Chocolate Mousse Cake With Orange Jelly and Roasted Hezelnuts
A rich chocolate dessert with orange and roasted hazelnuts!
Servings Prep Time
12-16pieces 3hrs
Cook Time
40min
Servings Prep Time
12-16pieces 3hrs
Cook Time
40min
Ingredients
Biscuit
Orange Jelly Layer
Caramel Crunch Layer
Chocolate Mousse
Mascarpone Mousse
Chocolate Glaze
Instructions
Orange Jelly
  1. Line round container with plastic wrap film. To make the lining stronger and thicker, make two layers placed across each other. The container should be slightly smaller than your 9” spring form baking pan that will be used for the rest of the process. I used 7” round baking pan.
  2. In a small mixing bowl add 2 tbsp water and sprinkle 1 tbsp of gelatin powder evenly across the surface, set aside for 6-7 minutes.
  3. In a small saucepan over medium low heat (3 out of 10) stir together orange juice, sugar and vanilla extract. When the sugar is dissolved and solution warmed up stir in the gelatin. Once the gelatin is incorporated into the solution (do not simmer or boil!) pour it into a prepared plastic wrap lined pan.
  4. Let it cool first to room temperature and then in the fridge to allow gelatin to completely set. The gelatin has to be set before it can be used in the next step.
Biscuit
  1. Spread 130g hazelnuts over a baking pan and bake in the oven at 177°C (350°F) for about 25 minutes. Hazelnut skins will get very dark and cracked. Wrap the warm nuts in a kitchen towel and cool for 20 minutes. Rub the towel with nuts in a circling motion against the palm of your hand or a table top. This will remove almost all the skins and don’t worry if some skin remains. This will add to the colour and flavor.
  2. Separate 30g of roasted hazelnuts and set aside.
  3. Fine grind the remaining 100g of hazelnuts. I normally use a zip lock bag and rolling pin to crush roasted hazelnuts to any size I like.
  4. Butter inside of 22 cm (9”) spring form pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
  5. Pre-warm the oven to 180°C (355°F), rack in the middle.
  6. In a small saucepan melt the butter and quickly whisk in egg yolks. Be careful the butter should be just barely melted and not too hot!
  7. In a medium size mixing bowl stir together 100g ground hazelnuts, 20g sugar and 2 tbsp flour. At this point you want to make sure that there are no any clumps in the mixture.
  8. In another mixing bowl beat egg whites with a pinch of salt and 100g of sugar.
  9. Use large mixing bowl to mix together egg yolk mixture with ¼ of beaten egg whites. Once it is unified fold in the rest of the egg whites, do not overmix.
  10. Fold in ground hazelnut mixture by using a scooping motion from the outside towards the middle of the bowl.
  11. Pour the batter into prepared spring form pan. Spread the batter evenly and flat on the top.
  12. Bake in pre warmed oven for 20-30 minutes until biscuit starts separating from the form and when toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the biscuit.
  13. Cool off for 5 minutes on a cooling rack before removing the form side. Use another flat pan to invert the biscuit, peel off the parchment paper and reinvert it back to the cooling rack. Let it cool completely.
Caramel Crunch Layer
  1. In a small mixing bowl add 2 tbsp water and sprinkle 1 tbsp of gelatin powder evenly across the surface, set aside for 6-7 minutes.
  2. In a small saucepan add sugar and water and heat up without stirring over low heat (3 out of 10). Watch it carefully and once the color turns to light caramel brown remove from heat, stir in 30g of whole roasted hazelnuts. Quickly pour off caramelized mixture over parchment paper, let cool off completely.
  3. Use sharp knife and cutting board to coarsely chop caramelized hazelnuts, set aside.
  4. Butter the side of 22 cm (9”) spring form and line it with the parchment paper. The butter will act as a glue that will hold the paper. Place 8” cardboard disc on the bottom of the form.
  5. Place the biscuit on top of the cardboard disc, make sure it is centered in the spring form.
  6. In a double boiler melt the chocolate and spread it evenly over the biscuit. Sprinkle chopped caramelized walnuts over the chocolate.
Chocolate Mousse
  1. In a small mixing bowl add 2 tbsp water and sprinkle 1.5 tbsp of gelatin powder evenly across the surface, set aside for 6-7 minutes.
  2. Using electrical mixer beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks are formed.
  3. In a small sauce pan and over low heat (2 out of 10) heat up chocolate and milk. Once the chocolate is melted add the gelatin and mix until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Add the orange zest to the mixture. Let the chocolate mixture cool off to about 25°C (77°F).
  4. Using a whisk incorporate lukewarm chocolate into whipping cream. If chocolate is not cooled off and is too hot it will melt the whipping cream!
  5. Pour off the mixture over the biscuit and its sides, making sure chocolate mousse fills all the pockets around the form and is level. Put it in the fridge, let cool and set completely, about 1-2 hours.
  6. Once the chocolate mousse is set and firm take the orange gelatin layer and center it on the top. Put it back in the fridge.
Mascarpone Mousse
  1. In a small mixing bowl add 2 tbsp water and sprinkle 1 tbsp of gelatin powder evenly across the surface, set aside for 6-7 minutes.
  2. In a large mixing bowl beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks are formed.
  3. In a medium size mixing bowl mix together mascarpone cheese and sugar until uniform.
  4. In a small saucepan and over low heat (2 out of 10) heat rum and vanilla extract. As it warms up add to it gelatin and mix until it dissolves, about 2 minutes.
  5. Using electrical mixer incorporate first the gelatinous mixture into the mascarpone mixture and then fold it all together into the whipping cream.
  6. Pour it on top of the chocolate mousse layer making sure that there are no air pockets left and that is spread evenly around the form with top surface made smooth and flat. Put it in the fridge and let it set and completely cool off, best if left overnight.
Chocolate Glaze
  1. In a small mixing bowl add 2 tbsp water and sprinkle 1 tbsp of gelatin powder evenly across the surface, set aside for 6-7 minutes.
  2. In a small saucepan over low heat (2 out of 10) heat up together: chocolate, whipping cream, water, sugar, cocoa powder. Once all is melted and unified mix in the gelatin and let is fully dissolve, about 2 minutes. Pass the mixture through fine mesh strainer to remove any remained solids.
  3. Let the glaze cool off to about 26°C (79°F) and mix occasionally to prevent skin forming on a surface. This is critical because if the glaze is too hot it will melt the mousse and if it is too cold it will not spread and coat the cake properly.
  4. Remove the ring from spring form and peel off the parchment paper from the cake.
  5. Place the cooling rack over the shallow baking pan.
  6. Using 2 long offset knifes and making sure you get under the cardboard disc, transfer the cake to the cooling rack.
  7. Slowly pour glaze on top of the cake, let it overflow and coat the cake sides. Use long offset cake knife to push any excess chocolate from the top to the uncoated side pockets.
  8. Decorate the top with candied orange strips.
  9. Place the cake in an enclosed container and refrigerate 24hrs before serving.
  10. Use sharp, warm and wet knife to cut the cake.