce, Bouguettaya gravitated towards dark chocolate, and eventually found inspiration in the Queen of Sheba cake. The French dessert, popularized by Julia Child, is composed of a dark chocolate-almond cake decorated in a dark chocolate frosting. To make it her own, Bouguettaya transforms the classic confection into a visually satisfying, layered dessert of pistachio frangipane, dark chocolate mousse, and rich salted caramel. “[I wanted to] respect the flavors of the Sheba cake, but also stay true to the aesthetic and philosophy of the entremet,” says Bouguettaya. The result is a decadent, skillfully constructed winter entremet that pays homage to Middle Eastern flavors.
Pastry Chef Warda Bouguettaya
Queen of Sheba Entremet: Almond-Pistachio Cornflake Sablé Cookie, Chocolate Ganache, Salted Caramel, Pistachio Frangipane, Coffee-Chocolate Mirror Glaze, Candied Pistachio
Pistachio-Corn Flake Sablé
While developing the dish, Bouguettaya was naturally drawn to a classic Middle Eastern ingredient as the centerpiece: pistachios. The foundation of the entremet comes in the form of a buttery shortbread sablé. The cookie is baked, crumbled, salted, and folded into house-made pistachio praline, melted milk chocolate, corn flakes, and cocoa nibs to “give it some crunch,” creating a chewy, “granola-like paste.” To ensure the base is sturdy enough for the rest of the dessert, Bouguettaya presses the gluten-free sablé into a compact disc.
Pistachio Frangipane
To play off of both the Queen of Sheba cake’s nutty component and the praline element often found in a traditional entremet, Bouguettaya tops the sablé with a pistachio frangipane. The soft custard is studded with chopped pistachios and more pieces of the sweet-and-salty pistachio praline. “We didn’t want there to be a crunch. Even though it's an entremet, we wanted it to still have [some] chew.” The bright green frangipane adds another layer of complexity to the dessert, drawing parallels to—but also texturally balancing—the crumbly cookie base.
Salted Caramel and Chocolate Mousse
Leaning on a stalwart companion of chocolate, Bouguettaya adds a layer of velvety salted caramel for a touch of savory, gooey richness. Staying true to the entremet format, the salted caramel is then encased in an airy dark chocolate mousse.
Coffee-Chocolate Mirror Glaze
As a nod to the Queen of Sheba cake’s fudgey chocolate frosting, Bouguettaya finishes the entremet with a dark chocolate-coffee glaze. The dark chocolate glaze is yet another reference to Middle Eastern flavors: “an homage to Yemen being the capital of coffee,” says Bouguettaya. Sugar, glucose syrup, heavy cream, and gelatin are blended together with Yemeni drip coffee and a combination of dark and milk chocolate. The glossy chocolate is then draped over the entremet—hiding the neat layers underneath—and topped with a crunchy caramelized pistachio. Bouguettaya’s Queen of Sheba entremet may be unassuming at first glance, but once guests cut into it, she says, "their minds are blown” by layer after layer of juxtaposing colors and textures.
