For this week’s episode, I'm drawing inspiration from one of my favorite shows, High Maintenance: a loving, humanist, stunningly accurate portrait of the unique brand of weird found in Brooklyn. I hope you'll join me in celebrating by aspiring to be more like The Guy: unflappably chill, constantly curious, and bursting with love for all kindred spirits.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cardamom Cake Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
150 g sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
60 g cocoa powder
75 g all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cardamom
85 g milk
50 g vegetable oil
Chocolate Cremeux Ingredients:
1 tsp powdered gelatin
2 Tbsp water, cold
125 g whole milk
125 g heavy cream
½ tsp kosher salt
50 g egg yolks (about 3)
50 g sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
110 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
60 g unsalted butter, cubed + very soft
2 (6-inch) chocolate cardamom cake circles
Blackberry Mousse Ingredients:
2 pints blackberries
2 tsp powdered gelatin
125 g water, divided
160 g blackberry puree
125 g sugar
85 g egg whites
⅛ tsp cream of tartar
200 g heavy cream, cold
Optional: purple food coloring
Frozen cremeux insert
Mirror Glaze Ingredients:
225 g water, divided
10 g powdered gelatin
250 g sugar
100 g glucose
150 g sweetened condensed milk
300 g white chocolate
As needed food coloring of your choice
As needed edible glitter
Frozen Entremet Cake
Method
Serves: 6-8
Chocolate Cardamom Cake Method:
Adapted from: King Arthur Baking
Preheat the oven to 350 °F and prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and non-stick spray.
Combine the eggs and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and salt.
Turn the mixer on to medium-high speed, once the eggs are frothy, gradually add the sugar mixture.
Once all the sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer to high and continue whipping until the mixture is thickened and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and cardamom in a large bowl. Sift the dry ingredients onto a piece of parchment paper.
Once the egg mixture is ready, add about half of the sifted dry ingredients into the bowl. Give the mixture 5-6 folds with a plastic spatula, then add the remaining dry ingredients. Fold until the batter is almost combined with a few remaining streaks of dry powder.
In a small bowl, combine the milk and vegetable oil with a whisk. Add the wet ingredients to the batter and fold until the mixture is homogeneous.
Carefully pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet and using a large offset spatula, evenly disperse the batter.
Bake the cake for 12-14 minutes or until the center of the cake bounces back.
Allow the cake to cool for a minimum of 30 minutes before punching out two circles of cake using a 6-inch pastry ring. Reserve the cake circles until ready to use.
Chocolate Cremeux Method:
Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and allow it to bloom for 5-10 minutes at room temperature.
Add the cream, milk, about half of the sugar in a medium sauce pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the egg yolks and remaining sugar.
Temper the cream mixture into the yolks by adding small amounts of the heated cream to the yolks while whisking constantly. Continue this process until all of the cream mixture has been incorporated to the yolks.
Return the entire mixture to the stovetop, cook over low heat until the mixture reaches 83 °C/180 °F while stirring constantly.
Turn off the heat and add the bloomed gelatin. Whisk until the gelatin has completely melted.
Pour the hot liquid over a strainer into a bowl of the chocolate and vanilla.
Cool the mixture over an ice bath until it reaches 5°C/40°F. Make sure to stir periodically to ensure even cooling. It should thicken as it cools.
Transfer the cremeux to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and begin whipping on high speed. Once it reaches medium peaks, begin adding the soft butter one piece at a time.
Once all the butter is incorporated, begin assembling the cake insert.
Place one of the reserved cake layers into a 6-inch ring, then top it with an even layer of the cremeux. Add the remaining cake circle on top and freeze the insert overnight.
Once the insert is entirely frozen, use a torch around the exterior of the ring to warm the sides. Gently press down on the sides of the ring mold to remove it. Place the unmolded insert back in the freeze until ready to use.
Blackberry Mousse Method:
Puree the blackberries in a high-powered blender or food processor until smooth.
Strain the puree through a fine mesh sieve and reserve.
Bloom the gelatin by sprinkling it over 75 g of water, allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature.
Melt the gelatin mixture with about ⅓ of the puree in a small sauce pot. Once dissolved, temper the gelatin puree mixture into the remaining puree and reserve.
Combine the sugar and the remaining 50 g of water in a small sauce pot. Stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved, then brush down the sides of the pot with a wet pastry brush. Cook the sugar until it reaches 240 °F/115 °C.
Meanwhile, begin whipping the egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed in a stand mixer. Once the sugar mixture has reached 230°F, increase the speed to high.
When the sugar is ready, slowly pour the hot syrup into the whipping egg whites. Continue mixing until the meringue reaches medium peaks, about 6-8 minutes.
Fold the puree mixture into the meringue in three additions.
Whip the heavy cream to medium stiff peaks. Optionally, add a few drops of purple food coloring to the heavy cream.
Fold the whipped cream into the meringue mixture, once again, in three additions.
Deposit the mousse into an entremet mold of your choosing. Add the cremeux insert to the the center of the mold. The cake layer should be flush with the opening of the mold.
Freeze the entire cake overnight.
Mirror Glaze Method:
Bloom in gelatin in 75 grams of water.
Combine the remaining 150 grams of water, sugar, glucose, and sweetened condensed milk in a small pot.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Add the bloomed gelatin, then pour the mixture over the white chocolate. Let the mixture sit for 1 minute before blending with an immersion blender.
Strain the glaze and divide it among five different bowls, one of the portions should be twice the size of each of the remaining portions. Color the large portion with black and purple food coloring and add the edible glitter. Color the remaining portions with the colors of your choice, we suggest dark blue, teal, medium purple, and bright pink.
Allow the glazes to cool to 90-95°F.
Meanwhile, unmold the cake and place it on a raised surface or rack. Pour the glaze over the cake.
Allow the cake to drip off the excess glaze for 4-5 minutes, then wipe off the excess from the bottom of the cake using a large offset spatula.
Carefully transfer the cake to a plate or cake board and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
Slice and serve.