Sarrapia Tonka cake with Bean-to-Bar Chocolate and Marshmallow by María Evans

At Azú (Caracas), María Evans offers pastries using European techniques but with local ingredients.

The centerpiece of her offering is Venezuelan cacao. In fact, she’s not just interested in cacao; she’s also interested in copoazú, another 100% Amazonian theobroma cacao, which gives her establishment its name and is part of her line of bean-to-bar chocolates.

In our Spanish pastry magazine, Dulcypas 505, we not only interview her, but also share recipes like Sarrapia Tonza. “At Azú, as a vanilla substitute, we use Sarrapia (tonka bean), with which we make a bean-to-bar chocolate. We place a marshmallow inside the cake and use a bean-to-bar chocolate chip base. This dessert is a Venezuelan version of the popular S’more.”

Sarrapia Tonka

Tonka marshmallow

250 g sugar
120 g water
10 g glucose
85 g water
12 g gelatin
40 g egg whites
5 g tonka bean extract

Hydrate the gelatin with the second water. Make a syrup with the water, sugar, and glucose. Increase the temperature to 170°C. Whip the egg whites when the syrup comes to a boil. Melt the gelatin without letting it boil. Add the syrup and, at the same time, the melted gelatin. Add the tonka bean extract. Beat until stiff and at room temperature. Prepare the molds with nonstick spray. Pipe into the molds using a piping bag. Let stand for a few minutes at room temperature.

Sarrapia Chocolate Mousse

250 g cream
190 g Sabaneta dark chocolate with Sarrapia 68%*
125 g milk
4 g gelatin

Heat the milk, dissolve the previously hydrated gelatin. Melt the chocolate and emulsify with the milk until a smooth, glossy texture is achieved. Reduce the temperature to 32°C. Semi-whip the cream and assemble using a silicone spatula. Place into a piping bag and dispense into molds.

*Sabaneta with Sarrapia (Tonka) Azú chocolate from the Sabaneta farm is grown in the lush tropical rainforest of Henry Pittier National Park, on the coast of Choroní. In addition to the excellence of its cacaos, this farm has committed to obtaining organic certification and preserving the authenticity of regional cacao. In this case, we leave the tonka bean, i.e., the Sarrapia, for a month and then remove it. This allows the chocolate to subtly absorb its aroma.

Chocochips

210 g all-purpose flour
3 g baking soda
4 g baking powder
140 g butter at room temperature
170 g brown sugar
115 g sugar
65 g egg
140 g Sabaneta dark chocolate with Sarrapia 68%*

Sift the powders. Beat the butter with the sugars at speed 5 in a mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs. Add the solids and, after mixing, add the chocolate. Spread 45 grams per 7 cm diameter ring mold. Bake at 180°C for 13 minutes.

Caramel Glaze

360 g sugar
300 g water
300 g cream
20 g cornstarch
10 g gelatin

Prepare a dry caramel with the sugar. Heat the water to stop the caramel from cooking. Simmer until all lumps are gone. Separately, combine the cream with the cornstarch. Stir in the mixture, whisking regularly. Let it boil for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Add the hydrated gelatin. Glaze at 30°C.

Other Ingredients

Chocolate molded in a tonka bean and dark-coated

Assembly

Dose the mousse into individual molds. Add the marshmallows and seal. Freeze, unmold, glaze, and place on top of the chocochip cookie discs.