Spiced Caramel Entremet

I’ve been dying to try a caramel mousse entremet for ages and I finally got myself used to the idea of using other ingredients than chocolate in my desserts so here it it – spiced caramel entremet – a cake that combines the delicate, airy caramel mousse with a hazelnut biscuit, a white chocolate praline mousse and a caramel glaze. I loved creating and making this cake just as much as I loved eating it, especially since we had a special occasion – my brother’s birthday. It is a cake to impress, that’s for sure, but delicious and fun to put together with all the flavors and textures going on in there. You will love the crunchy hazelnut praline contrasting with the airy, light caramel mousse and spiced, juicy pears. The glaze deserves a special mention because it has a rich taste of caramel and it is a delicacy on its own. You should expect a jelly-like glaze, one that shines beautifully and has a pretty good coverage when poured over the cake.

The layers of the cake are as follows: (bottom to top)

1. Devil’s food sponge
2. White chocolate mousse with hazelnut praline
3. Hazelnut biscuit
4. Spiced poached pears
5. Caramel and dark rum mousse
6. Caramel glaze
7. Caramel decoration

Devil’s food sponge:

• 200g all-purpose flour
• 30g cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 110g butter, softened
• 175g sugar
• 125ml milk
• 3 eggs
• 75ml milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
2. Stir in the butter and mix until sandy.
3. Combine the sugar with 125ml milk and mix until the sugar is mostly melted. Pour this mixture over the flour and mix well.
4. Add the remaining milk combined with the eggs and mix just until well incorporated.
5. Spoon the batter in a round cake pan (28cm) and bake in the preheated oven at 350F for 40-45 minutes.
6. When done, remove from the oven and let the cake cool down then cut in half lengthwise. You will only use one half of sponge so feel free to only make half.
7. Set up a cake ring and place the devil’s sponge into the ring. Place aside.

Hazelnut Biscuit

I designed this layer to add texture to the cake, but also taste due to its intense hazelnut aroma. However, don’t expect an incredibly crunchy layer inside because the biscuit absorbs part of the moisture and becomes tender and easy to cut through.

• 50g hazelnuts, toasted
• 120g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 75g butter, softened
• 40g powdered sugar
• 1 egg yolks

Directions:

1. Place the hazelnuts in your food processor and pulse until ground.
2. Add all the other ingredients and pulse a few seconds until it comes together into a nice dough.
3. Transfer the dough on a floured working surface and knead it a few times to form a ball. Wrap the ball into plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
4. After 1 hour, place the dough on a sheet of baking paper and roll it into a thin later (5-6mm thickness). Cut a round that has a smaller diameter than your cake ring and devil’s food sponge. Mine had 18cm.
5. Remove the extra dough and transfer the dough on a baking tray.
6. Bake in the preheated oven at 330F for 15-20 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown.
7. You might have some leftover dough after this, but you can use it to make a few biscuits if you want. It’s delicious and so fragrant.

White Chocolate Mousse with Hazelnut Praline

Ingredients:

Hazelnut praline:

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• 50g hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
• 60g sugar

White chocolate mousse:

• 300g heavy cream
• 150g white chocolate, melted
• 2 egg yolks
• 40g sugar
• 20ml water
• 4g gelatin (plus 20ml cold water)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. To make the hazelnut praline, melt the sugar in a heavy pan until it has an amber color. Be careful as it burns easily.
2. Add the hazelnuts and mix to coat them then transfer the mixture on a tray lined with parchment paper and let it cool down and set.
3. Place the praline in a thick plastic bag and crush it with a rolling-pin. The praline should be fine, but not a powder. You still want bits of sugar and hazelnuts in it. Place aside.
4. To make the white chocolate mousse, first bloom the gelatin with cold water for 10 minutes.
5. Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and place aside.
6. Make a pâté a bombé by combining 40g sugar with 20ml water in a small saucepan and bringing to a boil to form a thick syrup. While the syrup comes to a boil, mix the egg yolks with an electric mixer just until they turn creamy. When the syrup is thick and hot, gradually pour it over the egg yolks, mixing all the time. Continue mixing until the egg yolks triple their volume.
7. Add the gelatin and mix until melted then stir in the melted chocolate.
8. Allow this mixture to cool to room temperature then fold in the whipped cream.
9. Gently stir in the hazelnut praline then pour the mousse into your cake ring mold and refrigerate until the next layer is ready.
10. Once the mousse is set, place the hazelnut biscuit in the center and put the cake back in the fridge.

Spiced poached pears

My favorite fall fruits are definitely pears. I find them to be so delicate and so delicious in any possible combination that I use them a lot during this time of the year. I love how they brighten up the flavor of this cake by adding not only a subtle pear flavor, but also a subtle spiced aroma.

Ingredients:

• 3 pears
• 600ml water
• 150g sugar
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 star anise
• 1 cardamom pod, crushed
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

Directions:

1. Combine the water and spices in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Gently peel the pears and remove the core. Drop the pears into the hot water and cook them on low heat for 30 minutes or more, depending on their side and how firm they were.
3. To check if they are done, insert a knife in one of them. If the knife goes through easily, they are done.
4. Remove them from heat and let them cool down in the syrup then drain well.
5. Cut the poached pears into cubes and place the cubes over the hazelnut biscuit. Don’t discard the poaching syrup! I used it to make a refreshing drink by adding more lemon juice and plenty of ice cubes.
6. Refrigerate the cake until the caramel mousse is ready.

 Caramel and dark rum mousse

Ingredients:

• 250g sugar
• 60ml water
• 5ml lemon juice
• 100ml warm water
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 pinch salt
• 9g gelatin (plus 45ml water)
• 40ml dark rum
• 550ml heavy cream, whipped

Directions:

1. Mix the gelatin with 45ml cold water and let it bloom 10 minutes at least.
2. Combine the sugar, 60ml water and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook this syrup until it begins to caramelize, washing the sides of the pan with a brush soaked in cold water to prevent crystals from forming.
3. When the caramel has a nice amber color, add 100ml warm water. Be careful because it will splash out! Continue cooking this syrup until all the sugar is melted and the caramel is smooth. This is what we call a clear caramel sauce or syrup.
4. Mix the egg yolks with a pinch of salt until creamy, then gradually add the caramel syrup you just made. Be careful because it is extremely hot, work with care. Continue mixing until the egg yolks triple their volume and you’ve incorporated all the caramel syrup.
5. Add the bloomed gelatin and mix until melted then allow the mixture to come to room temperature.
6. Stir in the dark rum then fold in the whipped cream.
7. Carefully pour the mousse into the cake ring and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably over night.
8. The next day, remove the cake from the ring and get ready to glaze it.

 Caramel glaze

Ingredients:

• 200g sugar
• 50ml water
• 170g liquid glucose
• 4ml lemon juice
• 250ml heavy cream
• 13g gelatin (plus 65ml cold water)
• 80g milk chocolate, chopped

Directions:

1. Mix the gelatin with 65ml water and let it bloom at least 10 minutes.
2. Bring the heavy cream to the boiling point in a saucepan.
3. Combine the sugar, water, glucose and lemon juice in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook this syrup for a few minutes, washing the sides of the pan with a brush soaked in cold water to prevent crystals from forming.
4. Keep cooking the syrup until it has an amber color then add the hot heavy cream and keep on heat until the sauce is smooth.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin then add the chocolate.
6. Mix until melted and smooth then allow the glaze to come to room temperature before using it.
7. To glaze the cake, place the cake on a wire rack over a platter. Begin pouring the glaze from the center of the cake to the edges, pouring more on the edges to cover them well. You might need to pour the glaze twice to get a full coverage. As a tip to the perfect glazed cake, freeze the cake a few hours before glazing it. This way the glaze will set faster and thicker on the cake and might not need a second coating after all.
8. Serve the cake chilled.

 Caramel decoration

To decorate the cake, melt 100g sugar until it has an amber color then remove from heat and allow to cool down for a few minutes.

Dip a fork into the melted sugar and quickly move it over a baking sheet to form fine strands of caramel. Dip again and form strands until you are happy with the result then gather the strands into a cone or a ball and finish the decoration with a few hazelnuts.

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