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Riviera Chocolate Cake (inspired by Pierre Herme)

Riviera Chocolate Cake (inspired by Pierre Herme)

Riviera cake is a deliciousness of pastry, created by by the famous Pierre Herme. It combines chocolate with lemon into a perfect dessert for your taste buds.
Servings :1 cake
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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.