Silky delicate full body chocolate mousse with a subtile undertone of rose petals. Spiced up with some fleur de sel to intensify and highlight the flavours. Inspired + adjusted by Dominique Ansel’s Masterclass on chocolate mousse cake.
This recipe makes 6 small cakes of about 7.5 cm Ø
The chocolate mousse cakes consist of:
a soft almond chocolate ‘biscuit’ base,
a rosebud infused chocolate mousse body and
a chocolate mirror glaze.
TIME MANAGEMENT
Make the chocolate biscuit and the mirror glaze one day in advance. The biscuit is better to rest overnight at room temperature before you use it and you will not have to wait too long for the glaze to cool when you need to use it.
ALMOND CHOCOLATE 'BISCUIT’
50 g oven-roasted almonds
5 g (½ tablespoon) confectioners sugar
80 g egg whites (2-3 eggs)
63 g granulated white sugar, extra fine
15 g cake flour
15 g cocoa powder
a pinch of salt (‘fleur de sel’)
CHOCOLATE MIRROR GLAZE
100g sugar
73 g heavy cream (alternative: oat heavy cream)
5 g (2 teaspoons) powder gelatin, powdered - hydrate it with 28 g cold water
73 g water, room temperature
35 g cocoa powder
ROSEBUD INFUSED CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (makes x 6)
185 g semi sweet chocolate 70%
185 ml oat milk
270 ml heavy cream (alternative: oat heavy cream)
1 + 1/2 leaf gelatine
6 g dried rosebuds, stems removed
a pinch of salt
ONE DAY IN ADVANCE (DAY 0)
PREPARATION: ALMOND CHOCOLATE 'BISCUIT’
Preheat your oven at 150°C fan function - or 170°C conventional.
In a food processor, chop the oven-roasted almonds for 10-15 seconds. Add the confectioners sugar and continue to blend them for a few more seconds until you get a fine powder. Don’t blend them for any longer because the powder will start turning to paste.
Transfer in a mixing bowl and sieve in the cocoa powder and the cake flour. Stir well - using a spatula - and set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat the egg whites for a few seconds and until foamy and white. Then gradually add the fine granulated sugar and continue beating at medium-high speed for a few more seconds (at least 30) until all the sugar is dissolved, the meringue is glossy and stiff peaks have formed.
NOTE: I opt for fine sugar because it dissolves easily and faster in the egg whites. If you can’t find it at your local grocery store, you can pulse granulated sugar for a few seconds in the food processor to make it finer.
When your meringue is ready, sieve in ⅓ of the almond-cocoa-flour mix and fold it carefully - using a spatula - with round movements to avoid deflating the meringue. Then continue with the rest of the dry ingredients and fold them in the meringue until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Lay a baking paper (or baking mat) on a baking tray and evenly spread the dough forming a rectangular of approximately 15 cm x 22 cm and 0.5 cm thickness.
Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 min depending on the intensity of your oven. It will be ready if you insert a knife in the biscuit and it comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let it slightly cool. Then, turn it upside down - very carefully to avoid breaking it - and remove the baking paper or baking mat. Let it cool completely on a cooling rack.
When the biscuit is cool, cut out 6 disks of the diameter of your forms (I had forms of 7,7 cm circumference). Transfer them in an airtight container and set aside until the next day.
PREPARATION: CHOCOLATE GLAZE
Mix the gelatin with the water and let it hydrate for at least 30 minutes.
In a pan, warm up the heavy cream and the sugar over medium heat, while stirring occasionally and until the sugar dissolves completely.
Hydrate the cocoa powder and mix it - using a spatula - to a smooth paste.
Add the gelatin to the warm heavy cream and sugar mix and stir well. Then add the cocoa powder paste.
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve to catch any cacao residues and set aside to let it cool. Transfer it in an airtight container and refrigerate it overnight.
NEXT DAY (DAY 1)
Take the chocolate glaze, that you made the day before, out of the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature.
PREPARATION: CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for at least 30 minutes.
Transfer the rosebuds (stems removed) in a pan together with the milk. Warm them up over medium heat until the milk is lightly steaming, paying attention that the milk won't boil. Remove from fire and let the rosebuds infuse for 10-15 minutes, depending on how intense you would like the rose scent to be. I kept it for 15 minutes because the scent will become lighter when you blend in the chocolate and whipped cream. Strain the roses and gradually pour the warm milk over the chocolate to melt it. First add the ⅓ of the milk portion and blend well - using a whisk - until milk and melted chocolate are properly emulsified. Continue with the rest of the milk. If your chocolate won’t melt easily, transfer the bowl to a ‘double boiler’ over medium fire paying attention not to overheat the chocolate (temperature shall not go beyond 45 °C.
Finalize it - using a beamer - to get a smooth texture of the chocolate - milk emulsion.
Strain the hydrated gelatin, squeeze out the excess water and add it to the ganache (chocolate - milk emulsion). Stir until smooth - using a whisk. Set the mix aside to slightly cool.
In the meanwhile, beat the chilled heavy cream until a smooth creamy consistency. When the ganache is cool enough, pour it slowly in the bowl with the whipped cream while stirring with circular movements - using a spatula. Continue until the ganache is fully incorporated in the whipped cream.
Transfer a portion of the mousse into round silicon forms. Leave a space of approximately 1 cm from edge of the form and place the chocolate biscuit (this will be the base of your cake. If you are using a spring form, place the chocolate biscuit on the bottom of the form and fill the form with the chocolate mousse. You can wrap the edges of the form with some plastic foil or acetate roll to easily remove the form when the cake is ready. Transfer the cakes in the refrigerator for an hour to let the mousse set and then place them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and until the mousse is compact and hard enough to be removed from the forms. Place the cakes on a cooling rack with a tray underneath to collect the extra glaze that is gonna drip while glazing the cakes. Don’t forget to remove the acetate roll or plastic foil from your cakes if you are using spring forms.
GLAZING
If the chocolate glaze is too thick, warm it up slightly and emulsify it - using a beamer. Don’t forget to always immerse the beamer in the liquid to avoid incorporating additional air. Tap the container with the glaze on the kitchen top and force any air bubbles to come to the surface of the liquid.
Glaze the cakes one by one with a gracious portion of the mirror glaze and let the glaze drip over the sides of the cake so that it is covered completely.
Transfer the cakes on a serving tray and place them in the refrigerator until the glaze is nicely set (approximately half hour). Decorate with dried rose petals and a pinch of fleur de sel. Serve and enjoy their delicate and smooth texture!
Good luck you guys :)
X
Alexandra
IN THE MAKING
