Concorde Cake – Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Meringue
The Concorde Cake is a legendary dessert created by Gaston Lenôtre, impressing with the contrast between crunchy meringue layers and an intense dark chocolate mousse. This refined, flourless, and gluten-free recipe results in one of the most chocolatey cakes ever made. Its sculptural look, defined by meringue sticks, makes it a true centerpiece.
Servings :2 18cm cake
Ingredients
Cocoa Meringue
- 495 g egg whites
- 495 g granulated white sugar
- 495 g powdered sugar (sifted)
- 104 g cocoa powder (sifted)
- 4 g salt
Dark Chocolate Mousse
- 340 g heavy cream A
- 65 g whole milk (3.5%)
- 10 g vanilla extract
- 1 g salt
- 2 g gelatin + 12 g water
- 560 g dark chocolate (70%)
- 680 g heavy cream B (lightly whipped)
Instructions
Cocoa Meringue
- Whip the egg whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar until you achieve a firm meringue.
- Gradually fold in the powdered sugar sifted with cocoa and salt, using a spatula. Be careful not to deflate the mixture.
- Place the meringue in a piping bag with a 10-12 mm nozzle and pipe 6 discs of 16 cm diameter, plus long sticks for decoration (the size doesn't matter as they will be broken later).
- Bake at 90°C (195°F) for 2-3 hours or until completely dry.
Dark Chocolate Mousse
- Hydrate the gelatin in cold water.
- Heat heavy cream A with vanilla, milk, salt, and hydrated gelatin. Pour over the chocolate and emulsify with a blender.
- When it reaches 45°C (113°F), fold in heavy cream B (lightly whipped) in two additions.
- Use immediately to assemble the cake.
Assembly
- Line two 18 cm rings with acetate film (6 cm high). Cover the bottom of the ring with plastic wrap. You will assemble the cake upside down!
- Assemble upside down as follows: a layer of mousse, a meringue disc, a layer of mousse, a meringue disc, a layer of mousse, and finish with a meringue disc, pressing slightly to level.
- Freeze for at least 6 hours.
Decoration
- Remove the cakes from the rings and place them on a platter.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour—during this time, the mousse will begin to thaw partially, allowing you to stick the meringue sticks to the sides of the cake.
- Finish the decoration with meringue sticks on top and a light dusting of cocoa powder.
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Oven
- Bamix hand blender
- Baking trays
- 2 x 18 cm cake rings
- Parchment paper
- Plastic wrap
- Acetate film (6 cm high)
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Mixing bowls
- Cooktop
- Freezer
- Disposable piping bags
- 10 mm round nozzle