Riviera Chocolate Cake (inspired by Pierre Herme)
Inspired by the master of modern patisserie, Pierre Herme, this chocolate lemon cake must be the best I have made in 2015, if not the best I have ever made. Needless to say that Pierre Herme fascinates me, he is the Picasso of modern pastry after all and his desserts need no introduction. So when the thought of making this cake was born in my mind, I felt like I had a goal to achieve. The Riviera Cake has layers of flourless chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and a very special lemon curd to which I added a lemon infused ganache because I thought it would complement well the other layers and I believe I was right.
I have to admit I didn’t see chocolate and lemon as a combination I was eager to try before, but this cake proved me wrong. I love this mix, I love how the rich chocolate brings out the tanginess of the lemon and I love how the tangy curd tames down the bold chocolate. I love how they balance each other so well and redefine the definition of perfection in the world of desserts. Because this cake is perfect from start to finish – not to mention that it is also gluten-free. Just look at all those creamy layers – it’s pure perfection!
From the original recipe of Pierre Herme I kept only the flourless chocolate cake and lemon cream and decided to change the chocolate mousse slightly and add an extra layer of chocolate because, well, you can never have enough chocolate, right?! So let’s begin!
Riviera Chocolate Cake (inspired by Pierre Herme)
Ingredients
Flourless chocolate cake:
- 120 g dark chocolate (chopped (70%cocoa content))
- 85 g butter (softened)
- 110 g sugar (divided)
- 10 g Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 6 egg whites
- 1 pinch salt
Lemon cream:
- 110 g sugar
- Zest and juice from 2 medium-size lemons
- 2 whole eggs
- 150 g butter (softened)
Chocolate mousse:
- 4 egg yolks
- 70 g sugar
- 35 g water
- 3 g gelatin + 20ml cold water
- 250 g dark chocolate (melted (60% cocoa content))
- 300 g heavy cream (whipped)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon infused ganache:
- 100 g dark chocolate (chopped (60% cocoa content))
- 100 g heavy cream
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 30 g butter
Instructions
Flourless chocolate cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line 2 round cake pans (22cm) with baking paper.
- Mix the butter with half of the sugar and cocoa powder for a few minutes until creamy.
- Stir in the ehh yolks, one by one, then add the whole egg and mix well.
- Stir in the melted and cooled chocolate and place aside.
- Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Gradually stir in the remaining sugar and continue whipping until stiff and glossy.
- Fold the meringue into the chocolate mixture then pour the batter into the 2 prepared pans.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until set and well risen.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool completely.
Lemon cream:
- Combine the sugar with lemon zest and rub them together until fragrant.
- Add the eggs and lemon juice and mix well then place the bowl over a hot water bath and continue cooking until the cream begins to thicken. (about 10 minutes, possibly more – mix all the time while cooking).
- Remove the bowl from heat and allow the cream to cool for 10 minutes.
- Strain the cream in the bowl of your mixer and turn the mixer on.
- Start adding the softened butter to the warm curd, mixing all the time until you run out of butter.
- Turn the mixer on high and whip for 2 minutes then place the cream in the fridge to set.
Chocolate mousse:
- Bloom the gelatin in cold water.
- Mix the water and sugar in a saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup begins to thicken.
- Mix the egg yolks until creamy then gradually add the sugar syrup, mixing all the time until the egg yolks are double in volume and thick.
- Stir in the melted gelatin and vanilla extract then fold in the chocolate.
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly then fold in the whipped cream.
Lemon infused ganache:
- Heat the cream in a saucepan and stir in the lemon zest.
- Remove from heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes.
- Strain through a fine sieve then bring the cream back to the boiling point.
- Add the chocolate into the heated cream and mix until melted.
- Stir in the butter and mix well.
To assemble the cake:
- Place one layer of flourless chocolate cake in a cake ring.
- Top with ⅓ of the chocolate mousse and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Spoon the lemon cream over the mousse and cover with the 2nd flourless chocolate sponge.
- Spoon the remaining chocolate mousse over the sponge and place back in the freezer.
- Top the mousse with lemon infused ganache and refrigerate the cake over night.
- To decorate the cake I used 100g melted dark chocolate.
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