Winter cake with speculoos
Ingredient list
For the sponge cake with almonds:
(1x 24 springform pan)
6 egg yolks
4 tbsp lukewarm water
200 g sugar
6 egg whites
pinch of salt
100 g flour
30 g chocolate pudding powder or starch
50 g cocoa
100 g ground almonds
1 tsp gingerbread spice
For the decorative border:
For the light-colored mixture:
150 g soft butter
225 g powdered sugar
300 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
300 g eggs (6 eggs, size M)
salt
For the dark mixture:
20 g milk
Mix 20 g cocoa with 1/3 of the light mixture
For the potions
100 g water
65 g sugar
For the chocolate mirror:
200 g dark chocolate coating
100 g cream
For the dark chocolate mousse:
375 g dark chocolate coating (Callebaut or Manjari from Valrhona)
100 g pasteurized egg yolk
180 g sugar
150 g pasteurized egg white
375 g whipped cream
2 sheets of gelatine
For the white chocolate mousse with speculoos:
200 g white chocolate coating (Opalys from Valrhona)
40 g pasteurized egg yolk
35 g pasteurized whole egg
salt
400 g whipped cream
1.5 sheets of gelatine
1 tbsp speculoos syrup
speculoos pieces to taste
How it works:
Biscuit
- beat the egg yolks with the water and 1/3 of the sugar until frothy. At the same time, beat the egg whites with the remaining sugar until the egg whites are stiff.
- sieve the flour, baking powder, cocoa and gingerbread spice and mix into the beaten egg mixture together with the almonds.
- bake at 190°C (top/bottom heat) for approx. 35-40 minutes. It is best to bake the base the evening before, leave to cool and cut in half once in the middle.
Soaking
- bring the ingredients to the boil in a pan and leave to cool.
- refine with rum to taste.
Decorative basket border
- beat the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy,
- gradually add the eggs and mix in the flour to make a fine sand mixture.
- spread the dark mixture onto a thin layer of baking paper and use a pastry card to engrave a pattern of your choice.
- place the baking paper on a tray in the freezer and allow to freeze (approx. 8 minutes). Then quickly spread on the light-colored mixture and bake immediately at 190°C for approx. 10 minutes at top/bottom heat.
- remove from the baking paper while still hot, leave to cool and cut into thin strips (approx. 5 cm).
Dark chocolate mousse
- prepare the sponge base, soak with a little rum and spread a thin layer of apricot jam or a jam of your choice.
- cut the decorative border into strips, spread with a little jam, place around the sponge base and wrap a death ring around it.
- melt the couverture in a bain-marie. Soak the gelatine in cold water.
- beat the egg yolks with some of the sugar and whisk the egg whites with the remaining sugar until they form a slippery egg white.
- dissolve the gelatine, mix with a little whipped cream and quickly fold into the egg yolk mixture.
- stir in the melted couverture and carefully fold in the remaining beaten egg whites with the rest of the cream.
- spread over the sponge base, carefully place the second sponge base directly on top of the chocolate mousse so that it is not visible on the outside.
White chocolate mousse
- melt the chocolate coating in a bain-marie.
- beat the egg yolk with the whole egg and the syrup until frothy, melt the gelatine soaked in cold water, add a little cream, add to the beaten egg mixture and stir quickly.
- quickly add the melted couverture and mix well, then fold in the rest of the cream.
- spread the speculoos mousse over the sponge base and add small pieces of speculoos.
- chill the cake for at least five hours or overnight, then add the prepared chocolate layer on top.
- carefully remove the cake from the ring and decorate as desired.
Chocolate mirror
- melt the chocolate coating slightly over a bain-marie.
- bring the cream to the boil and pour over the semi-liquid couverture, mix everything together well and blend carefully with a hand blender until a glossy ganache has formed, then leave to cool slightly.
- spread lukewarm as a mirror on top of the cake, leave to cool and set for approx. 30 minutes.
