Nut cake with milk chocolate.
Ingredients:
Nut Sponge Cake:
- 6 eggs (L) or 7 (M)
- 2/3 cup (100 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 50 g milk chocolate
- 1 cup powdered sugar (100 g)
- 100 g ground hazelnuts
Milk Chocolate Mousse:
- 2 teaspoons gelatin
- 300 g milk chocolate
- 750 ml heavy cream (36% or 30% fat, with 350 ml well chilled)
Soaking Syrup:
- 250 ml strong tea with lemon (can be combined with alcohol like hazelnut liqueur such as Frangelico)
Optional for Filling:
- 1 and 1/2 canned or homemade poached pears in syrup (from THIS RECIPE) or pear jam
Decoration:
- 50 g finely ground and toasted hazelnuts
- curls of milk chocolate (a few pieces)
Preparation:
Nut Sponge Cake: Remove eggs from the refrigerator and bring them to room temperature. Separate yolks from whites. Prepare the hazelnuts. Line the bottom of a 25 cm diameter cake pan with parchment paper, secure the ring with the paper extending outside. Grease the sides with butter. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Sift all-purpose flour into a bowl together with cocoa powder and baking powder, add grated chocolate and mix.
Beat egg yolks with half of the powdered sugar for about 8 minutes until fluffy and thick. Finally, mix with cooled ground hazelnuts. In another bowl, beat egg whites into stiff peaks, gradually adding the remaining powdered sugar, beating continuously for about 5 minutes until glossy.
Combine egg yolks with egg whites using a spatula, preferably in 3 batches, gently folding each time. Then mix with the flour and cocoa mixture, sifting it directly into the batter, preferably in 3 batches, briefly mixing on the lowest mixer speed or folding with a spatula.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, smooth the top. Place in the middle of the oven on a rack and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Cut into 3 horizontal layers.
Milk Chocolate Mousse: Sprinkle gelatin into a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of water and mix. Let soak for about 15 minutes. Break chocolate into small pieces and melt (e.g., in the microwave). Heat 400 ml of cream in a saucepan until boiling. Pour the rest of the cream into a bowl and place in the freezer to chill quickly (this will be whipped). Heat the soaked gelatin over low heat until completely dissolved.
Remove the boiled cream from heat, add gelatin (first temper it with a portion of the cream, i.e., gradually add cream to gelatin, about 4 tablespoons of cream is enough, then add this „tempered” gelatin mixture to the cream). Mix thoroughly until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
Then add the melted chocolate, mix until smooth. Allow to cool completely, stirring occasionally. Finally, chill in the refrigerator if necessary.
Whip the remaining cold cream (350 ml) until stiff peaks form, fold it into the cooled chocolate mixture in 3 batches, gently folding with a spatula.
Assembling the Cake: Place the first bottom layer on a serving platter, drizzle with 1/3 of the soaking syrup (cooled!), arrange half of the sliced pears or spread 3 tablespoons of pear jam. Cover with 1/3 of the mousse and place the second cake layer on top. Again, drizzle with soaking syrup, place pears and mousse. Repeat with the final cake layer, soaking syrup, and mousse on top and sides of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator. After about half an hour, when the mousse starts to firm up, decorate the sides with ground hazelnuts and sprinkle curls of milk chocolate on top. Chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or until ready to serve, ideally overnight.
