Contemporary Australian artisan chocolatier Koko Black and home of the world’s most Instagrammed cake Black Star Pastry have partnered to launch Theobroma: Food of the Gods: a limited-edition, multi-layered cake inspired by the origins of the cocoa fruit to celebrate World Chocolate Day on Thursday 7 July, exclusively available at Koko Black and Black Star Pastry venues in Melbourne and Sydney.
The dessert heavyweights, Koko Black Head Chocolatier Remco Brigou and Black Star Pastry Group Head Pastry Chef Arnaud Vodounou ventured to nature to create an innovative seven-layer cake that takes chocolate connoisseurs on a first-of-its-kind exploration of the king of all ingredients, the cocoa bean.
Inspired by Greek mythology, the name ‘Theobroma’ is an ancient Greek term meaning ‘food of the gods’ and is also a plant species which falls under the same family as the cacao tree, native to the tropical forests of Central and South America.
The supreme ingredient of the creation is the cacao juice, extracted from flesh that sits around the cocoa bean which is then fermented down to a sugar syrup to surprise chocolate lovers with an unexpected rich and fruity aroma. Coalescing a mix of fresh and decadent flavours, the Theobroma cake begins with a cacao shortbread base followed by a caramelised puffed buckwheat and quinoa crunch, chocolate mousse, light cacao sponge and cacao fruit juice cremeux.
Drawing on the elements of nature, the cake’s surface resembles leaves and twigs using an aesthetic garnish featuring a dark chocolate cacao pod filled with caramelised cacao nibs and cacao fruit compote with a white chocolate leaf with natural green colour along with chocolate twigs dianthus to finish.
Koko Black Head Chocolatier Remco Brigou said, “World Chocolate Day is a particularly special day for me where the product I have devoted my entire career to is thrust into the spotlight. At Koko Black, we prioritise collaborating with brands that possess the same values as us, which sparked a true partnership with Black Star Pastry where Arnaud and I spent six months brainstorming, conducting nine different cake trials with countless hours spent in the kitchen to deliver the most glorious celebration of the cocoa bean.
Over the past few years of the annual collaboration, the bond and trust Arnaud and I have built has resulted in us producing our favourite creation to date,” he concludes.
Black Star Head Pastry Chef Arnaud Vodounou said, “I want this creation to show that chocolate is so much more than the milky, bittersweet flavours that everyone knows. Theobroma heroes the often forgotten fruity and acidic flavours of the cocoa pulp and draws inspiration from the origins of chocolate by using natural ingredients in their most raw form. I still remember the first time I tried the fresh cocoa fruit, and instantly fell in love with it. I adore working with Remco on such a stimulating and collaborative project where we leant on each other’s skills to produce something extraordinary,” he concludes.
Theobroma: Food of the Gods cake is available from selected Koko Black and all Black Star Pastry venues across Melbourne and Sydney on World Chocolate Day, Thursday 7 July.
- Single-serve RRP $15
- Whole cake (serves 4) RRP $55
