Ever since trying out entremet desserts from Milse, I’ve been planning on making some. The making of entremets involve several more elements than other desserts. With cakes you may have cake batter, cream and ganache. With macarons you have the shells and the filling, be it buttercream or chocolate ganache. Entremets typically involve layers of mousse, cake, some ‘surprise’ element within and then a chocolate glaze or cocoa powder.

There was a missing ingredient that had taken me a long time to find, but thanks to Equagold I finally got my hands on some feuilletine – crunchy ‘leaves’ – for my ‘surprise’ element.

It also took me a while to find and master the perfect glaze as the shiny coating for these little domes. It wasn’t until recently when I flipped open Darren Purchese’s Sweet Studio book that I realised the perfect recipe had been lying around the house all along!

I urge you not to be put off by the steps and the number of elements. The list looks long but if you plan ahead, like baking (or buying!) the sponge one night, making whatever filling (e.g. Salted caramel) another, you will have everything ready to assemble easy peasy. I looked at it as a massive mise en place and the assembling is truly the highlight and most fun part. The result is amazing and all the time spent in preparation worthwhile.

So excited when I finally got them done, I had a goofy smile all day and could hardly wait for my colleagues to try.

Chocolate mousse domes – makes 6

Chocolate mousse
60 g dark chocolate – melted
45 ml full cream milk
1 leaf of gold strength gelatin – softened in water
175 ml cream – lightly whipped

1) Combine dark chocolate and milk
2) Mix in gelatin
3) Fold in cream until just mixed

Chocolate Genoise/ sponge cake – you can use your own sponge cake recipe or store-bought cakes!

Salted caramel
See my recipe from the Salted Caramel Macaron post. I almost always have a jar of this in my fridge, so this element is ready whenever I need it.

Crunchy chocolate Crisp * you will have lots of left overs for other desserts, these keep well in an airtight box
60 g dark chocolate – melted
25 g crunchy feuilletine

1) Line baking tray with a sheet of baking paper. Spread feuilletine on baking paper.
2) Melt chocolate and pour over feuilletine.
3) Spread out and leave to cool.
4) Using a round cutter, cut out small discs. Alternatively, you can break them up into small pieces.

Chocolate Glaze*prepare this 45 minutes before you unmold the domes as you need the glaze to be cool but still liquid.
50 g water
50 g cream
45 g caster sugar
20 g cocoa powder
1 leaf of gold strength gelatin – softened in water

1) Combine water, cream, sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan.
2) Bring to a boil
3) Add in gelatin and combine with a whisk
4) Cool to room temperature

Assembly
These little entremets are layers of mousse, cake, some crunchy, tasty element and more mousse. What you put in it depends entirely on your taste. To finish it off a shiny chocolate glaze is poured on the frozen domes.

1) Using cookie cutters, cut cake into small and medium rounds
2) Add a dollop of salted caramel on the small cake circle
3) Add about 2 tablespoons of mousse per dome mold
4) Place small cake circle on top and press lightly to half submerge in mousse
5) Top with more mousse to hide the small cake circle
6) Add crispy chocolate disc pieces
7) Add the medium cake circle
8) Freeze well, preferably overnight
9) Unmold

10) Pour glaze over domes, letting the glaze drip down over covered trays (you can reuse the glaze)

11) Decorate to your heart’s content. I’ve used Godiva chocolate pearls, more crispy chocolate feuilletine and freeze-dried raspberries here.

Enjoy!