Chocolate, Earl Grey & Hazelnut Gateau

This was the chocolate & earl grey gateau I made for my sister's birthday back in August.

I know it’s end of September & I could have posted the recipe ages ago.

It seemed like I always have too many things to do like travelling, making hand creams, cross stitching e.g. & baking seems to be the last on my list.

It’s a rich chocolate mousse cake consists of 6 components:

1. Chocolate cotton cake

2. Hazelnut praline coated puffed rice

3. Hazelnut praline mousse

4. Chocolate mousse

5. Earl grey creme insert

6. Chocolate glaze

It took me 2 days to finish this & it was absolutely worth as the cake was delicious with wonderful combo of flavours.

Chocolate & Earl Grey Gateau (8” round):

Praline puffed rice (7” round)

20 g puffed rice

10 g milk chocolate

23 g hazelnut praline

In a large bowl, combine milk chocolate & hazelnut praline, warm over hot water & stir until smooth.

Pour in puffed rice & stir to coat all puffed rice with the chocolate mixture.

Press into a lined 7” round baking pan & freeze to set.

Creme au earl-grey (7” round)

133 g whipping cream

67 g egg yolks (about 4 egg yolks)

47 g sugar

3 g sheet gelatine, bloomed

5 g earl grey leaves

Combine egg yolks & sugar.

Bring the cream to boil, add the tea leaves & infuse for 5 min.

Drain to remove the tea leaves.

Pour the cream to the egg batter, mix well & heat to 82°C until thick & creamy.

Remove from heating, add bloomed gelatine & mix until dissolve.

Pour into a 7" round mousse ring & freeze to set.

Chocolate cotton cake (9” square)

40 g unsalted butter, softened

50 g plain flour, sifted

30 g cocoa powder

50 g full fat milk

4 eggs

65 g caster sugar

Pinch of salt

Separate 3 egg whites & yolks, refrigerate the egg whites until needed.

Line a piece of baking paper on a baking pan.

In a small saucepan, bring the butter to boil under gentle heat, remove from heating & immediately fold in the flour, followed by cocoa powder.

Pour & fold in the milk in 2-3 portions until combine.

Mix 3 egg yolks with 1 whole egg, pour & fold to the batter in 2-3 times until combine, set aside to rest for at least 15 min.

In a large bowl, combine egg whites & salt, whisk at high speed until it’s foamy.

Whisk in the sugar in 2-3 portions, continue whisking to just before stiff peaks.

Fold 1/3 meringue into the egg yolk batter until combined.

Pour the egg yolk batter to the remaining meringue & fold gently until smooth & combined.

Spread on the prepared tin & bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 10-15 min.

Remove from the oven, carefully remove the paper on the sides of the cakes, gently place a piece of baking paper to cover the top & leave to cool.

Hazelnut mousse

85 g whipping cream

113 g hazelnut praline paste

3 g sheet gelatine, bloomed

175 g whipping cream

In a saucepan, bring 85 g cream to boil, stir in gelatine until dissolve & then pour over the praline paste making a smooth mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the remaining cream to soft peaks & fold in the praline cream.

Chocolate mousse

75 g dark chocolate 70%

90 g milk

45 g sugar

170 g whipping cream

3 g sheet gelatine, bloomed

In a saucepan, bring the milk to boil, pour over the dark chocolate & stir until smooth.

Add the bloomed gelatine to the chocolate milk & stir until smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar & whipping cream, whisk to soft peaks & fold in the chocolate mixture.

Chocolate Glaze

150 g water

250 g sugar

100 g cocoa powder, sifted

150 g whipping cream

15 ge sheet gelatine, bloomed

In a saucepan, warm the water & sugar until dissolved.

Remove from heating, add the sifted cocoa powder & whipping cream.

Mix the chocolate mixture until smooth, then bring it to boil.

Remove from heating & strain when cooling to 50-60°C.

Stir in the bloomed gelatine until dissolved.

Assembly

Cut the chocolate cake into a 8” round cake.

Place the chocolate cake at the bottom of 8” mousse ring, follow by the puffed rice.

Pour in all the hazelnut mousse & place the earl grey creme on top.

Pour in all the chocolate mousse & freeze to set.

Remove from the refrigerator & place it on a wired rack.

Carefully remove the entremet from the mousse ring & gently pour the chocolate glaze over the chocolate gateau.

Refrigerate to set & decorate as you like before serving.