painted dessert...

I've always want to make a chocolate cake with some spices that can go with different kinds of sauce. My problem about chocolate cake is I will never be able to finish this kind of chocolate cake because of the intensity of the chocolate flavor and the richness of the fat. To solve my problem, add some spices into the cake and place along some herbs and berries sheet sauces will balance the flavor and embrace the fat.

As I read an interesting article Sweet Dessert Relief for Dinners at SFgate today, I kind of agree with the author that people prefer old-fashioned dessert when life is difficult. On the other hand, I think giving some effort into our work by combining new techniques and flavors to make our dessert more interesting is also important.

Here's my spiced chocolate hazelnut truffle cake with five different kinds of sheet sauce, come along with avocado icecream, nutella powder and espresso sponge.

Ingredients:
make 6 servings

for spiced chocolate cake
- 140 g Valrhona 64% cocoa dark chocolate
- 140 g unsalted butter
- 3 eggs
- 3 yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 ts. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 ts. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 ts. ground ginger
- 1/4 ts. ground nutmeg

for praline paste
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup roasted hazelnut
- 1/2 cup roasted almond
- 3 tb. peanut oil

for white chocolate hazelnut praline truffle
- 75 g heavy cream
- 25 g glucose syrup
- 15 g hazelnut liqueur
- 10 g cocoa butter, melted
- 60 g praline paste
- 200 g Valrhona 35% Cocoa White Chocolate

for raspberry sheet
- 200 g fresh raspberry
- 40 g water
- 20 g sugar
- 1 g agar agar
- 1 sheet gelatin, bloomed

for blackberry sheet
- 200 g fresh blackberry
- 40 g water
- 20 g sugar
- 1 g agar agar
- 1 sheet gelatin

for mint sheet
- 100 g mint leave, blanched
- 100 g simple syrup
- 1 g agar agar
- 1 sheet gelatin, bloomed

for orange-saffron sheet sauce
- 85 g orange juice
- 15 g sugar
- 1 g agar agar
- 1 sheet gelatin, bloomed

for lemon-lavender sheet sauce
- 60 g lemon juice
- 40 g sugar
- 1 ts. lavender flower
- 1 drop color
- 1 g agar agar
- 1 sheet gelatin, bloomed

for nutella powder
(recipe and technique from http://khymos,org)
- 40 g tapioca maltodextrin
- 60 g nutella

for espresso sponge
- 1/2 cup brewed espresso
- 20 g sugar
- 1 1/2 sheets gelatin, bloomed

for avocado ice-cream
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 6 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 ripe avocados

Procedures:

for spiced chocolate cake
1. Melt together chocolate and butter on the bain-marie, remove from the heat to cool slightly.
2. Whip eggs and yolks with sugar in a mixer until ribbon stage.
3. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture on low speed.
4. Add flour and mix well.
5. Prepare the mold by cover the bottom with aluminum foil and spray inside the mold with cooking spray.
6. Fill half of the mold with chocolate batter, place one scoop of truffle in the center and continue filling to 3/4 of the mold with more batter.
7. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes.
8. Let it set for 3 minutes before unmold.

for the praline paste
1. Cook sugar and water to 320 degrees F.
2. Remove from the heat, stir in all nuts.
3. Pour on a silpat, let it cool at room temperature.
4. Break into small chunks and grind with oil in a food processor.
5. Store in a tight container.

for the truffle
1. Bring cream and glucose to a simmer.
2. Remove from the heat, add white chocolate and praline paste.
3. Add butter.
4. Chill.

for raspberry sheet
1. Bring raspberry, water and sugar to a simmer, stir constantly. Remove from the heat and strain through cheesecloth. Discard solids and reserve liquid.
2. Bring 100 g. raspberry liquid with agar agar to a boil.
3. Remove from the heat, add bloomed gelatin sheet and stir until dissolved.
4. Pour over acetate, let set at room temperature
5. Chill and cut to a desire shape.

for blackberry sheet
1. Bring blackberry, water and sugar to a simmer, stir constantly. Remove from the heat and strain through cheesecloth. Discard solids and reserve liquid.
2. Bring 100 g. blackberry liquid with agar agar to a boil.
3. Remove from the heat, add bloomed gelatin and stir until dissolved.
4. Pour over acetate, let it set at room temperature.
5. Chill and cut to a desire shape.

for mint sheet
1. Blend together blanched mint with simple syrup in a blender. Strain through chinois.
2. Bring 100 g. mint liquid with agar agar to a boil.
3. Remove from the heat, add bloomed gelatin and stir until dissolved.
4. Pour over acetate, let it set at room temperature.
5. Chill and cut to a desire shape.

for orange-saffron sheet
1. Bring orange juice, saffron, sugar and agar agar to a boil.
2. Remove from the heat, add bloomed gelatin and stir until dissolved.
3. Pour over acetate, let it set at room temperature.
4. Chill and cut to a desire shape.

for lemon-lavender sheet
1. Bring lemon juice, sugar and lavender to a boil. Strain through chinois.
2. Add agar agar, bring back to a boil.
3. Remove from the heat, add bloomed gelatin and stir until dissolved.
4. Pour over acetate, let it set at room temperature.
5. Chill and cut to a desire shape.

for nutella powder
1. Combine ingredients in a food processor.
2. Process until the mixture has the texture of soil.
3. Store in a cool dry place until ready to serve.

for espresso sponge
1. Bring espresso and sugar to a boil.
2. Remove from the heat, add bloomed gelatin and stir until dissolved.
3. Pour into a mixing bowl, chill.
4. When it begins to set, whisk at a medium speed until the foam begins to form.
5. Increase to high speed, whisk until stiff peaks are forms.
6. Spread over a prepared tray.
7. Chill for 2 hours to set the mixture.
8. Cut into 1"x1" squares.

for ice-cream
1. Bring milk to a simmer.
2. Whisk yolks with sugar, temper yolk mixture with hot milk.
3. Bring the custard to 180 degrees F, add salt.
4. Remove from the heat, cool over an ice-bath.
5. Spin and freeze.
1
Assembly:
1. Position all the sheets on the plate.
2. Place the chocolate cake on the left side and sprinkle with some nutella powder.
3. Place along three espresso sponges, then quenelle an ice-cream over on the right side of the plate.
4. Garnish with some leaves.