I must admit that I was hesitant before posting this cake. When I’m baking, I’m very demanding with myself all the time and I put as much heart into it as I can. Not always however, I’m happy with the final outcome, especially from the aesthetic point of view.
Though this cake combines an outstanding flavor with many pleasant consistencies, I don’t really like the visual side of it. I think that wasn’t my best work, notwithstanding my parents didn’t think so.
But as I said, this Dulcey and Sakura mousse cake is a feast for the senses and that’s the only reason why I share the recipe with you today.
I love cherries, they’re one of the summer’s greatest treats and I paired their divine sour-sweet scent with the buttery caramel notes of the unique Dulcey chocolate from Valrhona.
This cake features a:
- crunchy layer flavored with Sakura white tea from Mariage Frères
- fluffy and moist marzipan sponge cake
- fresh and slightly sour cherry compote
- very creamy cherry and Waina white chocolate namelaka
- cloud-like Dulcey mousse with a hint of vanilla, salt and lemon
The cake is finished by an Ivoire white chocolate velvet coating fuchsia colored with Power Flower food coloring, some fresh cherries and red currants, white chocolate crispy pearls, macaron with Ruby chocolate ganache and edible flowers.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment or tag me on Instagram. I’d be more than happy to hear from you! And, of course, if you have any questions or doubts, I’m absolutely willing to respond you as quickly as possible. ♡
Ingredients
Marzipan sponge cake
140 g almond paste 50% (marzipan)
25 g raw almonds cream
⅛ tsp (a pinch) Maldon salt
140 g eggs, to room temperature
27 g type 1 whole wheat flour (150-180 W) (or cake flour or AP flour)
3 g baking powder
45 g butter, melted and lukewarm (40-45°C)
Sakura crumble
36 g soft butter, to room temperature (20-25°C)
36 g Demerara cane sugar (or caster sugar)
36 g type 2 whole wheat flour (150-180W) (or cake flour or AP flour)
46 g white almonds flour
5 g good quality Sakura white tea (like this one)
⅛ tsp (a pinch) Maldon salt
Sakura and Ruby chocolate croustillant
52 g Ruby chocolate
121 g Sakura crumble (recipe above)
18 g grape seeds oil
¼ tsp + ⅛ tsp (2 g) natural red food coloring
Cherries compote
20 g acacia honey
20 g glucose syrup
120 g fresh cherries, pitted and cut in half
120 g cherries puree
56 g Dulcita raw cane sugar (or caster sugar)
8 g pectin NH
12 g lemon juice
12 g lime juice
Cherry namelaka
145 g cherries puree
1,8 g gelatin sheets gold strength (200 Bloom)
9 g cold water to soak the gelatin sheets
75 g Waina 35% white chocolate
75 g heavy cream 35% fat content, cold
⅛ tsp natural red food coloring
Custard cream (for the Dulcey chocolate mousse)
171 g unsweetened almond milk (or cow's milk 3,5% m.g.)
34 g egg yolks
16 g Dulcita raw cane sugar (or caster sugar)
zest of a lemon (5 g)
¼ tsp (1,25 g) Maldon salt
Dulcey chocolate mousse
225 g custard cream
4,5 g gelatin sheets gold strength (200 Bloom)
23 g cold water to soak the gelatin sheets
300 g Dulcey 32% chocolate
337 g heavy cream 35% fat content, cold
2 vanilla beans
White chocolate velvet coating
280 g Ivoire 35% white chocolate
120 g cocoa butter Power flower food coloring 6E (or fat-soluble fuchsia food color)
Macaron (Italian meringue method)
150 g white almonds flour
150 g icing sugar
55 g egg whites, aged* and to room temperature
55 g egg whites, aged* and to room temperature
150 g caster sugar
50 g water
q.b. purple-red gel-based food color
Ruby chocolate ganache
100 g Ruby chocolate
30 g unsweetened almond milk (or cow's milk 3,5% m.g.)
30 g heavy cream 35% fat content
10 g glucose syrup
¼ tsp + ⅛ tsp (2 g) natural red food coloring
Assembly and decoration
macaron
fresh cherries and red currants
white chocolate crispy pearls
edible flowers
Instructions
Marzipan sponge cake
- Preheat the oven to 160°C, ventilation mode. Line a baking tray with a 23x23 cm square ring mold, greased and covered with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter and pour it in a bowl. Set aside to cool down (40-45°C).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment combine the marzipan chunks, the raw almonds cream, the eggs and the salt. Beat on medium-high speed until obtain a smooth, creamy mixture, without marzipan lumps.
- Replace the paddle attachment with the whisk and whip on medium-high speed until the batter is pale and fluffy. In the meantime, mix and sift together flour and baking powder.
- Fold gently the powder ingredients into the batter by using a rubber spatula.
- Pour a small part of the batter into the melted butter and combine well with the spatula, then incorporate this back into the rest of the batter and fold gently with the spatula.
- Pour the batter into the mold and spread it out evenly with a palette knife and bake for approximately 15 min, until slightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down, then put in the freezer for about 1h to let it get cold completely.
- Cut the sponge cake out with the narrow side of the mould cutter (21 cm wide), included in the silicone mould Kit Symphony Silikomart. Wrap the sponge cake with cling film and store in the freezer until needed.
Sakura crumble
- Preheat the oven to 160°C, ventilation mode. Grind the Sakura white tea to obtain a fine powder. Place all the ingredients into a small grinder and mix until obtain a sandy mixture.
- Spread the crumbs on a perforated tray lined with a Silpat mat and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Bake the crumble for about 15 minutes, until golden-brown. Take out of the oven and dust with cocoa butter powder (Mycryo) to preserve crunchiness.
Sakura croustillant
- Melt the Ruby chocolate in the microwave to 45°C.
- Add the grape seed oil and stir with a rubber spatula. Add the natural red food coloring to revive the pink color.
- Add the Sakura crumble and combine well with the spatula to obtain an uniform and grainy mixture. Ensure the crumble is well coated.
- Spread the croustillant on the base of the frozen sponge cake with a small palette knife about 3 mm thick and place again in the freezer.
Cherries compote
- Combine the honey, glucose syrup, fresh cherries, cherries puree and 28 g Dulcita sugar in a saucepan and heat to 40°C.
- In a small bowl mix together with a fine whisk the remaining 28 g Dulcita sugar and pectin NH, then add to the hot mix when it is 40°C. Bring to boil and cook for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and add the lemon and lime juice. Pour the cherries compote into a baking dish, cover with cling film touching the surface and place in the fridge for about 1h, until the compote is cold and slightly thickened.
- Transfer the compote into a mixing glass and blend it with a hand blender to break up any large cherry pieces and to obtain an even mixture.
- Place a 20 cm silicone round cake mould onto a baking tray. Place a 14 cm stainless steel cake ring in the centre of the silicone mould. Transfer the cherries compote into a disposable piping bag and cut a tip off the end. Pipe the compote between the two moulds and put in the freezer for at least 1h.
Cherry namelaka
- Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave to 45°C.
- Heat the cherries puree in the microwave without boiling, then add the soaked gelatin sheets and stir with a spatula to dissolve the gelatin.
- Pour the cherries puree in three times over the melted white chocolate and stir vigorously with a spatula to obtain a smooth cream.
- Transfer the cream into a mixing glass and emulsify with the hand blender to obtain a glossy and velvety texture. Add the natural red food coloring to revive the red color and emulsify once again. Add slowly and to wire the cold heavy cream, blending continuously with the mixer and without adding air bubbles.
- Pour over the frozen cherries compote to 1cm thick and place in the freezer for 2h.
Custard cream (for the Dulcey chocolate mousse)
- Heat the almond milk with the lemon zest in a saucepan. Just before the milk boils, remove the saucepan from the heat and let the lemon zest to infuse for 5 minutes. In the meantime, mix together the egg yolks, the Dulcita sugar and the salt in a bowl.
- After 5 minutes, pour the almond milk 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 make the mousse.
Dulcey chocolate mousse
- Soak the gelatin sheets in the cold water. Melt the Dulcey chocolate to 45°C in the microwave then add in the vanilla seeds.
- Add the soaked gelatin sheets in the custard cream and stir to dissolve it. Pour the cream over the melted chocolate in three times, stirring with a spatula just to obtain a velvety, glossy cream. Transfer the cream in 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.
- Semi-whip the heavy cream and fold it gently into the lukewarm chocolate cream, using a rubber spatula.
- Transfer the mousse to a disposable piping bag and cut a tip off the end. Pipe about half mousse into the silicone mould. Use a teaspoon to spread the mousse up the sides to eliminate any air bubbles and to avoid whitespace. Demould the frozen compote-namelaka insert, carefully set it inside the chocolate mousse (with the cherry namelaka facedown) and press it down slightly so it is almost submerged in the mousse. Pipe another small layer of chocolate mousse on top, ensuring you leave a gap to insert the cake sponge. Place the cake sponge on top of the mousse (with the croustillant upwards) and press gently down until the cake is level with the top of the mould. Remove any excess mousse with a palette knife and freeze for at least 2h.
White chocolate velvet coating
- 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.
- Melt together the white chocolate and the cocoa butter to 45°C. Add the Power Flower food coloring (or the fat soluble food coloring) and mix with a hand blender until the mixture is fuchsia color. Strain the mixture into the spray gun container.
- Place the frozen cake on a cooling rack inside the cabin and cover with the spray in a thin and uniform layer.
- Place the cake on a plate and put in the fridge for at least 2h to defrost. Store the leftover velvet coating mixture in an airtight container to room temperature and away from light.
Macaron (Italian meringue method)
- *For a perfect macaron shells, the egg whites must be aged and room temperature. You can do this by separating the egg whites (make sure that you leave no traces of egg yolks) into a clean bowl, then cover it with clingfilm and poke a few holes with a knife. Store the bowl in the fridge for minimum 24h and maximum 4 days. This process helps to dehydrate and relax the proteins inside the whites and create a strong meringue with stiff peaks. Before making the macarons, remove the bowl from the fridge and set it out at room temperature for 1h.
- Place the icing sugar and the almond flour into a food processor and grind to a fine and even powder. Sieve into a bowl and discard any big pieces of almond that can't be sifted. Add 55 g egg whites and stir with a spatula until a paste forms.
- In a small saucepan bring water and caster sugar to boil. Let boil until the syrup reaches 118°C.
- In the meantime, whisk the remaining 55 g egg whites with a freestanding mixer to medium-high speed, until stiff peaks form. Slowly add the warm syrup to the egg whites while constantly whisking to low speed. Ensure the syrup doesn’t hit the whisk as you pour it in. Increase the speed to high and whisk until form a thick and shiny meringue. Add a few drops of purple-red and purple food coloring and continue whisking the meringue until you can comfortably touch the bowl and it’s not too hot.
- Add the meringue to the almond mixture starting with a small amount and folding it through until there are no lumps. Add the remaining meringue in three intervals and fold until the batter becomes honey-like consistency. Test the consistency by drawing a "figure 8" with the batter. Transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a round tip (Wilton n°12) and pipe small shells onto baking tray lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Tap the tray once you have finished piping to level the surface of the macaron.
- Wait until the shells become completely dry before baking. Bake at 125°C for about 20-25 minutes in the preheat-oven (ventilation mode). Leave at room temperature to cool down.
Ruby chocolate ganache
- Melt the Ruby chocolate in the microwave to 45°C. Heat the almond milk and the cream with the glucose syrup in the microwave without boiling.
- Pour over the melted chocolate in three times, stirring with a spatula in a circular pattern until the ganache is well combined, smooth and glossy.
- 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. Add the red food coloring to enhance the pink color and emulsify once again.
- Transfer the ganache into a bowl, cover with cling film touching the surface and leave to rest to room temperature overnight. The result is a creamy, velvety ganache with a spreadable texture. It will be the macaron filling.
Assembly and decoration
- Transfer the Ruby chocolate ganache into a disposable piping bag with round tip (Wilton n°12) and fill 9 macarons. Place them on top of the cake.
- Cut in half some cherries and brush them with neutral cold gelatin to make them shine and to prevent oxidation. Place them on top of the cake
- Finish the decoration with white chocolate crispy pearls, fresh red currants and edible flowers.
