“I started dreaming of European white Christmases and it went from there.”
That’s how Ike Poernomo of Sydney's came up with the show-stopping creation that could be this year’s standout Christmas cake.
Atop a base forged from rice bubbles, cocoa butter and white chocolate (think grown-up chocolate crackles) sit four perfectly formed pieces of ‘fruit’ that have been coated white, swathed in fragrant fennel and viola flowers and dusted luxuriously in gold.
Koi followers will have seen these adorable fruit creations before. In spring, the dessert bar released a ludicrously life-like limited-edition set.
“This time, we wanted the colours reminiscent of Christmas baubles,” says Poernomo.
While the finish will transport you to a winter wonderland, the flavour is all-Australian. That’s to say, light, summery and deliciously global.
‘Peach’, for example, coats peach jelly with a luscious white peach, sudachi (Japanese citrus) and peach schnapps mousse, while ‘lemon’ comprises a ganache trinity of Asian citrus (lemon, kalamansi and yuzu), pineapple jam and madeleine sponge. “There’s also lemon confit puree that’s both sweet and bitter from the skin,” she says.
Then there’s ‘pear’ crafted with caramelised pear and cardamom mousse, and, of course, a nod to traditional Christmas flavours, thanks to the inclusion of morello cherry mousse, chocolate ganache and brandy-soaked fruit mince ‘cherry’.
Koi's creation is unlike any fruit cake you've ever seen at Christmas. Source: Koi Dessert Bar
As you’d imagine, each of these delicacies is painstakingly crafted. After being frozen overnight in moulds (or shaped by hand if you’re lemon), each fruit is coated in cocoa butter, glazed in white chocolate, and finally cloaked in glistening gold, silver or white. “It takes another one-and-a-half hours to decorate,” says Poernomo.
Which explains why there are only a limited number of these one-of-a-kind Christmas Day centrepieces to get your hands on. The larger version feeds 12 people, is 25cm wide and keeps for three to four days in the fridge. Priced at $220, it reflects the level of craftmanship that goes into making the dessert - and the fact the fruit is covered in 24-karat gold. The cakes are only available via pre-order, so make sure to or its sister store, , before Christmas hits.
But wait, there’s more: the Koi team has also created an edible white chocolate candle filled with marshmallow and crowned with an illuminating soy wax wick.
This pastry doubles as a Christmas cake and handy lighting source. Source: Koi
This pièce de résistance is available as extra bling, or for purchase individually for the best Christmas carol candle on the block.
Sweet seasons greetings all!
In this column, , I scour bakeries, patisseries and dessert joints from around the world for the hottest sweet trends, up-and-coming ingredients and game-changing pastry techniques.
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