Mocha Caramel Entremet
I really missed making entremets! They sure are my favorite thing to create, bake and assemble so I was more than happy when I managed to put together the idea for this entremet, despite having an awful cold and a mood for sleeping and resting rather than creating and baking. Anyway, this is what I came up with – a rich, exquisite mocha caramel entremet comprising of layers of chocolate mousse, mocha cremeux and caramel mousse, all topped with a luscious caramel and chocolate glaze. The surprise I hid inside the cake is a layer of vanilla creme brulee which adds a certain lightness to the rich layers of chocolate and caramel.
The recipe is quite long, but take the patience to read it through because it’s well worth it! The slightly crisp sable Breton makes an excellent base and a nice texture contrast to this creamy, airy cake. The base is then topped with the richest chocolate mousse known to mankind, followed by a dense and yet delicate layer of mocha cremeux and an insert of vanilla creme brulee. The caramel mousse seems to be just what this combination needed to make it slightly sweeter and bring everything together through the delicate taste of caramel.
To finish the cake I came up with a caramel and chocolate glaze which I loved working with. It’s thick and has a pretty good coverage for a homemade glaze, although I did learn one thing working with it – let it cool completely before using and make sure the cake is frozen on the outside. My cake was cold, but not from the freezer and the glaze didn’t cover the sides properly. It took me one more pour over the sides to make sure it’s well covered. Note to self: don’t hurry when making entremets, but most of all, freeze the cake before glazing! That’s a golden rule for homemade entremets and glazes made at home, from scratch.
The decoration is simple – chocolate and hazelnuts – but unlike other times, I decided to skip tempering the chocolate and I regretted doing so when I touched my decorations. They began melting so you can clearly see some thumbprints on my chocolate decorations. But worry not, there won’t ne a next time for a mistake like this!
Mocha Caramel Entremet
Ingredients
Chocolate Hazelnut Sable Breton
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 30 g ground hazelnuts
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 115 g butter (softened)
- 70 g powdered sugar
- 3 egg yolks
Vanilla sugar syrup:
- 50 g sugar
- 100 ml water
- 1 teapsoon vanilla extract
Vanilla Creme Brulee Insert:
- 120 ml heavy cream
- 80 ml milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 30 g sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Mousse:
- 4 g gelatin + 20ml cold water
- 2 egg yolks
- 40 g sugar + 20ml water
- 150 g dark chocolate (melted)
- 250 g heavy cream (whipped)
Mocha Chocolate Cremeux:
- 150 ml heavy cream
- 75 ml milk
- 10 g instant coffee
- 2 egg yolks
- 20 g sugar
- 100 g milk chocolate (chopped)
- 5 g gelatin + 25ml cold water
Caramel Mousse:
- 4 egg yolks
- 30 g powdered sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 180 g sugar
- 30 g butter
- 30 ml water
- 8 g gelatin + 45ml cold water
- 200 ml heavy cream (whipped)
- 1 tablespoon dark rum
Chocolate Caramel Glaze:
- 180 ml heavy cream
- 215 g sugar
- 90 ml water
- 12 g cornstarch
- 4 g gelatin + 20ml cold water
- 40 g dark chocolate (chopped)
Instructions
Chocolate Hazelnut Sable Breton:
- Mix the flour, cocoa powder, hazelnuts, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
- In a different bowl, combine the butter with sugar and mix until creamy.
- Stir in the egg yolks, one by one and mix well.
- Add the flour and mix until smooth.
- Spoon the batter on a baking sheet. Cover with another baking sheets and spread the batter into a 1cm thickness sheet. The batter is quite soft, but that’s how it is supposed to be. Place the dough in the freezer and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Once frozen and set, remove the dough from the freezer and cut it into a round with the diameter of 24cm. I used a cake ring to cut the round of dough and I recommend using the same because you will have to keep the ring around the dough while in the oven. That’s because being a butter dough, in the oven it will go soft and runny at first and only after that it will set and bake.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350F – 180C for 15 minutes or until touching the top of the sable doesn’t leave an indentation.
- When done, remove from the oven and let it cool then place the sable in a cake ring and place aside.
Vanilla sugar syrup:
- Mix the sugar with water and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let it cool completely then stir in the vanilla.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the sable Breton with this syrup. Using a pastry brush allows you to control the quantity of syrup better.
Vanilla Creme Brulee Insert:
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Line a small baking tray (18cm diameter) with baking paper then pour the egg mixture into the pan.
- Cook in the preheated oven at 140C for 30-35 minutes or until set.
- When done, let it cool in the pan then place the pan in the freezer for 2 hours. Only frozen you will be able to handle the creme brulee and place it into the cake later on.
Chocolate Mousse:
- Bloom the gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes.
- This mousse starts with a pate a bombe which is made by boiling a sugar syrup from 40g sugar and 20ml water. Mix the egg yolks until creamy then gradually stir in the hot sugar syrup and keep mixing until the yolks become creamy and thick.
- Melt the gelatin and stir it into the egg yolks cream. Add the chocolate and mix well. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
- Fold in the whipped cream then pour the mousse over the sable Breton.
Mocha Chocolate Cremeux:
- Bloom the gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes.
- In a heavy saucepan, mix the milk, heavy cream, coffee, egg yolks and sugar and place over low heat.
- Cook for 10 minutes, stirring all the time, until it begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate. Mix until melted.
- Melt the gelatin and stir it into the cremeux.
- Let the cremeux cool to room temperature then pour it over the chocolate mousse.
- Refrigerate until set.
Caramel Mousse:
- Bloom the gelatin with 45ml cold water for 10 minutes.
- Mix the egg yolks with powdered sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a hot water bath and mix until creamy and double in volume. Remove from heat and place aside.
- Melt the sugar in a heavy saucepan. When the sugar has an amber color, stir in the butter then add 30ml water and cook just until smooth.
- Remove the caramel from heat and pour it over the egg yolks.
- Add the gelatin and mix until smooth then let the mixture come to room temperature.
- Fold in the heavy cream.
- Place the vanilla creme brulee over the chocolate cremeux and top with caramel mousse.
- Refrigerate the cake at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Chocolate Caramel Glaze:
- Bloom the gelatin with water for 10 minutes.
- Bring the heavy cream to the boiling point and place aside.
- Melt the sugar in a heavy saucepan until it has an amber color. Add the hot cream and keep on heat until smooth.
- Mix the water with cornstarch then pour it over the hot caramel.
- Keep cooking the mixture until it begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin then add the chocolate and mix until smooth.
- Let the glaze cool to room temperature.
- Pour the glaze over the chilled cake, preferably slightly frozen.
- Decorate as you wish.
Notes
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