A recipe for a delightful entremet cake with a brownie layer, vanilla crémeux, chocolate joconde cake, matcha mousse, glaçage au chocolat, and a matcha macaron. Since this recipe is so precise I am only giving mass measurements. I really wouldn't suggest doing this without a scale.
Ingredients
For the brownie layer:
43g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
58g unsalted butter
120g granulated sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
40g flour
For the chocolate joconde:
35g almond powder
35g powdered sugar
35g egg yolks
15g egg whites
22g cake flour
10g cocoa powder
13g unsalted butter, melted
65g egg whites (for French meringue)
23g sugar (for French meringue)
For the vanilla crémeux:
60g water
4g gelatin
3 large egg yolks
50g sugar
20g flour
20g cornstarch
390g milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the matcha mousse:
260g heavy whipping cream, whipped until soft peak stage
Green food colouring (I recommend against liquid for anything but white, which is generally more of a liquid-gel type of colouring)
White food colouring
Vodka
Paintbrush (that you only use for food)
Method
Prepare the brownie layer:
Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, melt together butter and chocolate, stirring frequently. You can also do this in the microwave in short twenty seconds bursts, stirring well in between each one.
Whisk in the sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt.
Fold in the flour until just incorporated, and then pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan of brownies comes out clean. Let cool to room temperature.
Prepare the chocolate joconde:
Preheat oven to 400°F and line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper.
Sift together the cake flour and the cocoa powder. Set aside.
Combine the almond powder, powdered sugar, egg yolks, and the egg whites together. Whisk until thick and pale.
In a separate clean bowl prepare the meringue by whisking the egg whites until they are foamy and then adding in the sugar a little at a time until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
Fold some of the meringue into the yolk mixture to lighten it.
Add in the sifted flour mixture and fold well. Fold in the melted butter. Fold in the rest of the meringue.
Bake for ten minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
Prepare the vanilla crémeux (prepare once ready to assemble):
Sprinkle the gelatin over the water.
Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar together until they are a pale yellow.
Sift together the flour and cornstarch and then whisk them into the egg yolk mixture until you get a smooth paste. Meanwhile, bring the milk and vanilla to a simmer (small bubbles) in a saucepan over medium heat.
Remove from the heat and add slowly to the egg mixture, one drop at a time and then in a steady stream, constantly whisking.
Then, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until very thick, stirring constantly.
Pass through a sieve if your eggs curdled (if there are pieces of egg in your pastry cream).
Stir in the gelatin until it melts.
Let cool to room temperature, stirring every now and then.
Prepare the matcha mousse (prepare once ready to assemble):
Sprinkle the gelatin over the water.
Make creme anglaise by boiling the milk, matcha, and vanilla in a pot. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl.
Temper the yolks with the boiled cream by slowly pouring it in while whisking and return back to the pot under a low heat. Keep stirring until thick.
Take the mixture off the heat and strain. Add the softened gelatin and stir until it melts.
Let cool and then fold in the whipped cream.
Prepare the simple syrup:
Mix the hot water and sugar together until the sugar completely melts.
To assemble:
Place a 7-inch round pastry ring, if you have one, on a tray that fits into your fridge or alternatively use an 8 x 8 pan lined with tinfoil so that there is overhanging tinfoil from the sides (which you will use to lift the cake up later).
Cut the brownie layer so that it fits into the ring or pan nicely.
Pour about half of the simple syrup on top of the brownie layer so it is absorbed.
Spread the vanilla crémeux on top. An offset spatula helps get it nice and smooth.
Place a layer of chocolate joconde cake on top. Pour the rest of the simple syrup over it.
Cover with as much matcha mousse as you would like (or that will fit). You may have a bit extra.
Let sit in the fridge for at least two hours, and then place in the freezer to freeze completely.
Prepare the glaçage au chocolat (only prepare once frozen):
Sprinkle the gelatin over the 60g of water.
Bring the rest of the water, sugar, and cocoa powder to a boil in a medium sized saucepan.
Add the cream and bring back to a boil.
Remove the saucepan from the stove and strain the mixture.
Stir in the dissolved gelatin until it melts.
Let the mixture cool for a few minutes (about 35°C or 95°F is ideal), making sure to stir occasionally to prevent a film from forming. Don’t let it cool completely as the glaze should be warm for the next step.
Glaze the entremet:
Remove the entremet from the freezer. Warm the sides of the pastry ring using a flame, and then slide the entremet out. If you used tinfoil, just remove it.
Place the entremet on a bowl flipped upside down on a wire rack such that only the center of the entremet is supported by the bottom of the bowl.
Pour the warm glaze over the frozen entremets.
Place in the fridge until ready to eat.
For decoration (optional):
Place matcha macarons around the cake.
Temper the dark chocolate (you can find my instructions here), spread it thinly on a piece of parchment paper, and then cut into squares.
To create the splatter effect on the cake or chocolate, first make sure the chocolate or glaçage is completely set. Mix together the food colouring until you get a matcha-like shade of green. Add a little bit of vodka. Dip your paintbrush in the food colouring, and then flick your wrist towards the cake or chocolate. Let the food colouring dry for a few minutes.
Place the chocolate squares on the cake if you made them.
Recipe by IronWhisk at http://www.ironwhisk.com/2013/08/chocolate-and-matcha-entremet/