Never do any cake with choco and mascarpone, but inspired by a creation of French Chef – Stéphane Glacier, so I decided to give it a try. Actually I used to make tiramisu before, I loved it, when I bought everything from the shop like lady fingers, mascarpone…no any baking required, but today, for this cake, more challenges! Ok, let’s do it!
Step 1 Biscuit Joconde (Almond sponge cake)
- Almond powder 100 – 120 gr.
- Sugar 50 gr. (depends to taste, I always minimize the quantity sugar)
- Cacao powder 10 gr.
- Whole wheat pastry flour 40 gr.
- Eggs 200 gr.
- White yolk 120 gr.
- Sugar for white yolk 30gr.
- Butter 40 gr.
Mix all dry ingredients, whisk the eggs and mix with dry ingredients. Whisk the whites then gradually add the sugar. Incorporate two mixtures and add lukewarm melted butter. Bake at 170oC for 10-15′. The almond joconde should be thin as the below photo. Actually I have no idea why French call this almond sponge cake Joconde! For this cake I used the ring Ø 18 cm to cut 4 slices of the same diameter and the thickness of 0,5 cm.
Step 2 Chocolate mousse
- Whipping creme 100 gr.
- Dark chocolate 50 gr.
- Whisked whipping cream 150 gr. with 25-30 gr. sugar
- Gelatin 3gr. (one and half leaf gelatine)
- Vanilla extract 2 gr.
- Rum 4 gr.
Melt the chocolate in whipping cream by bain-marie, add the hydrated and drain gelatin, then vanilla and rum, wait until the mixture cooling down, then mix with whisked whipped cream until it’s smooth and homogeneous. Keep it in the fridge.
Step 3 Mascarpone mousse
- Whipping creme 100 gr.
- Mascarpone 250 gr.
- Sugar 30 gr.
- Whisked whipping cream 150 gr. with 25-30 gr. sugar
- Gelatin 3gr. (one and half of leaf gelatine)
- Vanilla extract 2 gr.
- Rum 4 gr.
Melt the mascarpone in slightly heating whipping cream with sugar by bain-marie, add the hydrated and drain gelatin, then vanilla and rum, wait until the mixture cooling down, then mix with whipped creme, stir the mixture with spatula until it’s smooth and homogeneous.
Step 4 Montage & Decoration
One layer of cake at the bottom, then a thin layer of choco mousse, another layer of cake, then a thick layer of mascarpone mousse, another cake layer, thin one, then choco mousse and the last layer on the top is the cake as I don’t want to have a mousse layer on top.
Decoration, I think a bout the ganache then a choco velvet by using a spray gun but it requires some amount of choco, and then for spray gun – I don’t use it often so better not touch the spray this time. Finally I came up with this idea…Petit renard in chocolate on a surface dusted with cocoa powder Looks simple but it was actually not easy to handle these miniature chocolate alphabet when the room temperature was nearly 30oC! The cake turned out fabulous, very delicious, the sweetness is just right for me!
Le petit renard 