Dark Chocolate and Pecan Petits Gâteaux
Difficult
Makes: 24 Yield
This individual cake is flavored with coffee, pecan nuts & dark chocolate. Although the recipe might seem simple, some of its techniques are very challenging such as mixing temperatures and cooking times.
This individual cake is flavored with coffee, pecan nuts & dark chocolate. Although the recipe might seem simple, some of its techniques are very challenging such as mixing temperatures and cooking times.
Shelf life:
3 days
Conservation:
4°C
Containing: 8 Components

Pecan Cake

Ingredients: Pecan Cake

  • 230 g
  • 50 g
    powdered sugar
  • 150 g
    Eggs, whole
  • 170 g
    Dark brown sugar
  • 2 g
    salt
  • 220 g
    Butter
  • 110 g
    flour
  • 4 g
    Baking powder
  • 4 g
    Baking powder
  • 250 g
    egg whites
  • 40 g
    sugar

Preparation: Pecan Cake

  1. Mix the pecans and the powdered sugar in the food processor and grind for a few seconds to obtain a powder.
  2. Add the eggs and the salt and mix again. Add the soft butter and continue mixing.
  3. Place the brown sugar into the food processor and mix well until obtaining a grainy texture.
  4. In the tabletop mixer, whip the egg whites and gradually add the sugar. Mix until the preparation holds medium peaks.
  5. Fold the pecan preparation in the egg whites and stir with a spatula.
  6. Sift the flour and baking powder together into the preparation and continue mixing delicately.
  7. Right after, transfer the preparation into a piping bag, cut a small tip off to control the flow and pipe into the molds.
  8. Fill them to ¾ full and bake at 160°C (320°F) for 12 minutes.

View tools

  • Metal Tray
  • Piping Bag
  • Scissors
  • Scraper
  • Bowl(s)
  • Silicone mat
  • Thermomix® or food processor
  • Tabletop mixer, mixing bowl and a whisk
  • Spatula
  • 7 cm (2.36”) x 4cm (1.58”) cake ring
  • Sieve

Dark Chocolate Crémeux

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate Crémeux

  • 200 g
    Heavy cream 35% fat
  • 300 g
    Whole milk
  • 100 g
    egg yolks
  • 60 g
    sugar
  • 135 g
    CHD-H8047KMBNV

Preparation: Dark Chocolate Crémeux

  1. Mix the milk, cream, sugar and egg yolks together in a saucepan and heat to 84°C (183°F). Stir continuously while heating the preparation. This is important to ensure an even cooking.
  2. Place the chocolate into a tall recipient, strain the cooked milk mixture over the chocolate and emulsify using an immersion blender.
  3. Transfer into a mixing bowl, cover with plastic film to prevent the cream from forming a skin and place in the refrigerator until the pre-assembly.

View tools

  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Tall recipient
  • Strainer
  • Thermometer
  • Immersion blender
  • Bowl(s)
  • Mixing bowl (s)
  • Plastic film
  • Spatula

Almond & Coffee Streusel

  1. Mix all the ingredients together in a Thermomix or food processor until obtaining a crumble.
  2. Pour the preparation onto a plastic sheet and make it square.
  3. Cover with a second plastic sheet and, using a rolling pin, roll out to 3 mm (0.12”) thick.
  4. Place in the freezer until solid enough to be cut.
  5. Once solid, cut the streusel into discs using the ring cutter, transfer onto a metal tray lined with a silicone mat and bake at 160°C (320°F) for 8 minutes.

View tools

  • Metal Tray
  • Bowl(s)
  • Rolling pin
  • Plastic Sheets
  • Thermomix® or food processor
  • Spatula
  • 5 cm (1.6”) fluted ring cutter
  • Silicone mats

Pre-Assembly

  1. Once the pecan cakes are baked, let them cool down, then remove the rings and wrap them with plastic strips of 15 cm (5.9”) x 6.5 cm (2.6”).
  2. With a sauce gun, pour the Kumabo crémeux over the pecan cakes and fill to ½ full.

View tools

  • Metal Tray
  • Parchment paper
  • Spatula
  • Tape
  • Sauce gun or dosing funnel
  • 16 cm (5.9”) x 6.5 cm (2.6”) plastic strips

Coffee Light Cream

Ingredients: Coffee Light Cream

  • 200 g
    Espresso coffee, freshly brewed
  • 60 g
    sugar
  • 80 g
    glucose powder
  • 90 g
    Gelatin mass (1:6 gelatin powder 200 bloom + water)
  • 635 g
    Heavy cream 35% fat

Preparation: Coffee Light Cream

  1. Place the cream in a mixing bowl.
  2. Heat up the espresso, sugar and glucose powder in a saucepan. It is important to prepare the espresso right before using it in order to maintain its aroma and freshness; otherwise it will be acidic or bitter.
  3. In the meantime, lightly whip the cream until obtaining a light and fluffy mixture.
  4. Add the gelatin mass into the saucepan and mix until fully melted. Then, cover with plastic film and cool down to 30°C (86°F).
  5. Once at 30°C (86°F), incorporate into the whipped cream and mix until completely combined.
  6. Transfer into a piping bag, cut a small tip off to control the flow and immediately pipe over the frozen Kumabo cream, filling the mold completely.
  7. Place in the freezer until the final assembly.

View tools

  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Whisk
  • Piping Bag
  • Scissors
  • Bowl(s)
  • Mixing bowl (s)
  • Plastic film
  • Spatula

Milk Chocolate and Cocoa Nibs Glaze

Ingredients: Milk Chocolate and Cocoa Nibs Glaze

Preparation: Milk Chocolate and Cocoa Nibs Glaze

  1. Mix the melted chocolate, the grapeseed oil and the cocoa nibs together to 45°C (113°F).
  2. Leave the glaze at 18-20°C (64-68°F) until the final assembly.

View tools

  • Microwave
  • Bowl(s)
  • Mixing bowl (s)
  • Spatula

Spraying

Ingredients: Spraying

Preparation: Spraying

  1. Separately melt the chocolate and cocoa butter to 45°C (113°F), mix them together and transfer into a spray gun. Let the preparation cool down to 35-40°C (95-104°F).
  2. Remove the cakes from the freezer and immediately spray the frozen cakes with the glaze. The temperature difference between the spray and the frozen cake will give a nice velvet effect to the finished products. Note that when spraying it is important to always maintain the same distance and angle between the frozen cake and the spray gun in order to have an even application.

View tools

  • Tall recipient
  • Microwave
  • Spray gun

Assembly

  1. Once the cakes have been sprayed, unmold them. In this recipe, we spray the cakes first and then we unmold them. We do that to ensure that the spray is only applied on the top part of the cake.
  2. Dip the bottom of the cake into the cocoa nibs glaze, which needs to be at 32°C (90°F), and place the cakes onto a metal tray lined with a silicone mat to let the glaze crystallize.
  3. Once the glaze has crystallized, transfer the cakes onto a plate.
  4. Finally, using the remaining Kumabo cream, pipe a dot on the side of the cake and stick a disc of streusel to it.

View tools

  • Metal Tray
  • Parchment paper
  • Offset spatula
  • Gloves
  • Silicone mat
  • Serrated knife
  • Spatula

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