Like so many of us, one of my favourite things to watch on the box at the moment is The Great British Bake Off – even though i don’t class myself as a pudding person, every week the show inspires me to have a go at a new bake/ dessert.
I especially love the elegant patisserie style desserts that they have created in the past- so thought i would attempt the recipe below, and try my best to create something that looks just as good as it tastes (precision and accuracy have never been my forte-which many of these types of patissierie require-however it turned out pretty well and for once didn’t turn out like a dogs dinner!).
This framboisier is perfect at this time of year when raspberries are in season, and i feel this could work with most berries. The sharpness of the fruit cuts through the layers of sponge and mousse and adds a delicious refreshing hit in contrast to the chocolate.
Serves 6
For the sponge
- 120g egg white
- 90g caster sugar
- 60g egg yolk
- 10g cocoa powder sufted
- 75g plain flour sifted
Raspberry syrup
- 80g of raspberries
- 1 tbsp honey
- splash water
- squeeze fresh lemon juice
Mousse
- 45g caster sugar
- 25ml water
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 egg
- 120g very dark chocolate 70-80% cocoa solids
- 200ml double cream
Glaze
- 2 tbsp seedless raspberry jam
- 1 tbsp of the raspberry syrup
First start with the chocolate sponge cake. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6 and line a flat baking tin (i used my brownie tin) with baking parchment.
Whisk the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer until they hold a soft peak. Add the caster sugar and whisk until firm and glossy.
Add the egg yolks and whisk until smooth, for about 5 seconds.
Sift the flour with the cocoa powder and gradually and gently fold into the egg mixture until combined- trying to retain as much air as possible.
Gently pour the cake batter into the tin- the mixture should be fairly shallow-no more than 1cm deep.
Bake the sponge for 9–12 minutes until just firm to the touch and it springs back when touched. Leave the cake in the tin to cool. Then place in fridge.
To make the syrup
Place the raspberries and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, add the honey and lemon-reduce slightly then sieve the syrup into a jug.
To make the mousse
Mix the sugar with the water in a small saucepan with a heavy base. Bring to the boil and cook until it registers 118°C on a thermometer.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the egg yolks and the whole egg at a low speed. When the sugar syrup is ready, increase the speed of the mixer to medium and carefully pour in the sugar syrup and whisk until the mixture cools to room temperature, for around 5–8 minutes till very pale.
Place the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan and melt until it reaches 45°C, then remove from the heat and cool slightly.
Mix the melted chocolate into the egg mixture very slowly and stir until it is fully combined. Make sure the chocolate isn’t too warm as it will deflate the egg mixture.
Whip the cream to stiff peaks and beat a third of it into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the rest of the cream and mix until all of the cream is incorporated and the colour is even. Place in freezer.
For the glaze
Combine the seedless raspberry jam and the raspberry syrup in a bowl- it should be a thick glaze consistency.
To assemble the framboisier
Cut the sponge neatly into 2 and brush some syrup over one of the sponges.
Spread an even layer of the mousse (roughly 3cm deep) on top of the cake and smooth with an offset spatula. Place the second piece of chocolate sponge cake on top and spread with some raspberry syrup.
Take the remaining mousse and smooth it with an offset spatula so that it is level – you won’t need all of the mousse, so you will have some left over which can be used in other desserts.
Place the cake in the freezer until the mousse sets, for at least 1 hours. When the cake is frozen, neatly trim the edges and smooth the mousse with a palette knife.
Pour the raspberry glaze in the middle of the cake and smooth it with a palate knife. Some of the glaze will drip over the edges. Place it in the fridge or freezer to set.
After about 15 minutes, the glaze should have stopped dripping. Place the cake on a board and trim each edge so you have clean layers, then cut the cake into 6 even pieces, wiping the knife in between each cut.
Decorate the top of the cakes with half a raspberry and dark chocolate buttons.
