I made a royal au chocolat (also known as a trianon) for the birthday of a friend’s daughter, who was celebrating her 4th spring! And she was the one who chose her chocolate cake from a photo on the blog (because she’s a true chocolate fan, just like her mum!). For the first time, I attempted a chocolate band around the edge. No luck — I was one centimetre short of perfect!
It’s not the first time I’ve made this dessert, but it is the first time I’m publishing the recipe and photos on my blog, for the simple reason that the other ones weren’t very presentable (every time, the mousse was a failure). I think I’ve tried every possible way of making a chocolate mousse:
- a mixture of melted chocolate and whipped cream (but if the two aren’t combined at the right temperature, the mousse goes grainy, yuck!)
- the classic chocolate mousse with egg yolks (Grandma’s recipe, basically!)
- but this time, I tried a chocolate mousse made on a pâte à bombe base!
The mousse is supposed to be lighter, and it is. It holds very well, has a lovely texture and lots of flavour — I’m sticking with this technique from now on! For this pâte à bombe technique, I took my inspiration from the blog Rêve de gourmandises, which features a very beautiful trianon.
Next time, I’ll reduce the height of the entremets (my ring is 4.5 cm high but I used the full 6 cm of the acetate strip ^^). In any case, little Miss Olivia loved this cake, and that’s the main thing! 🙂
Ingredients & preparation
4 components · Full recipe
Hazelnut Dacquoise
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- 44 g (1.6 oz) hazelnut powder
- 44 g (1.6 oz) icing sugar
- 20 g (0.7 oz) caster sugar
- 14 g (0.5 oz) plain flour
Preparation
1
Preheat the oven to 240°C / 465°F.
2
Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks with the caster sugar until the mixture reaches a meringue-like consistency.
3
Sift the icing sugar, flour and almond powder and fold gently into the egg whites.
4
Pipe a round disc of 18 cm (7.1 in) in diameter onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake for approximately 7 minutes (the dacquoise should be dry to the touch and lightly golden).
Praline Crunch
Ingredients
- 9 small packets of crêpes dentelles
- 200 g (7.1 oz) pralinoise chocolate
- 40 g (1.4 oz) pralin
Preparation
1
Melt the pralinoise chocolate in the microwave or in a bain-marie.
2
Crumble the crêpes dentelles and add the pralin.
3
Stir in the melted chocolate and mix well.
4
Spread a layer of praline crunch over the dacquoise biscuit. Refrigerate.
Chocolate Mousse with a Pâte à Bombe Base
Ingredients
- 200 g (7.1 oz) dark couverture chocolate (50–60% cocoa)
- 400 g (14.1 oz) full-fat whipping cream
- 115 g (4.1 oz) egg yolks (6 to 7 yolks)
- syrup: 30 ml (1 fl oz) water + 45 g (1.6 oz) sugar
Preparation
1
A pâte à bombe is a mixture of egg yolks over which a sugar syrup cooked to 115°C / 240°F is poured (the same method as Italian meringue). Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.
2
Whip the cream to soft peaks and refrigerate.
3
Prepare the syrup. Pour the water and sugar into a saucepan and cook until it reaches 115°C / 240°F.
4
As soon as the thermometer reads 110°C / 225°F, beat the egg yolks using a stand mixer (or electric whisk), then at 115°C / 240°F, pour the syrup in a thin stream over the yolks and whisk until the mixture has cooled (approximately 5 to 10 minutes).
5
Fold the pâte à bombe into the melted chocolate, or vice versa, and mix gently.
6
Finally fold in the whipped cream. Mix gently.
7
Pour the mousse over the praline crunch and smooth the top with a palette knife.
8
Refrigerate for several hours (ideally, make it the day before; if you’re short on time, place the entremet in the freezer for a few hours).
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Preparation
1
Remove the ring and place on a serving plate.
2
I dusted the top with unsweetened cocoa powder using a sieve.
3
I then used a pen filled with hazelnut chocolate to write on the cake and added a few marzipan flowers (shop-bought).
4
For the chocolate border: I piped pralinoise chocolate designs using a paper cornet (made from baking paper) onto a strip of acetate cut to the circumference of the cake. After about ten minutes, I wrapped the acetate strip around the cake and placed it in the fridge for a few hours. Then simply peel off the acetate strip!
Gallery
