Mocha Marjolaine Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry to 13x13 inches square. With a sharp knife, trim to 12x12 inches. Cut into 3 equal strips, 4x12 inches. Poke each strip several times with a fork. Arrange on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with hazelnuts.
• Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Allow to cool. If not equal in size, trim with a serrated knife, using a gentle sawing motion.
• Melt chocolate in a bowl over barely simmering water, stirring constantly, until smooth. Cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, brown sugar and coffee until smooth. Blend in melted chocolate. Fold in ground hazelnuts and almonds. In a large bowl, whip cream until peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cheese mixture, then quickly fold in remaining whipped cream until no streaks remain.
• Spread 1/3 of filling on a strip of puff pastry. Repeat layers. Refrigerate for 3 hours, or until set. With a serrated knife, cut into 10 slices using a gentle sawing motion.

Steps:

• Make around 35ml espresso using a coffee machine and pour into the base of your cup. Add the drinking chocolate and mix well until smooth.
• Steam the milk with the steamer attachment so that it has around 4-6cm of foam on top. Hold the jug so that the spout is about 3-4cm above the cup and pour the milk in steadily. As the volume within the cup increases, bring the jug as close to the surface of the drink as possible whilst aiming into the centre. Once the milk jug is almost touching the surface of the coffee, tilt to speed up the rate of pour. As you accelerate, the milk will hit the back of the cup and start naturally folding in on itself to create a pattern on the top.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two 11-by-17-inch (28-by-43-cm) rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• To make the cake base, spread the hazelnut powder on another rimmed baking sheet, place in the oven, and bake for about 5 minutes, or until it smells like roasting nuts. Remove from the oven and pour into a bowl to cool.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or by hand with determination), whip together the eggs and 1⅔ cups (180 g) of the powdered sugar until white and creamy. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the hazelnut powder and flour just until thoroughly combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and rinse the whip attachment and the mixer bowl. Dry thoroughly.
• Refit the whip attachment to the mixer, and put the egg whites, the remaining 5 tablespoons (40 g) powdered sugar, and the salt in the bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the beaten whites into the egg-hazelnut mixture just until no streaks are visible.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared baking sheets, and spread to level with a spatula, preferably an offset spatula. Place in the oven and bake for 11 minutes, or until lightly browned and set. Let cool in the pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes, then remove the parchment paper by lifting and peeling it slowly off the cakes. Let cool completely.
• To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let the ganache sit for 20 minutes at room temperature to firm up a bit.
• To make the buttercreams, rinse the whip attachment and bowl again, then put the egg yolks in the bowl. In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium heat and heat until the sugar melts. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. When the sugar mixture reaches 226°F (108°C), start whisking the egg yolks. When it reaches 239°F (115°C), remove from the heat while slowly pouring in the yolks and whisking constantly. Continue whisking until the mixture is at room temperature.
• Add the butter a few pieces at a time to the cooled egg mixture and whisk until well incorporated. Scoop out half of the mixture into another bowl. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and, using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the pod halves into one of the bowls and mix well. Add the Nutella to the second bowl and mix well. If you notice a shiny film forming as you are stirring the buttercreams, quickly add a few drops of cold water and continue stirring. The buttercreams are easiest to work with if used right away.
• If you're unable to get your hands on (that is, build) a metal mold in the dimensions described in the headnote, you can use 2 half-gallon (2-liter) milk cartons with the top and one long side cut out of each one. Adjust to any desired length by sliding the sides of the two cartons onto one another. Tape the bottom of the mold so that it maintains a perfect rectangle, and line the inside of the mold with parchment paper. With your "mold" built, you are ready to build your cake.
• Measure the width of the mold, then cut the cakes into slabs of the same width, minus 1/4 inch (6 mm). Cut the slabs into even lengths to fit the mold. Place a cake layer, shiny brown side up, in the mold and brush a little of the rum over it. Top the cake layer with a layer of the Nutella buttercream, making it slightly thicker than the cake layer. Top the buttercream with a second cake layer, shiny brown side up, and brush with more rum. Top the cake layer with a layer of ganache, making it slightly thicker than the cake layer. Place a third cake layer, shiny brown side up, on the ganache layer and brush with more rum. Add a layer of the vanilla buttercream, making it slightly thicker than the cake layer. Repeat the layers, finishing with a cake layer topped with a layer of ganache. Then add the nuts.
• Let the cake rest in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, cut the tape holding the mold together to release the cake. You may discover that the whole thing has sunk a bit, or that the cake has soaked the ganache excessively. No matter. You will have a delicious, silky brick of joy. To serve, cut into slices with a hot, wet knife.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and butter a 12-hole madeleine tin or a 24-hole mini madeleine tin. In a small pan, heat the butter over a medium heat until frothy and golden with a nutty aroma. Leave to cool.
• Sieve the flour and cocoa into a large bowl, then stir in the egg yolks, honey, coffee, melted butter and both sugars. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold into the cocoa mix.
• Spoon the mixture into the tin, half-filling each of the madeleine holes. Chill in the fridge for 1 hr.
• Bake for 7 mins if using a 24-hole mini madeleine tin, or for 10-12 mins if using a 12-hole tin. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
• Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in short bursts, then drizzle over the madeleines.

Steps:

• Make nut meringue:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 17 12 x 11 1/2 x 1-inch jelly roll pan with parchment. Blend hazelnuts, almonds, 1/2 cup sugar and flour in processor until nuts are finely ground. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until soft peaks form. gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold nut mixture into meringue in 2 additions. spread meringue mixture evenly in prepared pan.
• Bake meringue until golden brown and dry to touch, about 20 minutes. Cool meringue in pan on rack.
• Cut around pan sides. Using parchment as aid, lift meringue onto work surface. Press large sheet of waxed paper onto meringue to cover. Using scissors, cut through waxed paper and parchment to trim meringue to 16-inch-long by 8- inch-wide rectangle. Cut in half crosswise, then lengthwise, forming four 8-inch-long by 4-inch-wide rectangles.
• Make ganache:
• Bring 1 1/4 cups cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Transfer 1/4 cup ganache to small bowl; add remaining 3 tablespoons cream to make light ganache. Refrigerate light ganache until cold, at least 30 minutes. Refrigerate dark ganache until cold and thick, stirring often, about 1 hour.
• Make coffee cream:
• Beat chilled whipping cream, instant espresso powder and sugar in medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate.
• Place cake rack on work surface. Peel waxed paper and parchment off 1 meringue rectangle; place on cake rack. Spread with 1/3 cup dark ganache. Peel waxed paper and parchment off second meringue; place atop dark ganache. Whisk light ganache just until thick and stiff. Spread over second meringue. Peel waxed paper and parchment off third meringue; place atop light ganache. Spread with half of coffee cream; cover and refrigerate remaining coffee cream. Peel waxed paper and parchment off fourth meringue; place atop coffee cream. spread 1/2 cup dark ganache in thin layer over top and sides of torte to anchor crumbs and smooth surface. Refrigerate on rack 45 minutes. Place torte on rack onto large sheet of aluminum foil. Stir remaining dark ganache over very low heat just until warm enough to pour. Pour dark ganache over torte. Using icing spatula and working quickly, smooth top and sides for even coverage. Refrigerate on rack until glaze is firm, at least 2 hours. (Torte can be made 2 days ahead. Cover loosely; keep refrigerated.)
• Using metal spatula, transfer torte to platter. Rewhip remaining coffee cream. Pipe in decorative pattern atop torte. Garnish with hazelnuts and serve.