Yield: 8
Cake is 6cm in diameter and 4cm in height
Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake
45 g butter – softened
50 g sugar
1/2 t cocoa powder
2 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1) Melt chocolate – bring to 45 degrees C
2) Beat butter with one-third of sugar and cocoa powder until creamy, add yolks and mix with hand mixer or whisk. Don’t be alarmed if mixture curdles – this is normal.
3) Add melted chocolate and whisk until just mixed. Mixture will be smooth and homogenous.
4) Whip egg whites with remaining sugar until firm
5) Using a large rubber spatula, stir one quarter of the meringue into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the rest – being careful not to deflate the mixture.
Your batter should be light and voluminous prior to piping
6) Spread or pipe out onto a baking tray – about 0.8mm thick
7) Bake at 170 degrees C until set, without it coloring – around 15 minutes.
8) Leave to cool, and cut into 8 discs to fit the base of the cake and 8 smaller ones to go inside the cake. Let it cool.
Chocolate Mousse
50 g egg yolks
25 g sugar
25 ml water
100 g dark chocolate – melted, keep at 45 degrees C
200 ml cream – whipped stiff and refrigerated
1) Whisk egg yolks well together.
2) Bring sugar and water to the boil. Pour into the egg yolk in a steady stream, whisking all the while. Keep whisking until the mixture has increased significantly in volume and lightened in colour.
3) When the egg mixture has cooled to room temperature, add to the cream.
4) Fold lightly with a large spatula until partially incorporated.
5) Add one quarter to the melted chocolate and whisk well to incorporate.
6) Add the rest of the egg and cream mixture to the chocolate and fold with a large whisk until just incorporated.
Creme Mousseline Pistache
120 g butter – cubed, at room temperature
240 ml whole milk
3 egg yolks
65 g sugar
20 g custard powder
40 g pistachio paste
1) Whisk egg yolks and sugar until slightly pale. Add the cornstarch and whisk well.
2)Heat up milk to a gentle simmer. Pour a third of the hot milk over the egg mixture, whisk together and pour whole thing back into the saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring and mixing well with a whisk.
3) Remove from heat, transfer to a mixing bowl and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add half of butter, cover with plastic wrap (on contact to prevent a skin forming) and allow to cool completely.
3) When cream is at 18-20 degrees C, whip in pistachio paste and remaining butter until smooth.
Chocolate Glaze
150 ml whipping cream
50 g glucose
130 g sugar
60 g unsweetened cocoa powder
2.5 gelatin leaves
1) Combine glucose, cream and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil
2) Add cocoa powder and gelatin and mix well with a whisk
3) Strain into a bowl and cover with cling wrap (in contact) and leave to cool and thicken to glazing consistency
Montage
1) Place mousse into a piping bag with a 10mm tip.
2) Pipe at the base of moulds and spread with a spatula up to cover the sides.
3) Add in the smaller discs and cover with a little more mousse.
4) Place in the freezer to harden slightly.
5) Pipe in the pistachio mousseline and place the larger discs to cover.
6) Freeze well.
7) Unmould cakes by submerging the mould slightly in warm water and turning it out onto a tray.
8) Glaze with a ladle over a grill and tray
9) Decorate as you desire!
