Chocolate Bavarian
This frozen dessert was a favourite in my house growing up, and was my Signature Bake for Dessert Week on The Great Australian Bake Off. I wanted to recreate something that tasted like childhood and took me back to simple times around the dinner table, or sitting in the lounge room, enjoying this dessert together even though we didn’t leave it out of the freezer for long enough before diving in.
The raspberry, while not traditional, adds a much-needed hit of tartness that complements the rich chocolate and cream beautifully. Thanks for the suggestion, Mum!
Check out Darren Purchese and Rachel Khoo’s reaction here!
INGREDIENTS
Chocolate sable base
165g unsalted butter, room temp
165g almond meal
150g caster sugar
135g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
Solid pinch of salt
2 egg yolks
30g coco butter, melted
Chocolate mousse
360ml cream
3 eggs, separated
20g caster sugar
225g dark chocolate
Raspberry Sauce
125g raspberries
30g sugar
1 tablespoons of water
Whipped cream
300ml thickened cream
30g icing mixture
Chocolate curls - Optional (watch my how-to tempering chocolate video on Instagram)
200g chocolate (70% cocoa) – in small buttons or a block finely chopped
1 guitar sheet
Rolling pin
Baking paper and an elastic band
Equipment
24 cm loose bottomed tart tin
Piping bag and nozzle of your choice for piping the cream
If tempering the chocolate:
guitar sheet
Rolling pin
Digital thermometer – if tempering chocolate
METHOD
Chocolate sable base
Pre heat the oven to 170 degrees and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Place the butter, almond meal, sugar, fluor, salt and cocoa powder into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until combined.
Add the egg yolks and mix until a sandy dough is formed
Evenly spread the dough over a baking tray and bake for 20-25 mins, or until cooked through. It will look hard/crispy on the outside and still relatively soft in the middle. Set aside to cool.
Once cool, break into large pieces and put in the food processor to make crumbs. Place the crumbs in a large bowl.
Melt the coco butter in the microwave in 30 second busts, stirring after each burst. Add the melted coco butter to the crumbs and mix well with a wooden spoon to combine. Next, firmly press this biscuit base into the tin (I used my hands to press the sides and corners first, and then for the base I used a flat bottomed glass to press the base firmly) and put in the freezer to set – about 15-30 minutes. After 30 minutes, place in the fridge until you’re ready to add the mousse.
NOTE – you may have some biscuit base mix left over, which you can pleasingly enjoy with a spoon, or keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
Raspberry sauce
Place the raspberries, sugar and water in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and the turn down the heat and simmer on low, stirring, for 5-10 minutes.
Pour the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl. Discard the seeds.
Set sauce aside in the fridge to cool.
Chocolate mousse
Whip the cream to medium peaks and place in the fridge until needed.
Place the egg whites and half the sugar (10 grams) into the stand mixer and whip to firm peaks.
Meanwhile melt the chocolate (225g) in the microwave. Set aside.
Place the egg yolks and the remaining sugar (10 grams) in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk until fluffy – about 3-5 minutes. Note – use a whisk that has wide gaps – this will help the mixture not get stuck in the whisk in the next step, and make your life easter when adding the egg whites.
Once the egg yolks are glossy, add in the melted chocolate, still on the heat and whisk. The mixture will seize, but this is OK. Make sure there’s no mixture stuck inside your whisk.
Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the meringue in three batches, again ensuring there’s no mixture stuck in your whisk. Then gently fold in the whipped cream with a spatula in two batches.
Once completely combined, pour into the chilled sable base, spread evenly and place in the fridge to set for at least 20 minutes.
Whipped cream
Whip the cream (600g) with the icing sugar to stiff peaks .
Place in a large piping bag with your nozzle of choice (I used a saint honore nozzle, but any will work!)
Place into the fridge until you’re ready to assemble.
Tempered chocolate shards - optional
Put 150g of the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and use the microwave to melt the chocolate in 30 second bursts, stirring between each 30 second burst. Once the chocolate is about 50% melted, vigorously stir the chocolate to melt the remaining chocolate.
Using a digital thermometer, check the temperature of the chocolate. You want it to be 31 degrees. If its above, add a small amount of the remaining chocolate and stir vigorously to melt it in. Check temperature again and repeat as required to reach 31 degrees. If your chocolate is under 31 degrees, pop in the microwave for 10 seconds and mix and repeat until you reach 31 degrees.
Once you land on 31 degrees, pour the tempered chocolate on the guitar sheet and spread using a rolling pin covered in baking paper – spread with confidence in once fluid movement!
Lay a sheet of baking paper over the chocolate and then roll up around the rolling pin. Set aside in the fridge to set (at least 10 mins).
Once set, gently unroll the chocolate so it cracks into shards, and put the shards aside.
Assemble
Take your prepared whipped cream and pipe a lovely pattern on top of the mousse. Pipe wedges like I did or use a star nozzle to pipe classic stars over the top.
Pour your chilled raspberry sauce into a small piping bag and pipe the sauce into the cervices in the cream so you have a beautiful white and red ripple. Alternatively, spoon the sauce over the cream. You’ll have sauce left over, which you can use when you serve slices for people who want extra raspberry sauce.
If using, gently place the curls in an attractive pattern in the centre, creating a bit of height and drama.
Serve straight away, or leave in the fridge until ready to serve. Best eaten on the day, but will keep in the fridge, covered for up to 3 days.
