How do you make the stripes on the sponge cake that are used to make the French pastries and cakes? I usually see them around plated desserts or around larger cakes. They are very straight or can be diagonal and they don't bleed into the surrounding cake, its as if they are drawn on but I know they aren't. I know how the stripes are done with jam but these are not done with jam.
Thanks

By momoreg on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 06:40 am: Edit

I believe you are referring to Joconde. The stripes are done beforehand with cigarette paste, and then the joconde is baked on top of that. Stripes are produced with a comb, usually.

By W.DeBord on Tuesday, March 27, 2001 - 08:30 am: Edit

Exactly as Momoreg describes. You spread the cigarette paste on a silpat thinly then drag a comb (pastry comb) thru it. Where the comb doesn't hit the silpat it leaves behind lines of paste. The cigerette paste can be tinted chocolate with cocoa powder or colored with food coloring. You then freeze the mat with your design on it while you make your Joconde/thin cake. While the cigarette paste is frozen it won't smear as your putting your Joconde on top of it. It bakes quickly in a hot oven. You cut it into strips and line your mould with it, then fill with whatever.

There are countless ways of creating patterns with the cigarette paste. If you need a recipe I like both Micheal Roux's recipe from his dessert book or Hermes' from his pro book.