Chocolate Entremet with Creme Praliné
Entremet with chocolate and creme praliné is just a fancy name for a delicious multi-layered cake with assorted flavors. The main component, chocolate, is what defines it and makes the cake so delicious, along with creme praliné.
Creme praliné or praline cream is a French cream made with caramelized hazelnuts. I became intrigued with praline cream from a Paris Brest recipe, an iconic French dessert that won me over to this magical ingredient. Eventually, it led me to experiment with this chocolate and creme praliné entremet. Creme praliné compliments the chocolate perfectly, making the cake silky, buttery, creamy…
I’ve been trying to stay away from cakes for a while, but this awesomeness keeps drawing me back. Especially when important holidays are approaching, as I know my loved ones will be craving some of this divine dessert.
Enjoy the full recipe below!
Chocolate Entremet with Creme Praliné
Ingredients
Sponge:
- 3 eggs
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 100 g butter
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 50 g flour
- 50 g ground hazelnuts
- a pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbs milk (full fat)
Chocolate cream:
- 200 g chocolate
- 250 ml whipping cream
- 1 gelatin sheet
Creme Praliné
- 100 g sugar
- 100 g hazelnuts
Vanilla & Creme Praliné
- 200 ml milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 50 g sugar
- 3 tbsp starch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
- 100 g creme praliné (see above)
- 1 gelatin sheet
For decoration:
- 300 ml whipping cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
- 100 g dark chocolate
Instructions
Sponge:
- Mix the flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, and salt.
- Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie with butter and milk. Leave to cool.
- Mix the eggs with the sugar until they triple in volume and turn into a foam. Add the chocolate and stir gently.
- Pour the dry ingredients over the cream. Incorporate them with a spatula, using upward movements.
- Preheat the oven to medium heat and line a 20/30 cm ( 8×12 inches) baking tray with parchment paper. Pour the mixture into the tray and smooth it out. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.
Chocolate cream:
- Hydrate the gelatin in cold water.
- Bring the whipping cream to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the broken chocolate pieces. Stir well after 2 minutes and add the gelatin. Mix until the cream becomes smooth and then leave it to cool for half an hour.
- Spread the cream over the chocolate sponge. Refrigerate.
Creme Praliné
- To begin, we initiate the caramelization process by heating sugar in a small pot. Once we achieve a desirable caramel consistency, we turn off the heat and add the hazelnuts.
- It is important to ensure that the hazelnuts are thoroughly coated with caramel before grating them onto a plate. Subsequently, we allow them to cool down.
- When the hazelnuts have cooled down, we break them into small pieces. Then put the caramelized hazelnuts in a food processor and start mixing until we reach the consistency of a paste.
Vanilla and Creme Praliné:
- Mix the egg yolks separately with a pinch of salt and the starch.
- Pour the milk and the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. When hot, pour a few tablespoons over the yolks and stir well. Pour the egg mixture into the milk in the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until the cream starts to boil and thicken. Turn off the heat and stir occasionally. Add the vanilla extract.
- Hydrate the gelatin in cold water. After 5 minutes add it to the warm cream and stir well.
- Cover the cream with cling film. Refrigerate.
- When the cream has cooled, incorporate 100 g (1/2 cup) pralines. Spread evenly over the chocolate cream with a spatula and return to the refrigerator.
Decoration:
- Melt the dark chocolate in a bain-marie. Spread it onto a sheet of parchment paper or acetate foil and leave to cool. When it is almost set, cut into rectangles. Place the chocolate in the fridge to completely set.
- Mix the whipping cream with a tablespoon of vanilla sugar until it becomes a firm and aerated foam. Use it to decorate the cake.
- Cut the cake into rectangular slices and cover each slice with a piece of chocolate. Then simply serve this wonderful dessert!
Notes
