Day
This is concerned with: making the Chocolate Génoise type sponge layers; the Stiff dark chocolate mousse filling; assembling the cake with the filling; making the Chocolate frosting; applying the frosting; and, if required, applying any decoration.
Chocolate Génoise
This Gluten-free recipe is for a round chocolate Génoise. It is based upon the gluten recipe of Bruce Healy and Paul Bugat (The Art of the Cake, (New York, William Marrow and Company, Inc, 1999), yet with a modified method that is influenced both by Shirley Corriher in, BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking with Over 200 Magnificent Recipes, (New York, Scribner, 2008) and Sherry Yard in The Secrets of Baking, (New York, Houghton Mifflin, 2003).
It will be noted that in the recipe below that extra egg yolks are added to the whole eggs (a Génoise normally calls for just whole eggs). This is to obtain the stable egg foam needed to produce a successful Génoise. The reasoning as given by E J Pyler in Baking Science and Technology (as quoted in BakeWise) is that modern eggs may be deficient in yolk proteins so it is common practice to add 20 – 50% more yolks to improve both aerating ability and foam stability. Also, E B Bennion states in The Technology of Cake Making (again quoted in BakeWise) that the best quantity of yolks to add is 20% for similar reasons. On top of this there are two approximate rules for Génoise recipes: the weight of the flour (including Cocoa powder) and sugar to be close to equal; and the amount of sugar to be less than 1.25 of the weight of the eggs. This recipe falls within both guidelines, with the ratio of sugar to eggs being 0.59; well below the 1.25 limit.
Ingredients: (makes two 23cm (9in) round Génoise layers)
Gluten-free flour mix* 180g
Cocoa powder (alkaline) 45g
Butter (optional) 45g (sliced and cubed)
Cane sugar 220g (11 + 209g)
Eggs 398g (7 Large plus 3 yolks)
*Gluten-free flour mix: 440g Brown Rice flour, 125g Sweet Rice flour, 45g Potato starch, 95g Tapioca starch, and 55g Arrowroot. Total weight: 760g
Method:
Lightly grease two 23cm (9in) round cake pans (3.5cm (1 3/8in) high) with softened butter. Line the bottom and the sides up to the top of the pan with parchment paper, and then lightly grease with softened butter.
Adjust a rack to the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 190°C (374°F) for 45 minutes.
Sift the Gluten-free flour mix and Cocoa powder into a medium sized bowl (1), add in 1Tbsp (11g) Cane sugar, and whisk to incorporate. This is to help later when folding in the flour with the whipped egg mixture; it will make it easier. Set aside.
If adding the optional butter, fill a medium saucepan (2) with about 5cm (1in) of water and over medium heat bring to a simmer. Place a small bowl (3) on top containing the sliced and cubed butter. Using a metal dessert spoon, melt the butter, when it is approximately three quarters melted, remove the bowl from the heat and continue to stir to completion. Set aside.
Rinse a stand mixing bowl (4) with hot tap water to warm it, then dry well.
If not already done so, fill a medium saucepan (2) with about 5cm (1in) of water and over medium heat bring to a simmer.
Add the eggs and yolks to the warm mixing bowl (4) and break the yolks with either a fork or a whisk; add the rest of the cane sugar and whisk to combine for a minimum of 30 seconds. Then, place the warm, filled mixing bowl (4) on top of the saucepan (2) containing the simmering water; turn the heat to low. If whipping by hand, tilt the mixing bowl forward, almost horizontal, and sweep the whisk around the bottom of the bowl, with each revolution lifting the whole of the mass of egg mix to incorporate air into the process. If using a hand-held mixer, use a similar process. Whisk continuously for 3 – 4 minutes, or until the egg mix reaches a temperature of 40°C (104°F) and the mix is frothy and pale yellow.
Remove the filled mixer bowl (4) from the double boiler and wipe the bottom dry. Place the filled bowl on a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or use an electric mixer. Whip at medium speed for 12 – 17 minutes (it is well worth going for the full time as it produces a very light texture), until the egg-sugar mixture is three times the original volume, is thick, is almost white in colour, and is completely cool to a finger dipped in it. During the last 4 – 5 minutes of whisking stop from time to time to check the ribbon thickness when dropped from the whisk. There will be some definition of it in the filled bowl, it will initially stay on top of the mixture before spreading slightly and slowly flattening as it dissolves into the mass of whipped egg-sugar mix.
Turn the speed down to the lowest, then drizzle in the cooled, yet liquid, melted butter (bowl 3) and mix for 15 seconds until incorporated. If the butter has cooled too much and it is no longer liquid, place it in a microwave oven and briefly heat to liquify.
Sift a quarter of the Gluten-free flour mix over the top of the whipped egg-sugar mix, avoiding the edges of the bowl. Imagine a clockface. Gently immerse a whisk vertically into the foam, facing forward at the 12 o’clock position and drag it across the bottom of the bowl. At the 6 o’clock position, lift up the whisk, and with it a large dollop of the mix, turn it over and spread it across the top of the sifted flour, folding the flour into the mix. Rotate the mixer bowl one quarter turn, sift another quarter of the flour mix and fold again. Repeat with the third batch of flour, and again with the last quarter of sifted four mix and folding that in to fully incorporate the flour into the cake batter.
Pour and scrape the cake batter into the prepared cake pans, filling them to between one third and three quarters of their height. Tap each pan lightly on the worksurface a few times to eliminate any air bubbles. Then, smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula, pushing it out to the sides to make a slight depression in the centre.
Place the filled cake pan on a baking sheet on the middle shelf of a preheated oven and bake for 16 – 20 minutes, or until the chocolate Génoise starts to pull away slightly from the sides of the pan, and is firm to the touch. As an additional test (although it is totally meaningless, yet many baking authors advocate it as the only test!), place the tip of a paring knife in the centre of the cake, and if it comes out wet yet clean, the chocolate Génoise is done. If the cake is neither pulling away from the sides, nor firm to the touch, bake for a further 5 – 10 minutes.
Remove the chocolate Génoise from the oven, place it on a wire cooling rack, and slide the tip of a paring knife between the edge of the chocolate Génoise and the cake pan; to fully loosen the edge. Let the chocolate Génoise cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Unmould the chocolate Génoise on to another wire cooling rack covered with a sheet of parchment paper. Remove the parchment paper that the chocolate Génoise was baked on and cool right side up for at least 2 hours before using.
Chocolate Génoise may be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days, or covered airtight in a fridge for 2 days too. Alternatively freeze for up to 2 weeks in a freezer. If frozen, defrost overnight in a refrigerator, then unwrap the chocolate Génoise for at least 2 hours before using.
Stiff dark chocolate mousse filling
Mousse is made up of just a few ingredients: a base; the aerator(s); a flavouring or sweetener; and a thickener, stabilizer, or binder. The latter is optional, as it depends upon the base, and it may be eggs, Gelatin, or just the base itself. In its most basic form, mousse is made by folding the aerator(s) into a base. The aerators may be whipped cream, meringue, pâte à bombe (bomb batter), or a combination of these. The base for this mousse is melted, slightly cooled chocolate. Aerators have various forms of stability. If multiple aerators are used, they are added to the base in the order of most stable to least. Whole eggs and/or yolks are the most stable aerator, and is what is used here. From the name of the mousse, chocolate, is the flavouring. Some recipes do not require a thickener, such as those containing chocolate, as it thickens naturally when refrigerated. Other recipes require a thickener, or stabilizer (normally Gelatin), and the amount used will determine the texture of the mousse.
This recipe is based upon a modified Mousse à Paris, as given in Bruce Healy with Paul Bugat’s book, Mastering the Art of French Pastry, (New York, Barron’s, 1984), which is made as a filling for the classic French cake ‘Paris’, as well as a recipe for a Chocolate Marquis (which once set can apparently be sliced with a knife (like bread) for eating), given in Medrich A, Cocolat, (New York, Warner Books Inc., 1990), both of which use two aerators: whipped egg yolks and whipped egg whites. Passing reference is also given to a recipe for a chocolate mousse component (part of a Nelusko mousse cake), as given in Bruce Healy and Paul Bugat's book, The Art of the Cake, (New York, William Marrow and Company, Inc, 1999), this uses whipped egg yolks and whipped Heavy cream as the aerators, and is the only recipe to use Gelatin as a stabilizer. After due consideration it was decided to use just one aerator, whole eggs, with especial attention paid to their aeration: to produce a light and airy texture, full of bubbles, yet the texture remaining thick and stable, as is characteristic of a mousse foam.
Ingredients:
Dark chocolate 200g
Butter (sliced) 115g
Eggs 200g (4 large)
Cane sugar (superfine) 65g
Gelatin (3 sheets Silver) 7.5g
In general: Gelatin (approximately 1 sheet (2.5g) per 120g of wet mix) and use either
Gelatin sheets (silver) pro rata 2.5g (1) (or equivalent: 1tsp Gelatin powder in 2Tbsp cold water)
Method:
Finely chop the chocolate and place in a small bowl (1), and set aside.
Place the sliced butter in the top, large, bowl (2) of a double boiler, gently heat until three quarters of the butter is melted, constantly stirring with a dessert spoon. Remove from heat and melt the rest of the butter with the spoon.
Return the bowl (2) of melted butter back to the heat source, medium; add the chopped chocolate to the warm butter (adding it in this order will greatly reduce any chance of the ganache splitting), and allow the chocolate to sit for 1 minute, then using a silicone, spatula, slowly stir the mixture in circles, starting in the centre and moving outwards to the side, and taking care to avoid incorporating air whilst stirring. Stir for a minimum of 2 minutes to ensure that all of the chocolate is incorporated. This is the base mousse. Take the bowl on and off the heat source as necessary to fully incorporate. Continue stirring until the moussee is fully emulsified. Set the bowl (2) of base mousse aside.
Now it is time to prepare the gelatine and add to the base Mousse.
If using Gelatin sheets, bloom them in a bowl (3) of cold water for approximately 10 minutes until softened. Drain off the water from the Gelatin sheets. Melt the Gelatin in a microwave oven for 2 – 3 x 10 second bursts on full power.
If using Gelatin powder, place 1tsp of powder into a small bowl (3), add 2Tbsp of cold water (pro rata to the amount of Gelatin used), whisk quickly so that all of the granules are surrounded by water, or clusters will appear. After 5 minutes of whisking, the mixture should bloom and become spongy; then allow to thicken for 5 minutes. To melt, either use the method above for Gelatin sheets, or, stand the bowl in another, larger bowl (4) of hot water and stir until all the Gelatin is dissolved. Cool slightly.
Drizzle the melted Gelatin into the base mousse (bowl 2) and whisk until well-mixed.
It is best to use a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to whip the eggs. Although a hand-held mixer fitted with a beater can be used, it will just take longer to get to the ribbon thickness. Or, use a hand-held wire whisk, and that will take even longer.
Rinse a stand mixing bowl (3) with hot tap water to warm it, then dry well.
If not already done so, fill a medium saucepan (4) with about 5cm (1in) of water and over medium heat bring to a simmer.
In the bowl (3) of a stand mixer, or other bowl, add the eggs and superfine sugar. Break up the yolks with a wire whisk and whisk continuously for a minimum of 30 seconds to fully combine, this is because, otherwise, the egg yolks will burn due to the acid in the sugar. Then, place the bowl of combined egg-sugar mixture on top of a saucepan (4) containing a low level of simmering water. If whipping by hand, tilt the bowl forward, almost horizontal, and sweep the whisk around the bottom of the bowl, with each revolution lifting the whole of the mass of eggs to incorporate air in the process. When using a hand-held mixer, use a similar process. Whisk continuously for 3– 4 minutes or until the batter reaches a temperature of 40°C (104°F) and the batter is frothy and pale yellow.
Remove the bowl from the double boiler and wipe the bottom of the bowl dry. Place the filled bowl on a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or use an electric hand mixer. Whip at medium speed for 12 – 17 minutes (it is well worth going for the full times, as it produces a very light, airy mousse), until the egg-sugar mixture is three times the original volume, is thick, and almost white in colour, and is completely cool. Whipping at a higher speed would produce a relatively small number of large air bubbles, and result in a coarse textured mousse. Note that if the eggs are not whipped for long enough, the ribbon formed will not hold. Similarly, whipping for too long of a time, will produce a dense mousse. Whip until it has tripled in volume, and produces a thick ribbon. Take the time to achieve this. The mix will be almost white in colour, and completely cool. During the last 4 – 5 minutes of whisking, stop from time to time and check the ribbon thickness. The whipped egg-sugar mix is ready when the whisk is lifted and the mix falls very slowly back, in a thick ribbon, into the mixing bowl of egg-sugar mix. There, it will initially stay on top of the mix before spreading slightly and slowly flattening as it dissolves into the mass of egg-sugar mix. However, the ribbon will still have some definition to it in the bowl. At the end, the egg-sugar mix will feel cool to a finger dipped in it, and will coat it thickly.
Cool the base mousse to just above room temperature. Placing the bowl in a refrigerator will speed up the process. Periodically whisk and check the temperature.
Scoop between one quarter and one third of the whipped eggs (to initially lighten) and place on top of the base mousse, and then fold in using a silicone spatula. Place it vertically into the far side of the ganache, drag it forward and rotate the bowl at the same time, then lift up the spatula, to turn a dollop of the Ganache over on top of the whipped eggs, and spread it over, incorporate it by folding it into the mix. Note that the more the mousse is mixed, the more each aerator is deflating the existing mousse. So, it is important to quickly, yet gently and minimally. Then repeat moving the bowl a quarter turn with each third. This is to minimise the folding required for a light mousse. Finally, add the remaining whipped eggs to the lightened Ganache, and fold in as before, until all streaks of whipped eggs have disappeared.
As a filling, once made, it is important to use the Stiff dark chocolate mousse before it sets.
Once set, the Stiff dark chocolate mousse will keep for a few days, which makes it a good choice for a make-ahead dessert.
Assembly 1.1
To assemble the cake, first, cut three or four strips of wide (enough to fit under edge of cake and overlap plate edge, all the way round) parchment paper; place on top of one of the Chocolate Génoise layers, place a plate on top, and invert so that the flat, baked bottom of the Chocolate Génoise layer is on top, and the plate is on the bottom. Secondly, invert the other layer onto a parchment covered cooling rack, again with the flat, baked bottom of the Chocolate Génoise layer on top.
After making the Stiff dark chocolate mousse filling, spread it generously over the first (cake layer on plate) flat surface, starting around the outer perimeter, going right to the edge; finally, place any Stiff dark chocolate mousse left into the centre of the cake surface. Spread the cream evenly with a thin metal spatula, smoothing the mousse in towards the centre.
Then, place the other cake layer, with the flat side uppermost, on top of the layer of crème mousseline filling. Press down to firm up the filling, to force it right out, even outside of the cake. Then, using a thin, offset metal spatula, clean up any excess filling and smooth the filling edges flat to the cake layers.
Place the filled cake in a refrigerator to firm up the Stiff chocolate mousse filling.
Chocolate frosting
This recipe is based upon that given in Sherry Yard’s book: The Secrets of Baking, (New York, Houghton Mifflin, 2003).
Ingredients: (enough for frosting a two-layer 23cm (9in) cake)
Dark chocolate 227g
Butter 113g (well softened to room temperature)
Powdered Cane sugar 57g
Method:
Finely chop the chocolate into 6mm (1/4in) pieces and set aside.
Place the softened butter in a stainless-steel bowl (5). Add the finely chopped pieces.
Place the filled bowl (5) on top of a saucepan of just simmering water, so that the water is touching the bowl. Stir the chocolate butter mix occasionally, until it is fully melted, about 3 - 4 minutes).
When the chocolate is fully melted, remove the bowl from the heat.
Sift the Powdered sugar into the melted chocolate butter mix, and slowly mix it in using a spatula to stir it. Initially, the new mixture may look like cottage cheese (depending upon the brand (thickness of the slab) of chocolate used), however, as more powdered sugar is added the mixture will become smoother. Stir it for 3 – 4 minutes until all of the powdered sugar is incorporated.
The frosting should be used immediately, for easy spreadability, straight on to the prepared (cold) cake.
If the Chocolate frosting is stored for later use, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To use, in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the Chocolate frosting for 3 – 4 minutes, to fluff it up.
Assembly 1.2
Remove the filled cake from the refrigerator.
Pour a little of the Chocolate frosting on to the middle of the cake surface, and spread around, to evenly crumb coat the cake surface (filling in any depressions, etc, so that the surface is level). Allow this to set.
That is an admirable aim! There are so many challenges to working with gluten -free flour. It takes a lot of knowledge and skill. I've tried to make gluten-free cookies with buckwheat and brown rice flour and they ended up dry, dense and flavorless. It was bad. Lol, and the cakes I've made end up hard as bricks!
