Chef Yohann Shares the Secrets Behind the Fruit-Shaped Pastries at Emma’s Patisserie

Ocala, FL — If you’ve scrolled through social media lately, you may have seen glossy peaches and giant raspberries cracking open to reveal unexpected desserts inside. These fruit-shaped pastries may be having their moment online, but Resort Executive Pastry Chef Yohann Le Bescond has been creating them at World Equestrian Center for years.  

We caught up with Chef Yohann at Emma’s Patisserie at The Equestrian Manor to learn a few secrets behind these surprising sweets.

What Exactly Are These Fruit-Shaped Cakes? 

“It started a few years ago in Paris,” Chef Yohann explains. “The pastry chef most associated with the trend is Cédric Grolet, who worked in some of the beautiful hotels there.

“On the outside, they look like a peach or a raspberry, but inside there are usually three components: an insert, a light mousse and a chocolate shell that creates that crack,” he says. “That’s what makes them special. There’s a surprise waiting to be revealed.”

Not long after it began in Paris, Chef Yohann and the pastry team began exploring the style. They started with the Florida Citrus Plated Dessert, a lemon-shaped pastry with a grapefruit center previously featured at Stirrups Restaurant. From there, they expanded into petits gâteaux, or “small cakes,” with the Granny Smith, Black Cherry and other fruit-inspired creations.

Today, that creativity continues at Emma’s Patisseries in The Equestrian Manor with current petit gâteau selections including the Framboise, Citron, Coffee and a larger-than-life Rocher.

Creating the Perfect Crack

“Everybody is looking for that crack. Everybody is looking for that gooey center, that reveal,” Chef Yohann says. 

And while that moment takes just seconds, there’s something social media can’t capture: what it takes to make that reveal possible.

Each cake begins with a careful process of building, shaping and freezing. First, a fruit puree is thickened and frozen to create the gel insert. It is then placed inside the mousse and frozen once more. Finally, a thin chocolate shell is added to create that signature crack.

“Any one of these cakes is at least a three- to four-day process,” Chef Yohann explains. “Every single dessert you see in the case is individually finished. A pastry chef adds the decoration, then the details, then the Emma’s logo. We work very hard to make sure every guest receives the same beautiful experience.”

One More Chef Secret: Make It a Tasting

Of course, all that work is meant to be enjoyed. And Chef Yohann loves seeing guests get right to the reveal.

“It’s always fun for me to scroll through social media and see guests sharing their experiences at home or even as soon as they get in the car,” he says with a smile.

He also has another way to enjoy them: make it a tasting.

“Guests could absolutely take several home and create their own tasting experience with family and friends. My personal preference would be to start with the Framboise, which is the raspberry, move into the Citron, then the Coffee Bean and finish with the Rocher.

“When tasting pastries, you want to begin with lighter fruit flavors and gradually move toward bolder ones. Chocolate is naturally a stronger flavor, so it makes sense to finish there,” Chef Yohann explains.

Four pastries, enough spoons and a few friends enjoying one reveal after another.

Choose the one that catches your eye. When you’re ready, crack it open to uncover the surprise, the secrets, the flavors.

No matter how you decide to enjoy them, you’ll find the fruit-shaped cakes among the Petits Gâteaux at Emma’s Patisserie at The Equestrian Manor.

Emma’s Patisserie at The Equestrian Manor is open seven days a week from 7am to 9pm. These handcrafted pastries are made in limited quantities and available while each day’s supply lasts. Hours and availability subject to change.