Rouge – Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Entremet
Modern pastry can look impossible to make at home – but the truth is that it isn’t, and you have proven it to me again and again by recreating the complex recipes on this blog in your own kitchens. Today I’m sharing another complex but delicious one: a perfect pairing of dark chocolate and raspberry. Rouge is balanced in both flavour and texture, with raspberry in the insert as well as in the mousse.
It is a layered dessert, and every layer has a precise role in the final harmony. The base is a flourless chocolate sponge – moist and intense, and a great option for anyone avoiding gluten. For extra texture I added a praline crunch, a surprise element that makes the dessert even more interesting. The raspberry insert and the dark chocolate raspberry mousse complete the picture, so the raspberry shines without being overpowered by the intensity of the dark chocolate.
The insert, a raspberry marmalade, is vibrant and brings the acidity this dark chocolate entremet needs to balance the flavours. The chocolate mousse also contains raspberry purée, completing the flavour architecture. The pairing is a classic one, yet the final taste is surprising and far from ordinary.
Mirror glaze or velvet finish?
You can finish this cake either with a mirror glaze or with a velvet effect – it depends on the shape of the mould. The Silikomart Cloud mould I used in the photos only works with a velvet finish, so the pattern stays visible. For a classic cylindrical cake, a mirror glaze is a perfect choice.
Rouge – Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Entremet
Ingredients
Flourless chocolate sponge
- 65 g dark chocolate (80–100%)
- 140 g egg yolks
- 10 g dark cocoa powder
- 65 g granulated white sugar (A)
- 150 g egg whites
- 65 g granulated white sugar (B)
Praline crunch
- 40 g paillete feuilletine
- 35 g milk chocolate (melted)
- 60 g praline paste
Raspberry marmalade
- 40 g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- 110 g raspberry purée
- 35 g granulated white sugar (mixed with 5g pectin NH)
- 40 g glucose
- 0.5 g citric acid (dissolved in 5g water)
- 4 g gelatin (bloomed in 24g cold water)
Dark chocolate raspberry mousse
- 120 g raspberry purée
- 70 g liquid glucose
- 125 g dark chocolate (60–70%)
- 25 g butter
- 11 g gelatin (bloomed in 66g cold water)
- 30 g raspberry or strawberry liqueur
- 110 g Italian meringue (recipe below)
- 180 g whipping cream (lightly whipped)
Italian meringue
- 120 g egg whites
- 200 g granulated white sugar (+ 65g water)
Instructions
Flourless chocolate sponge
- Melt the chocolate.
- Whisk the egg yolks with sugar (A) until pale and foamy.
- Fold in the cocoa powder and the melted chocolate.
- Make a meringue with the egg whites and sugar (B): whisk the whites until foamy, then add the sugar gradually and keep whisking for a few minutes, until you can no longer feel sugar granules when you rub a little meringue between your fingertips.
- Fold the meringue into the chocolate mixture.
- Spread into a 1cm layer and bake at 170°C (340°F) for 10–15 minutes, or until evenly risen.
- Leave to cool in the tray.
- Cut out a disc 2cm smaller than the finished cake.
Praline crunch
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Spread over the baked, cut sponge.
- Freeze.
Raspberry marmalade
- Bloom the gelatin in cold water.
- Combine the fresh raspberries and raspberry purée in a pan and warm over low heat.
- Mix the sugar with the pectin, then add it gradually to the raspberry purée while stirring.
- Cook for 2 minutes, add the glucose and cook for 1 more minute.
- Remove from the heat and add the citric acid, then the bloomed gelatin.
- Pour into the insert mould and freeze. The insert should be 2cm smaller than the finished cake.
Dark chocolate raspberry mousse
- Bloom the gelatin in cold water.
- Combine the raspberry purée and glucose in a pan and bring to the boil.
- Place the chocolate, butter and gelatin in a bowl. Pour the hot raspberry purée over them and emulsify with an immersion blender.
- Add the liqueur and blend again. Cool to 30–35°C (86–95°F).
- Once the base has cooled, fold in the Italian meringue, then the lightly whipped cream.
Italian meringue
- Boil the sugar and water to 118°C (244°F).
- Whisk the egg whites until foamy. When the syrup reaches 118°C, pour it in a thin stream over the whites while whisking.
- Whisk on medium speed until you have a glossy meringue that has cooled to room temperature.
- Weigh out the amount you need for the mousse.
Assembly
- Pour some of the mousse into the prepared mould.
- Place the raspberry insert on top and cover with more mousse.
- Add the sponge with the praline crunch, pressing gently.
- Freeze the cake for at least 12 hours before glazing or finishing with velvet spray.
Notes
More raspberry desserts
- Red Berry Chocolate Entremet – a fruity, chocolatey classic.
- Raspberry Lemon Cake – bright, fresh and summery.
- Dark Chocolate Berry Petit Gâteaux – individual chocolate and berry desserts.
Want to bake like a pro? Learn professional layered cakes step by step with our online courses and ebooks – from Red Velvet to Caramel Carrot Cake. Browse the courses →
