Chocolate Entremet Cake

Learn how to make a beautiful chocolate entremet just like a professional! This is an extensive tutorial complete with all the recipes and step-by-step instructions from our resident pastry chef, Christophe Rull. You’ll learn how to make the chocolate sponge, chocolate ganache, airy mousse, and of course that beautiful shiny chocolate mirror glaze. 

This chocolate entremet is a heavenly, elegant dessert designed by a pastry chef that YOU can master from your very own kitchen! Yes, REALLY! 

Easy and straightforward, the steps in this recipe will walk you through how to make this chocolate entremet. But before you get started, you should know that this recipe is a labor of love, though, because it is a 2-day process! It’s well worth the wait, though, and arguably one of the best homemade chocolate desserts you will ever make! 

Entremet Components

An entremet is composed of multiple recipes. Those components will change with every entremet you make. Usually you have multiple layers of textures that complement each other. Smooth, creamy, rich, light, crunchy, or chewy. The options are endless.

Chocolate Fudge Cake Ingredients

A moist and fudgy cake that is perfect for an entremet base.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Ingredients

This ganache will be piped into the center of the entremet.

Glucose: Glucose is used to make the ganache more stable and smooth at room temperature. If you do not have glucose, you can also use honey or corn syrup.

Chocolate Glaze Ingredients

This shiny entremet glaze is the perfect finish and looks absolutely stunning. Not pictured is red food coloring which is used to intensify the shiny finish of the glaze.

Gelatin: You will need gelatin (or agar-agar which is a vegetarian substitute for gelatin) in order to set your chocolate glaze. If you do not have gelatin sheets you can also use powdered gelatin in place of the sheets.  

Chocolate Mousse Ingredients

64% Dark Chocolate: Chef Christophe Rull uses 64% dark chocolate. You do not have to use this exact kind. However, for the best results, you need to use “real chocolate” that is derived from a cocoa pod and contains cocoa butter (​​with at least real chocolate that is 60-70% cocoa content).

Making the Chocolate Fudge Cake

1. Prepare a ¼” sheet pan (9”x13”) with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
3. Then, in a separate bowl, combine the eggs, mayonnaise, water, and vanilla and whisk them to combine.
4. While the mixer is turning on low, gradually add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Then, increase the mixer speed to 2 and continue to mix for about 1 minute or until the batter is fully combined and smooth. Remember to scrape the bowl to ensure all of the ingredients are incorporated.
5. Next, spread the cake batter evenly on a parchment lined ¼ sheet baking pan. PRO TIP: I also use cake goop around the edges to make the cake release easier.
6. Bake the cake at 350°F (182°C) for 15-20 minutes, or until the cake is finished baking and the center of the cake is set.
7. Finally, after the cake has been removed from the oven and cooled for about 15 minutes, remove the cake from the pan and wrap it in plastic wrap. Then, place the wrapped cake in the freezer until you are ready to start assembling the entremet. Chef Christophe recommends freezing the cake for at least 2-3 hours.

Preparing the Dark Chocolate Ganache

1. Combine your glucose, granulated sugar, and cream together and bring the pan to a boil in a medium sized saucepan.
2. Then, in a heat-proof or glass bowl, pour in about ⅓ of your boiling mixture over your chocolate and mix them together until you reach a shiny and smooth consistency. Then, repeat this step in thirds until you’ve added all your cream. If you put all of your cream in at once, then your ganache may separate.
3. Next, place your butter into a tall container, and then pour the melted chocolate into the pitcher over the butter.
4. Then, using an immersion blender, mix the chocolate and the butter together until it is shiny. PRO TIP: Hold the mixer at a slight angle to prevent incorporating air into the ganache.
5. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap. Do this by pressing the plastic wrap right up against the surface of the ganache. This step will prevent any water in the air from being added to the ganache.
6. Finally, let the ganache set. Set it aside for at least 5-6 hours at room temperature (or you can put it in the refrigerator and cut the time in half). The texture is smoother if you leave it at room temperature.

How to Make the Chocolate Mousse (Pâte à bombe, Ganache, and Whipped Cream)

1. This chocolate mousse is made up of three components: pâte à bombe, ganache, and whipped cream. I will walk you through how to make each of them.
2. First, in a large mixing bowl, prepare your whipped cream. Use a hand mixer to whip your heavy cream. You do not need stiff peaks, but the whipped cream should be stable. Once you have soft peaks, set it aside.
3. Next, fill a heatproof bowl with your chocolate.
4. Then, in a saucepan, bring your heavy cream to a boil in a saucepan and then pour about ⅓ of the boiling cream over your chocolate. Mix it until all of the chocolate is melted.
5. Pour ⅓ more of the boiling cream into the chocolate and mix until it is combined. Repeat this process once more with the remaining ⅓ of the hot heavy cream and mix it into the chocolate ganache. Then, set it aside.
6. Next, prepare the pâte à bombe. Start by filling a large saucepan with water and sugar mixed together. Then, place your egg yolks in a heatproof bowl.
7. Heat the water and sugar in the stovetop pan to 244°F (118°C) using a thermometer.
8. Once the pâte à bombe reaches 244°F (118°C), slowly pour it into the bowl with the egg yolks while whisking continuously (similar to how you would make an Italian meringue).
9. Whip the egg yolks until they reach the ribbon stage (this is when the texture has thickened, the volume has doubled, and will be lighter in color/appear pale yellow). Once you’ve reached the ribbon stage, your pâte à bombe is ready.
10. Now you will combine your three elements (pâte à bombe, chocolate ganache, and whipped cream) to make your mousse. Begin by transferring the whipped cream into the bowl of the chocolate ganache, and then mix to combine. The reason you will mix the whipped cream into the chocolate ganache first is to lighten up the ganache texture so that it is more airy and will mix easier with the pâte à bombe.
11. Then, pour the pâte à bombe into the bowl of the mixed chocolate ganache and whipped cream, and fold it in until it is fully combined.

Assembling the Cake, Ganache, and Mousse Layers

1. First, remove the plastic wrap from the frozen cake.
2. Next, use a 3” cake cutter to create small cake rounds. The height of the cake should be about ¼ of the height of the cake ring/entremet mold you are using. Trim the cakes to 0.5” tall.
3. Prepare a piping bag with a large round tip (an 8 or 9 tip) and fill it with your chocolate ganache.
4. Then, pipe your chocolate ganache on top of the center of your cake rounds.
5. Freeze the cake rounds with ganache on top for 1 hour or until they are set.
6. While the cake rounds with ganache are in the freezer, prepare your 4” cake rings/entremet mold for assembly.
7. You will start by coating the inside of the cake rings with cooking spray.
8. Cut your acetate sheets to 2” x 9.25”, and cut out squares of acetate that will cover the entire bottom of the cake rings.
9. Then, line the inside of your non-stick cake rings with acetate sheets. Next, place a square sheet of acetate on a baking sheet. Then, place your cake ring that is lined with acetate on top of the square.
10. Once the cake rounds with ganache have set in the freezer for 1 hour, remove them from the freezer.
11. Prepare a piping bag and fill it with your chocolate mousse.
12. Now it is time to assemble the entremet. PRO TIP: Before you begin piping your mousse ensure that the acetate squares on the bottom are in place so none of the mousse will escape.
13. Start by piping chocolate mousse into the acetate-lined cake rings about ¾ of the way to the top of the cake rings.
14. Next, hold the cake round topped with ganache and place it mousse side down into the center of the ganache (cake side should be on top). Gently press the cake round into the mousse until the mousse moves up to the top. You will see a ring of mousse form around the cake and that is when you know the mousse is filled on the sides.
15. Then, flatten out the mousse and scrape off any excess from the cake ring so that it’s level.
16. Freeze the entremets for a minimum of 3 hours. Chef Christophe recommends freezing them overnight. This will allow all of the layers to fully set in place.

Chocolate Glaze Instructions

1. First, fill a bowl with cold water and place your gelatin sheets in the bowl one at a time to prevent clumping. This will allow your gelatin sheets to bloom and absorb the water.
2. In a large saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and a few drops of red or orange food coloring. Adding the food coloring is entirely optional. This is a professional pastry chef. PRO TIP: When you add red food coloring, it will intensify the color and shine of your finished chocolate glaze.
3. Then, stir to combine everything and bring the mixture to 222°F (106°C).
4. Next in a separate container, mix your glucose with your cream. Then, warm it up in the microwave for 1 minute and whisk to mix them together.
5. Slowly pour the warmed glucose and cream mixture into the large saucepan of your sugar and water while whisking continuously to combine.
6. Then, bring the mixture to a boil.
7. Add the cocoa powder. Turn off the heat and continue to mix until combined.
8. Next, squeeze out the excess water from your bloomed gelatin sheets and then add the gelatin to a pitcher (or large measuring cup).
9. Pour the cocoa mixture on top of the gelatin, and mix the glaze using an immersion blender. Mix until all of the bubbles are gone. PRO TIP: Hold the immersion blender at a slight angle to avoid adding any air bubbles into the glaze. The smoother and bubble free the glaze is, the better the shine.
10. Finally, place your pitcher (or large measuring cup) filled with your glaze into an ice bath and cool it 104°F (40°C). Then, set it aside until you are ready to pour the glaze over your entremet.

Adding the Glaze and Final Assembly Instructions

1. First, you will unmold the frozen entremets. Heat up the side of the frozen cake ring using a heat gun (or if you don’t have a heat gun you could use a hair dryer). Gently use your finger to push the entremet out of the cake ring.
2. Then, peel off the acetate sheet.
3. Next, place your entremets on a cooling rack. Chef Christophe prepared a baking sheet with plastic wrap and topped it with a cooling rack. Why? Because the plastic wrap will catch any leftover glaze so that you can reuse it!
4. Your glaze should be 104°F (40°C).
5. Pour your chocolate glaze over your entremets so that it covers it all along the top and the sides.
6. Using a flat spatula to gently scrape across the top of the entremets so that they are level and doing so will remove any excess glaze. PRO TIP: Chef Christophe recommends glazing your entremets in 2 layers. Start by pouring the glaze over the entremet and then put it in the freezer for 1 hour to allow it to set. After 1 hour has passed, pour a 2nd layer of glaze on top of your entremets. Ultimately, the first layer will cover any air bubbles and the 2nd layer will be shiny.
7. Then, prepare your decorations for your entremet! Chef Christophe mixed small white nonpareil sprinkles with some gold powder in a bowl. If you don’t want to use sprinkles you could use streusel, nuts, toasted coconut flakes, chocolate cookie crumbs, or anything you desire! The possibilities are endless!
8. Next, pick up and transfer the chocolate entremets by sticking a skewer into the center to gently lift it up off the cooling rack.
9. (Optional) Now it's time to decorate! While lifting it up by the skewer, carefully roll the entremet into the sprinkles so they stick along the bottom of the entremet.
10. Transfer the entremet to your plate.
11. Remove the toothpick by twisting it and pulling it out at the same time.
12. Finally, place gold leaf in the center to cover the hole. Mix a little gold dust with grand marnier and decorate the top of the entremet.

FAQ

Expert Tips

• This is a 2-day dessert! On day 1, you will prepare the cake, ganache, mousse, and assemble the entremets. On day 2, you will prepare the glaze and finish the entremet.
• The chocolate you use matters! Avoid using chocolate chips from the grocery store. Why? Because they contain thickeners that stop the chocolate from melting smoothly. Chef Christophe recommends using Cacao Barry Extra-Bitter Guayaquil. Ideally, you need to use a “real chocolate” that is derived from a cocoa pod and contains cocoa butter (​​with real chocolate that is at least 60-70% cocoa content).

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