A French approach to a classic Italian dessert!

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Editor’s note:

Professional recipes sometimes trip up home bakers with special ingredients and equipment, so we are offering a few simple substitutions. For the whipped ganache, you can substitute corn syrup for the glucose syrup. If you can’t find the Valrhona Waina 35%, just use the highest quality white chocolate you can find, preferably in bar form, not chips. Lastly, if you can’t find or are not comfortable with gelatin sheets, simply use 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin instead, and bloom it in some of the cream. Also, if you do not have a ring mold or acetate, you can use an 8-inch springform pan, and a strong hand with a whisk will do just as well as an immersion blender.

Lastly, if you haven’t tried weighing ingredients, this is the perfect opportunity to do so. Susan’s recipe was written for professionals and her gram weights are very precise, which is why the volume measurements may look a little strange for a home recipe. Either will work, but her original weights will be the most accurate!

Makes one 8-inch entremet

Ingredients

Genoise (Sponge Cake)                                              

• 6 large eggs (300 grams), room temperature
• ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) Grand Marnier liqueur
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 cup plus 2 ½ tablespoons (150 grams) all-purpose flour
• Pinch of sea salt
• 6 ½ tablespoons (90 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Espresso Syrup

• Scant 1 ¼ cups (240 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (240 grams) water
• 1 tablespoon (6 to 9 grams) espresso powder
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) Kahlua liqueur (optional)

Mascarpone Cream

• ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons (160 grams) heavy cream
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (120 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 ½ tablespoons (40 grams) water
• 3 1/2 (64 grams) egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) orange juice
• 1/3 cup (80 grams) crème fraiche
• 1/3 cup (160 grams) mascarpone, room temperature

Whipped White Chocolate Ganache

• 2 ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons (550 grams) cold heavy cream, divided
• 2 tablespoons (45 grams) glucose syrup
• 5.3 ounces (150 grams) Valrhona Waina 35% Chocolate, semi-melted
• 1 vanilla bean
• 3.5 grams silver gelatin sheets

For decoration:

• Whipped Cream (optional)
• Cocoa powder (optional)
• Chocolate shavings (optional)

Instructions

Make the Genoise:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F and line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Combine eggs, granulated sugar, Grand Marnier, and orange zest in a bowl; set over a bain-marie (water bath), whisking until frothy, warm and the sugar has melted.

2. Transfer bowl to electric mix fitted with whisk; beat on high speed to ribbon stage.

3. Combine the flour and salt, sift.

4. Once egg mixture has tripled in volume, gently fold in sifted flour with a spatula. Remove a large scoop of the batter; place in a separate bowl, then whisk in the melted and cooled butter; gently fold back into the rest of the batter. ** This helps prevent deflating the batter!

5. Deposit batter onto the prepared half-sheet pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cake is light golden brown and springs back. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Make the Espresso Syrup:

6. Make a simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved.

7. Whisk espresso powder into syrup until dissolved and add Kahlua (optional). Set aside.

Make the Mascarpone Cream:

8. Whip heavy cream to soft peaks; store in refrigerator until needed.

9. Add the egg yolks to a clean mixing bowl; whisk on low speed. Boil the sugar and water in a saucepan to 242˚F, then carefully pour into the egg yolks, with mixer on medium speed, ensuring it doesn’t hit the whisk. Continue whipping until it cools down and becomes pale and thick.

10. Using a spatula, mix the orange juice into the mascarpone and crème fraiche in a small bowl.

11. Add a small amount of the egg yolk mixture into the mascarpone/crème fraiche and combine with a spatula. Add the remaining egg mixture and mix well with a whisk until smooth.

12. Fold in the semi-whipped cream.

13. Fill a disposable piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip. Refrigerate until assembly.

Make the Whipped Ganache:

14. Bloom gelatin in cold water for 10-15 minutes.

15. Boil a scant cup of cream (220 grams) with vanilla bean and glucose. Remove from heat, then add the bloomed gelatin.

16. Pour hot cream mixture over the chocolate and mix with an immersion blender. Add the rest of the cream. Cover with plastic wrap to touch and refrigerate overnight.

Assemble the Entremet:

18. Line an 8-inch stainless steel ring with acetate, set over parchment lined sheet pan.

19. Cut two 8-inch circles from the genoise, place one on the bottom of the ring.

20. Soak the genoise with the espresso syrup, then pipe the mascarpone cream over the soaked genoise. Repeat with the next layer of genoise/mascarpone cream. Refrigerate overnight.

21. . Whip the ganache to medium peaks.

22. Remove stainless steel ring and acetate. Pipe a thin layer of the whipped ganache over the sides and top of entremet, smooth with an offset spatula.

23. Pipe desired design over the top with whipped cream. Dust with cocoa powder and chocolate shavings. ENJOY!