Milk Chocolate and Praline Entremet Ferrero Style

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.

Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks with the sugar. Set aside.

Combine the icing sugar, ground almonds and fleur de sel. Sift together.

Whisk the whole eggs for a few minutes, then add the sifted almond and sugar mixture. Mix well.

Add the melted butter and mix.

Sift the flour and cornflour together, then fold into the previous mixture.

Finally, gently fold in the whipped egg whites using a spatula until the batter is smooth and even.

Spread the batter onto a baking tray lined with baking paper to a thickness of about 1 cm (I spread all of my batter on a 38×29 cm (11.4 in) tray — the sponge was quite thick but that suited me perfectly. If you’d prefer a thinner sponge, use two baking trays).

Bake for approximately 10–12 minutes (keep a close eye on it — I left mine in a little longer). The sponge should be golden and spring back when gently pressed.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Cut out 2 circles of 22–24 cm (9.4 in) in diameter (any offcuts can be eaten or frozen).

Wrap the sponge circles in cling film until ready to use.

Melt the pralinoise chocolate in the microwave or over a bain-marie.

Crumble the dentelle crêpes and stir in the pralin.

Pour in the melted chocolate and mix everything together well.

Spread a layer of praline crisp over one Joconde sponge disc. Refrigerate.

Heat the cream and milk together in a saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale.

When the milk and cream mixture is hot, pour it into the bowl, stir well, then return everything to the saucepan.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens — do not let it boil (this is called cooking ‘à la nappe’, and should not exceed 85°C / 185°F).

In a separate bowl, chop the milk chocolate into pieces.

Pour the custard over the chopped chocolate. Cover for a few moments, then stir gently. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth and homogeneous.

Pour the milk chocolate cremeux over the Joconde sponge and praline crisp layer, then top with the second Joconde sponge disc. Press down gently. Place in the freezer. (You can prepare all these layers the day before to spread out the work.)

Soak the gelatine sheets in very cold water.

Place the praline in a bowl (if it has set firm, gently warm it over a bain-marie).

Heat the milk until boiling, then remove from the heat and add the squeezed-out gelatine. Stir to dissolve.

Pour one-third of the hot milk over the praline and mix to create an emulsion. Add the second third, then the final third, until you have a smooth, elastic and glossy mixture.

Whip the full-fat cream — do not over-whip; it should be light and mousse-like.

Once the praline mixture has cooled to 35°C / 95°F, gently fold in the whipped cream (I first add a generous spoonful and whisk it in briskly, then fold in the rest gently with a spatula).

I made a taller acetate strip as I didn’t have a ring deep enough. To do this, I placed two acetate strips one above the other, overlapping slightly, and taped them together along their full length to create a strip about 10 cm (3.9 in) tall.

Stretch cling film across the base of a 24–26 cm (10.2 in) entremet ring (this prevents leaks). Place the acetate strip inside the ring with the taped side against the ring.

Place the ring on a tray lined with baking paper and set the frozen sponge/crisp/cremeux/sponge stack in the centre (there should be about 1 cm (0.4 in) of space around the edge).

Pour the praline mousse over the top, smooth with a spatula and return to the freezer overnight.

Melt the milk chocolate over a bain-marie, then add the grapeseed oil and mix.

Add the pralin and stir again.

The glaze should be used at 30–35°C / 95°F.

Remove the entremet from the freezer. Take off the ring and acetate strip (if needed, warm the edges of the ring with a hairdryer).

Place the frozen entremet on a wire rack set over a dish or plate to catch any drips.

When the glaze has reached approximately 30–35°C / 95°F, pour it carefully over the entremet to coat it completely. The glaze sets quickly, so try to do it in one pass (I had to touch mine up and it doesn’t look great when you do). Aim for the thinnest coating possible — quickly run a spatula across the top of the cake to achieve this.

Leave to drip, then use a knife to trim off any drips that have set at the base.

Lift the entremet off the rack and place on a serving dish.

Beat the softened butter until creamy, then add the Nutella and mix.

Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.

Pipe Nutella cream rosettes on top of the cake and place a Ferrero Rocher on each one. (You should have enough for 8 or 9 rosettes.)

Leave the entremet to thaw in the refrigerator — allow approximately 5 to 6 hours for it to defrost completely.