These cakes have a brownie type base, topped with delicious mousses and caramel sauce. I like to use different piping nozzles for each type of topping, to really make a distinction. The small balls are white chocolate crème pâttisière, the light brown star domes are caramel crème pâttisière and the sharp edged dark points are gianduia.
All recipes have been uploaded separately as well, some with additional explanation.
Ingredients:
For the chocolate cakes:
- 150gr butter
- 150gr dark chocolate
- 3 eggs
- 100gr sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1,5 tsp baking powder
- 100gr flour
- pinch of salt
- 100gr hazelnuts, chopped semi fine
- 40gr dark chocolate chips
- 40gr milk chocolate chips
- 40gr white chocolate chips
For the caramel sauce:
- 50gr water
- 200gr sugar
- 200gr heavy cream
For the two crème pâttisières:
- 2 egg yolks
- 35gr sugar
- 14gr flour
- 160gr milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 50gr caramel sauce
- pinch of salt
- 15gr white chocolate chips
For the gianduia:
- 35gr hazelnuts
- 35gr sugar
- 50gr dark chocolate chips
- 10gr cream
Makes 12 squares
Recipe:
Make the chocolate cakes:
Melt the butter and dark chocolate together.
Cream the egss, sugar and vanilla together until soft and fluffy.
When the butter-chocolate mixture has cooled to body temperature, stir it into the beaten eggs.
Combine the baking powder, flour, salt, hazelnuts and chocolate chips. Briefly beat this into the batter.
Divide the batter over 12 buttered and floured mini cake tins (or use a muffin tin).
Bake for 12-13 minutes on 180°C, or until a skewer comes out very sticky but no longer liquid. Using a piping bag with pointy nozzle, or a piping bottle, inject the cakes with caramel sauce (see next step, which you can do as the cakes bake). Leave to cool.
Make the caramel sauce:
Heat the sugar and water together without stirring until caramel forms.
Add the cream and heat while stirring for 2 minutes. Leave to cool.
Make the crème pâttisière:
Combine the yolks and sugar in a bowl. Which until very fluffy, then add the flour and whisk some more.
Meanwhile, heat the milk and vanilla in a thick based sauce pan. When it boils, add it to the whipped yolks while whipping continuously.
Pour the egg mixture back into the pan and simmer for 2 minutes while stirring very well.
Stir 50 gram of caramel sauce and a pinch of salt into half of the crème pât. Stir the white chocolate into the other half.
Place some clingfilm on the Crème Pâtissière, pushing it onto the custard. This prevents a skin from forming.
Leave to cool. Scoop both in separate piping bags fitted with piping nozzles.
Make the gianduia:
Puree the hazelnuts and 1/4th of the sugar until becoming a paste.
Add the remaining sugar and the chocolate and blend for 2 minutes, until very smooth.
Blend in the cream briefly to make the mixture pipeable. Scoop in a piping bag fitted with a piping nozzle.
Build the cakes:
Pipe domes of the two crème pâttisières on the cakes, along with domes of gianduia. Drizzle with more caramel.