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Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Cake
I was inspired to make this cake from tasting Dominique Ansel's Peanut Butter Mousse Crunch Cake. I changed the recipe a bit and made a hazelnut mousse with a toasted hazelnut garnish instead of peanut. The result is like a dreamy large Nutella cup! Even though this cake is rich and decadent, the mousse is airy and light. The crispy chocolate puffed rice base pairs fantastically with the creamy mousse and rich chocolate ganache. Make sure to save some of the chocolate-covered puffed rice and toasted hazelnuts to top your cake!
Ingredients
Chocolate Puffed Rice Base
- 3 cups puffed rice
- 2 ½ tbsp light corn syrup
- 2 tbsp palm sugar
- 4 oz dark chocolate, melted
Hazelnut Mousse
- 1 ½ tbsp unflavored powdered gelatin
- ¼ cup cold water
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 5 large eggs, separated (use the yolksand save egg whites for another recipe)
- ½ cup palm sugar
- 1 - 1½ cups hazelnut butter
- 1 ⅔ cups heavy cream
Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature
Assembly
- Chilled hazelnut mousse cake
- 1 recipe chocolate ganache
- ¼ recipe chocolate puffed rice
- ¼ cup hazelnuts, toasted and rough chopped
Instructions
Chocolate Puffed Rice Base
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or spray a 9" Springform pan.
- Place the puffed rice, corn syrup, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl and mix until the rice is thoroughly coated.
- Line a sheet tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and spread the rice in one even layer on the pan.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake until the rice becomes golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.
- Take the rice out of the oven and place it in a medium-sized bowl and pour in the melted dark chocolate. Use a spatula to coat all the caramelized rice with the chocolate evenly.
- Press ¾ (reserve ¼ of the mixture to garnish the cake) of the chocolate puffed rice into the bottom of the springform pan. Use your hands to mold and shape the base into one even layer. Place in the refrigerator to firm-up and set while making the mousse.
Hazelnut Mousse
- Place the gelatin and the cold water in a small bowl and stir until the gelatin has dissolved. Reserve.
- Place the milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, just until bubbles start to form. Reserve.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Slowly, pour in the hot milk a little at a time until the mixture is combined.
- Return the egg, sugar, and milk mixture back to the saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking the entiret ime until the mixture has thickened about 10-12 minutes. The custard mixture should be thick enough that it coats the back of a spoon.
- Stir in the gelatin mixture and cook an additional 2 minutes until the gelatin has dissolved into the custard.
- Take the custard off the heat and whisk in the hazelnut butter. Whisk until the mixture is evenly combined, and it is a thick and glossy toasted hazelnut color. Reserve.
- In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the hazelnut mousse in three additions, being careful not to break the air molecules of the cream. Repeat until all of the cream is folded into the mousse, and the mixture is evenly combined.
- Pour the hazelnut mousse into the chilled chocolate puffed rice crust and fill the springform pan. Use an offset spatula to scrape the top to make an even layer.
- Place the cake into the refrigerator and allow to set for 20-30 minutes.
Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Place the heavy cream into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil until bubbles start to form.
- Place the chopped chocolate into a heatproof metal or glass bowl and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for 1 minute and then whisk until smooth.
- Add the butter to the chocolate and whisk until all the butter has dissolved, and the chocolate mixture is thick and glossy.
Assembly
- Line a clean baking sheet with plastic wrap and place a cooling rack on top of the plastic.
- Take the hazelnut mousse cake out of the refrigerator and place it on the cooling rack. Very carefully, unlock and unmold the cake from the springform pan side, leaving the mousse cake sitting on the round base.
- Pour the chocolate ganache overthe cake and use an offset spatula to spread the ganache on top, evenly coatingthe whole cake. Use the spatula to get any spots on the sides of the cake thatyou missed. Repeat until the whole cake is evenly covered with the chocolateganache.
- Lift the cooling rack and cakefrom the sheet pan and place in the refrigerator to set for 10-15 minutes.
- Save the excess ganache onthe plastic wrap for another use:)
- Top the cake with thechocolate puffed rice and toasted hazelnuts.
Nutrition
Calories: 603kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 13gFat: 50gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 177mgSodium: 93mgPotassium: 408mgFiber: 4gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 1153IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 179mgIron: 4mg