A refined French entremet featuring four chocolate layers—fudge cake, dark ganache, silky mousse, and mirror glaze—assembled in individual 2-inch rings and topped with edible gold leaf for restaurant-quality presentation.
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Line a 1/4 sheet pan (15x10 inches) with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, mayonnaise, and water. With an electric mixer set on low speed, gradually add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients until combined. Increase speed to medium and mix for one more minute until the batter is fully combined and smooth.
Spread the batter onto the parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for about 15 minutes or until the center of the cake is set.
Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, then remove from pan, cover in plastic wrap, and freeze until ready to assemble. (Cut in half if needed to fit in freezer.)
For the Dark Chocolate Ganache: Break up the dark chocolate and milk chocolate into small pieces and place into a heat-proof bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream, glucose or corn syrup, and sugar to a boil. Pour 1/3 of the hot cream mixture over the chocolate pieces, whisking vigorously until the chocolate starts to melt. Continue adding hot cream in thirds, whisking after each addition. Place the butter in a tall container or pitcher and pour the ganache over it. Using an immersion blender, mix until smooth and shiny. Pour into a medium bowl and let set for 5–6 hours at room temperature (or place in fridge to halve the setting time).
After the ganache has set, remove the chocolate cake from the freezer and use a 3-inch cake cutter to cut six small cake rounds (each round should be about 1/4 the height of your cake ring). Place the chocolate ganache into a piping bag and pipe about 2 teaspoons of ganache in the center of each cake round. Place in the freezer for at least one hour.
For the Chocolate Mousse: Whip 200 g cream until soft peaks form and set aside. Break up the dark chocolate into smaller pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl. Bring the 200 g heavy cream to a boil and pour 1/3 of the hot cream onto the chocolate, whisking vigorously. Continue adding hot cream in thirds, whisking after each addition. Set aside.
For the pâte à bombe: Place egg yolks into a heat-proof bowl. In a saucepan, heat the sugar and water together until the temperature reaches 244°F (118°C). Slowly pour the hot mixture onto the egg yolks while whisking continuously until the mixture thickens and turns pale yellow (ribbon stage).
Combine all three mousse components: fold the whipped cream into the ganache, then pour in the egg yolk mixture and fold until smooth. Transfer mousse to a piping bag. Coat the inside of each metal cake ring with cooking spray and line with acetate strips.
Pipe the mousse into each cake ring, filling 3/4 of the way to the top. Gently press each frozen cake round (ganache side down) into the mousse-filled ring. The mousse should rise to the top. Flatten and scrape off any excess. Freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight.
For the Chocolate Glaze: Place gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes to soften. Heat the water, sugar, and a few drops of red food gel on the stovetop until the mixture reaches 222°F (106°C). In a separate bowl, mix the glucose or corn syrup and cream together, then microwave for one minute until warm. Pour this into the pan with the sugar/water mixture, whisking continuously, then bring to a boil. Add the cocoa powder, remove from heat, and continue to mix.
Squeeze out excess moisture from the gelatin sheets and place them in a pitcher or large measuring cup. Pour the sugar/cocoa mixture over the gelatin and mix with an immersion blender until all bubbles are gone. Let temperature reduce to 104°F (40°C).
To unmold the frozen entremet cakes, use a hair dryer to heat the sides of the cake ring for a few seconds, then gently push the cake out onto a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Remove the acetate sheet.
Ensure the glaze temperature is 104°F (40°C). Gradually pour the glaze onto the cake starting from the center outward, fully covering the top and sides. (Excess glaze can be scraped up and reused.)
After the glaze has settled for a few minutes, transfer the cake to a serving dish, decorate with gold leaf, and serve.
Refrigerate assembled entremets up to 2 days in an airtight container. Do not freeze after glazing. Serve chilled; bring to room temperature 10–15 minutes before plating for best texture.
2-inch metal cake rings · offset spatula · piping bags (optional, for mousse) · thermometer (for glaze temperature)
An entremet has distinct, thin layers (cake, ganache, mousse) assembled in precision molds, creating distinct textures in each bite. It's plated individually and finished with a glossy glaze or mirror.
Yes. Bake the fudge cake 1–2 days ahead, wrap in plastic. Make ganache and mousse up to 1 day before assembly. Assemble and glaze 4–6 hours before serving; refrigerate until plating.
Mayonnaise adds moisture and richness via eggs and oil, creating a tender crumb without extra butter. It's a classic technique in American-style chocolate cakes.
Pour glaze at 90–95°F over the mousse layer while it's still cold and firm. Use an offset spatula to spread evenly, or let it settle naturally. Chill immediately after glazing.
Yes, but scale baking time up and ensure the fudge cake is level; layer assembly becomes trickier. Individual rings simplify clean plating and portion control.
