Chocolate Passion Charlotte
Six individual elements come together to make one impressive dessert.
Makes 1 8-inch cake
A Charlotte is a true test of a baker’s skills and instincts. And that’s why the judges chose it as the Technical Bake for the semi-final on Season 4 of The Great Canadian Baking Show.
Chocolate ladyfingers, two chocolate mousses (white and dark), chocolate cookie crumble and chocolate passion fruit ganache all come together for one impressive dessert.
It’s a perfect explosion of flavour that just makes you want to eat more of this gorgeous dessert.
Ingredients
Passion Fruit Gelée
- 2 ½ sheets or 2 ½ tsp powdered gelatin
- ½ cup (125 g) passion fruit purée
Chocolate Wafers
- ½ cup (112 g) butter, softened
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (85 g) light corn syrup
- ½ tsp (2 g) baking soda
- ¼ tsp (1 g) salt
- ½ tsp (3 ml) vanilla
- 1 ⅓ cup (180 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 6 tbsp (36 g) cocoa, sifted
- 2 tbsp (28 g) butter, melted
Black Cocoa Ladyfingers
- 5 eggs, separated, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) sugar, divided
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp (1 g) salt
- ⅓ cup (36 g) cocoa, sifted
- 3 tbsp (18 g) black cocoa, sifted
- 6 tbsp (90 ml) boiling water
- 1 ¼ cups (168 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
Milk Chocolate Passion Fruit Ganache
- ⅓ cup (79 ml) whipping cream, 35%
- 1 cup (180 g) milk chocolate callets, melted
- 4 tsp (10 g) passion fruit powder
Dark and White Chocolate Mousse
- 6 sheets or 6 tsp powdered gelatin
- ¾ cup (135 g) dark chocolate callets, melted
- ¾ cup (135 g) white chocolate callets, melted
- ¾ cup (177 ml) whole milk
- 1 ¾ cups + 3 tbsp (450 ml) whipping cream
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla bean paste
Decor
- Dark and white chocolate crispy pearls
Special Equipment
- Acetate
- Piping bag with 805 round tip
Preparation
Passion Fruit Gelée
Spray one side of a 6-inch round of acetate with cooking spray and place, sprayed side down, into a 6-inch cake pan, smoothing to adhere.
Bloom gelatin in a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes; for powdered gelatin, pour 2 tbsp (28 g) water over powdered gelatin in a bowl and let bloom.
Heat passion fruit purée on stove until steaming. Remove from heat. Squeeze excess water from sheet gelatin if using, and stir gelatin into puree until dissolved. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and place in the fridge to set.
Heat oven to 350 F.
Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Cut a 4-inch-wide piece of acetate and line the sides of an 8-inch springform pan. Line the base of the pan with a round of parchment paper. Set aside.
Chocolate Wafers
Beat butter, granulated sugar, corn syrup, baking soda, salt and vanilla in a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add flour and cocoa and stir to combine (dough will appear dry). Knead dough against the side of the bowl to bring it together into a uniform ball.
Divide dough in two. Roll each half to ⅛ inch thick, cut into 2-inch pieces and bake until set, about 15 minutes.
Once cooled completely, transfer to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and blitz until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Transfer 1 ½ cups of the chocolate wafer crumbs to a bowl. Stir in melted butter. Set aside.
Reserve remaining crumbs for decor.
Black Cocoa Ladyfingers
Heat oven to 400 F. Line a ¾ sheet pan with parchment paper. With a pencil, draw two 15 x 3-inch rows on the backside of the parchment. Prepare a piping bag with an 805 round tip.
Beat egg yolks, 50 g of the sugar, vanilla and salt together in a large bowl with a hand mixer until lightened and thick, about 2 minutes.
Make a stiff meringue with egg whites and remaining sugar.
Stir together cocoas and water to form a smooth paste. Beat into yolk mixture. Very gently fold half of the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Very gently fold in remaining whites. Very gently fold in flour.
Pipe the ladyfingers, just touching one another, onto the parchment-lined baking sheet within the template you drew earlier.
Transfer to the oven and bake until they are puffed and set, about 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately run an offset spatula under the ladyfingers to release them from the parchment. Sprinkle with regular cocoa and let cool completely on the pan.
Gently line sides of springform pan with the ladyfingers, trimming off any extra fingers and ensuring they fit tightly. Press chocolate crumb mixture firmly into the base of the springform pan and freeze until ready to use.
Milk Chocolate Passion Fruit Ganache
Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan. Whisk into melted chocolate in a small heatproof bowl until combined. Stir in passion fruit powder. Set aside at room temperature.
Dark and White Chocolate Mousse
Bloom gelatin in a small bowl of cold water until softened, about 5 minutes. For powdered gelatin, pour 3 tbsp water over powdered gelatin in a bowl and let bloom.
Warm milk over medium heat in a small saucepan until steaming. Remove from heat. Squeeze excess water from sheet gelatin if using and stir gelatin into milk until melted. Remove half of milk and gradually stir into the warm dark chocolate.
Whip cream in a medium bowl with a hand mixer on high until soft peaks. Set half aside in the fridge.
Gently fold remaining whipped cream into the dark chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared springform pan. Freeze 10 minutes.
Repeat process with white chocolate, using reserved milk/gelatin and whipped cream.
If the reserved milk/gelatin mixture has cooled and begun to set, gently reheat just enough to re-melt the gelatin. Stir into white chocolate and vanilla bean paste. Fold in reserved whipped cream.
Assembly
Gently spread ganache over dark chocolate mousse. Top with white chocolate mousse. Freeze for 20 minutes. Remove from springform pan and place on pedestal.
Using small round cutters of differing sizes, cut out rounds of the gelée and use to decorate the cake as desired with crispy pearls and reserved cookie crumbs.
