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Your Favorite Cheese Board
But as a Brie Cake
This Roasted Grape Brie Cake takes the best parts of a cheese board and puts them into one gorgeous slice. Brie, roasted grapes, candied walnuts, crispy pancetta, and honey on toasted bread, all in one bite. Make it ahead for the holidays or box it up as an edible gift.
Table of Contents
What you Need
Ingredient Notes
Brie Wheel: Don’t cut the rind off of this one. This is what you will be slicing and layering the filling inside.
Triple Cream Brie and Cream Cheese: The rind comes off of this one, and it gets whipped. Triple cream is great for whipped brie because it carries more butterfat, so it whips super soft. Cut the rind off while it is still cold and throw it in the food processor with the 2 ounces of cream cheese. Wait till they come to room temperature before you whip it.
Pancetta: Start it in a cold pan so it renders slowly. Bacon works too if you’d prefer, but make sure you drain it well before adding it to the cheese.
Walnuts: Toast for two minutes before the sugar goes in so they dry out a little, plus it gives you that roasted flavor. The coating is a quick glaze, not hard candy, so these will be a little tacky once it cools.
Grapes: Red seedless, still on the vine. The vine holds the cluster together so the grapes stay where you put them instead of rolling off. They need to roast and cool completely.
Roast the Grapes on the Vine
Leave the grapes on the stem. The vine holds them in a cluster so they’re not rolling all over the place when you place them on top of the brie cake.
Rinse them and dry them well. You don’t want water on them still when you add them to the oven. Line the pan with parchment and drizzle the grapes and vine with oil.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). For this recipe we aren’t baking them till they burst. We want them to hold shape on top, so we are only going to roast them for 8-10 minutes.
Let them cool completely before topping the cheese with them.
Fluffy Like a Cloud
Whipping the Brie
The rind is easier to remove when the triple brie is cold. You’ll also have less waste if you do it this way. With a paring knife, cut the rind off carefully, you can use a vegetable peeler on the sides if that’s easier for you.
Then let it sit out with the cream cheese for about thirty minutes before you whip it. It needs to come to room temperature if you want that fluffy texture. Do not try to speed this up in the microwave.
After the 30 minutes, whip it for around 5-10 minutes. You want to keep going till the texture is light and airy, then stop. You can over process the whipped brie, so pay attention to the texture, stopping to check it.
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The Perfect Pairings
This is served cold, with toasted baguette. Pour a London Mule while people are arriving. Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Miso Ginger Pan Sauce after that, with an Arugula Fennel Salad alongside, and Espresso Eggnog Panna Cotta to finish.
The Brie Cake Series
Same technique, different flavors.
If you want to see similar recipes,
The Brie Cake Series has all of them in one place.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Red seedless. They roast to a deeper color than green and look better against the white cheese.
Yes, they roast the same either way, but they will look better and be much easier if you keep them on the vine. It holds the grapes in a cluster so they sit on top of the cake instead of rolling off.
Usually it is because you ran the processor too long. The blade heats the cheese and the butterfat separates, making it oily instead of fluffy. Make sure you let your brie and cream cheese sit out for about 30 minutes before you start to whip it, then watch it closely in the food processor.
Equipment
- Skillet
- hand mixer, or food processor
- sheet pan
- Offset spatula
Ingredients
Roasted Grape Brie Cake
- 2 oz pancetta, diced
- 1 brie wheel
- 1-2 grape vine
- olive oil, to taste (about 1 tsp)
- honey, for topping (about 1 tbsp)
Candied Walnuts
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- pinch of salt
Whipped Brie Filling
- 6 oz triple cream brie, rind removed, room temperature
- 2 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup chives, finely chopped
Instructions
- Pancetta: Add the pancetta to a cold pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook 7 to 10 minutes, until the fat renders and the pancetta crisps. Remove from the pan and let cool.2 oz pancetta
- Candy the Walnuts: Toast the walnuts in a preheated pan for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly. Add the brown sugar, water, butter, dried thyme and salt. Return to medium-low heat and cook a few minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Let cool completely.3/4 cup walnuts, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp water, 1 tbsp butter, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- Whip the Brie: Whip the triple cream brie and cream cheese until smooth for 5-10 minutes, or until light and airy, scrapping down the sides as needed. Set 1/3 aside for frosting.6 oz triple cream brie, 2 oz cream cheese
- Filling: Fold 2 tbsp of the chives, 1/4 cup of the candied walnuts, roughly chopped, and half the pancetta into the remaining whipped brie. Mix loosely.1/4 cup chives
- Stuff: Cut the brie wheel in half lengthwise. Spread the filling over the bottom half and replace the top. Refrigerate 30 minutes.1 brie wheel
- Roast the Grapes: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Place the grape vines on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Roast 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.1-2 grape vine, olive oil
- Assemble: Frost the chilled brie with the reserved whipped brie. Top with the remaining chives, walnuts, pancetta, and the roasted grapes. Drizzle with honey.honey
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
