Cherry, coconut and chocolate mousse cake

Instructions

Chocolate sponge cake

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C, convection mode. Line a baking tray with a Flexipan Entremet baking mat 33x33 cm.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave until 40-45°C. Add egg yolks and salt and mix by hand with a whisk.
3. Sift together the almond flour with the icing sugar until obtain a fine powder, then add to the chocolate-butter mixture, stirring with the whisk in order to obtain a smooth and homogeneous batter.
4. Place the egg whites into the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with whisk attachment and start beating until they become foamy and frothy. When a light, soft foam is formed, add the caster sugar little by little, then increase the speed and beat until obtain a shiny and thick meringue.
5. Fold the meringue alternating with the sifted wheat flour in three times into the chocolate batter, starting and finishing with the meringue. Fold gently with a spatula.
6. Pour the mixture into the Flexipan and spread it out evenly with a palette knife. Bake for 15 minutes until a fine, superficial crust is formed. Check the cooking well to prevent the biscuit from drying too much. Allow to cool completely before flip it.
7. Cut out the chocolate cake with the narrow side of the mould cutter included in the silicone mould Kit Symphony Silikomart. Wrap it with cling film and store in the fridge.

Hazelnut praline paste, coconut and chocolate croustillant

1. Melt the chocolate to 45°C and combine with the hazelnut praline paste. Add in the granola and break up any large chunks. Ensure the granola is well coated.
2. Spread the crunch on top of the chocolate sponge cake with a palette knife about 2-3 mm thick. Store in the freezer.

English custard cream (for the milk chocolate mousse)

To create the anglaise, heat the cream and milk in a saucepan. In a bowl mix together the egg yolks with the caster sugar. Pour the hot mixture over the egg yolks in three times, mix with a whisk and then return the mixture to the same saucepan. Heat this to 82-85°C, stirring continuously with a spatula, then strain and set aside.

Milk chocolate mousse

1. Once you have strained the custard cream, weight 100 g. Melt the milk chocolate to 45°C.
2. Pour the anglaise over the melted milk chocolate, in three times, stirring with a spatula just to obtain a velvety, glossy cream.
3. Pour the cream into a mixing glass or a measuring cup and mix with the hand blender to obtain the best and most silky smooth consistency. Pour the cream in a bowl and cool down to 35-40°C.
4. Semi-whip the heavy cream and fold it into the lukewarm milk chocolate cream.
5. Transfer the mousse to a disposable piping bag and cut a small tip off the end. Pipe the mousse into the top ring mould halfway. Place a few sour cherries and freeze for at least 1h.
6. Pipe the leftover mousse into quenelle shaped silicone moulds and freeze for at least 1h.

Cherry and Ruby Chocolate ganache

1. Heat the heavy cream with the sour cherry syrup and the glucose syrup in the microwave without boiling.
2. Pour over the melted Ruby chocolate (45°C) in three times, stirring with a spatula in a circular pattern until the ganache is well combined, smooth and glossy.
3. Pour the ganache into a mixing glass or a measuring cup, add the natural red food coloring and mix with a hand blender to obtain the best and most silky smooth consistency.
4. Transfer the ganache to a disposable piping bag and cut a small tip off the end. Pipe over the frozen milk chocolate mousse and freeze again for at least 2h.
5. Cover the leftover ganache with clingfilm pressed on the top of the cream and leave to room temperature overnight. The result is a creamy, velvety ganache with a spreadable texture. It will be the macaron filling.

Waina white chocolate and coconut mousse 

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water. Melt the chocolate to 45°C and heat the coconut puree. Add the gelatin sheets to the coconut puree.
2. Pour the coconut puree over the melted milk chocolate, in three times, stirring with a spatula just to obtain a velvety, glossy cream.
3. Pour the cream in a measuring cup for hand blender and mix with the hand blender to obtain the best and most silky smooth consistency. Pour the cream in a bowl and cool down to 35-40°C.
4. Semi-whip the heavy cream and fold it into the lukewarm white chocolate cream.
5. Transfer the mousse to a disposable piping bag and cut a small tip off the end. Pipe the mousse halfway into the mould. Carefully insert the frozen milk chocolate mousse-cherry ganache into the centre of the mould and press gently down. Pipe additional chocolate mousse on top of the insert, leaving space for the chocolate sponge cake. Place the chocolate sponge on top with the hazelnut-coconut croustillant facing down. If required, remove any excess chocolate with a palette knife. Freeze for at least 2h.

Ivoire white chocolate velvet coating

1. Before starting, it's important to get a cabin to protect surfaces from the chocolate spray. You can buy it online or use a cardboard box/plastic panels.
2. Melt together the white chocolate and the cocoa butter to 45°C.
3. Strain the mixture into the spray gun container.
4. Place the frozen cake on a cooling rack inside the cabin and cover with the spray in a thin and uniform layer.
5. Place the cake on a plate and put in the fridge to defrost.

Cherry mousse spheres

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water. Melt the cherry puree with the sour cherry syrup to 45°C. Add the gelatin sheets. Stir into the greek yogurt and cool down to  35-40°C.
2. Semi-whip the heavy cream with the vanilla seeds. Fold the lukewarm cherry-yogurt mixture into the cream.
3. Transfer the mousse to a disposable piping bag and cut a small tip off the end. Pipe the mousse into sphere shaped silicone moulds (2 cm, 3 cm and 4 cm wide) and freeze for at least 1h.

Milk chocolate and coconut ganache 

1. Heat the coconut puree with the glucose syrup in the microwave without boiling.
2. Pour over the melted milk chocolate (45°C) in three times, stirring with a spatula in a circular pattern until the ganache is well combined, smooth and glossy.
3. Pour the ganache into a mixing glass or a measuring cup and mix with a hand blender to obtain the best and most silky smooth consistency.
4. Cover the ganache with clingfilm pressed on the top of the cream and leave to room temperature overnight. The result is a creamy, velvety ganache with a spreadable texture. It will be the macaron filling.

Assembly and decoration

1. Remove the cherry mousse spheres and the milk chocolate mousse quenelles from the freezer and place over the cake. Put in the fridge.
2. Mix a little gold dust and vodka in a bowl and make small splashes on the macaron shells with a brush.
3. Transfer the two ganache into a piping bag fitted with round tip (Wilton n°12) and pipe on the base of the turned over macaron shell and then place the second one on top and sandwich them together. Place them beside the spheres and the quenelles.
4. Fill the remaining spaces with the white chocolate crunchy pearls and finish the decoration with pansy flowers.