Hazelnut chocolate cake

Inspired by Pastry Chef Stéphane Glacier

I got a lot of books about French pastry and baking. From time to time I checked different recipe and if I found something interesting, I just do it! One of my favorite books is “Noël de bûches en bûches” by French pastry Chef Stéphane Glacier – Meilleur Ouvrier de France Patissier. 

It’s like my first trial with the recipe from his book with some changes. I probably will do it again when the Christmas around the corner!

Step 1  Preparation for Joconde sponge cake 

• Pastry flour  40 gr.
• Almond powder  50 gr.
• Hazelnut powder  50 gr.
• Butter  30 gr.
• Eggs  200 gr.
• Sugar  60-80 gr.
• White yolk  120 gr.
• Sugar  40 gr.

Mix the flour with two kinds of powder, with sugar and eggs, it’s like a pate, then whisk the white yolk with sugar, until it’s firm and mix gradually with pate. Bake it at 200°C for around 12-15 minutes.

As I prefer to have more slices of almond-hazelnut sponge cake so I cut into 5 slices, but if you prefer to have more chocolate mousse between the slices of cakes, you may need only 3 slices and it still depends on the mould you use. I use the silicon mould for bûche de Noël ( X-mas log)

Step  2  Preparation for dark chocolate mousse 

• Full fat milk  100 ml.
• Heavy cream  100 ml.
• Egg yolk  40 gr.
• Dark chocolate  100 gr.
• Whipping cream  200 ml.
• Sugar for whipping cream  80 gr.
• Rum 10-15 ml.  (depends on how much you like)
• Vanilla extract 4 ml.

Boil the milk and the cream, whiten the egg yolk with sugar. Pour the boiling mixture of milk and cream over the egg yolk and sugar, cook at 85°C and stir well, add the liquor and vanilla extract, then pour  over the chocolate. Cool it then incorporate with whipped cream.

Step  3 Preparation for glaze with hazelnut flakes

• Whipping cream  150 ml.
• Dark chocolate  100 gr.
• Glucose  15 gr.
• Butter  20 gr.
• Hazelnut flakes  100 gr. (roasted and chopped) 

Heating the creme au bain marie then add the chocolate, butter and glucose, stir well until you have a shining, smooth chocolate glaze, then add the roasted hazelnut flakes.

Step 4  Montage

Use  your preferred mould, I use the silicon mould for X-mas log, first chocolate mousse then one slice of sponge cakes, then mousse and sponge again until finish. The last and largest slice of sponge cake should be on top. Freeze it overnight. Next day cover it with chocolate glaze with hazelnut flakes when the cake still cold and the glaze at 30-35°C.