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Chocolate, mocha, apricot layer cake (gluten-free), white chocolate frosting


In this series of birthday cakes for my birthday month (as well as so many friends and family, and I do celebrate them with these cakes), here's the next entry : chocolate, apricot and mocha! 

I'm not gonna lie, they do take time but something I've learned to do with several-layer cakes, I make them over a 2 (or 3) day period.  First I make the mousse or gelatin layers and refigerate overnight. The next day I bake the cakes and assemble.  Maybe I'm fooling myself but it seems like much less work.  

Ok, I am fooling myself, but it's a habit now and several-layer cakes seem to go faster.  Like with this cake, I made the mousse and white chocolate frosting first and let them set overnight, whipping them only once assembling the cake.  The next day I made the brownie layer and the dacquoise and assembled it.  So it's actually just a few minutes a day.  Also, I sometimes make different cakes so I'll make 2 dacquoises and use one layer for this mocha cake, and another for a strawberry mousse cake.  Just a means of grouping for a homebaker and having less washing up to do.

Gluten-free chocolate brownie layer
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream (fromage blanc)
1/2 can chick peas (unstrained, pureed)
60 g almond flour
60 g cornflour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 package vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup apricot preserves + 2 teaspoons lemon juice or water

Preheat oven 350° F / 180° C. Line a springform pan with parchment paper. Cream eggs with sugar in a bowl with a mixer.  Add sour cream, vanilla and and chick peas (that have been thoroughly mixed in a mixer to get a paste).  Add the dry ingredients and mix another 2 minutes. Pour into pan and bake for 30 minute or until the middle is firm (check with a toothpick that should come out clean).  Allow to cool, remove parchment paper.  Cut into 3 disk layers.

Dacquoise-inspired white layer
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
50 g confectioners sugar
50 g almond flour
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup cornstarch

Preheat oven to 225° F / 110° C. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until they form soft peaks.  Add confectioners sugar and continue to beat until you get stiff peaks.  Add almond flour, preferably sifted in. You can stop there for an authentic dacquoise, but in this version I add cornstarch (this is what changes it from an authentic dacquoise, but without this flour, it flattens to a thin meringue crisp, and this is how I get a thicker and fluffier cake layer). Spread in same diameter as cake on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes or I til the center is cooked. 

Mocha mousse
250 ml whipping cream
100 softened milk chocolate
3 teaspoons instant coffee 

Warm half the whipping cream over medium heat until it bubbles.  Add the instant coffee until it is completely dissolved, then the milk chocolate (I soften it about 30 seconds in microwave first).  Stir until you get an even chocolate ganache. Add the rest of the whipping cream.  Refrigerate 4-5 hours or overnight. Once cooled, whip at first low speed then high until you get a thickened mousse.  Refrigerate again until you area ready to layer the cake.  

White chocolate ganache
200 g white chocolate
10 cl + 10 cl whipping cream
3 tablespoons softened butter

Warm half the whipping cream over medium heat in a pan, once you get bubbles add white chocolate (I usually pre-melt a bit in the microwave about 30 seconds) and whisk steadily until completely dissolved and the ganache is creamy.  Add the rest of the whipping cream and butter and whisk until well blended.  Refrigerate 4-5 hours or overnight.  Whip in first low then to medium and high and beat until you get a thickened cream.  Do not overmix or it separates and becomes like butter.  If this happens, reheat in the microwave a few seonds until you get a creamy mixture, allow to cool, then whip again.

Assembly : with a bottomless adjustable pan (least 3 to 4 inches high), begin to layer on a serving dish with first disk of chocolate cake, then add a 1/2 inch layer of mocha mousse. Add another layer of chocolate cake and spread apricot preserves on top.  Add a layer of dacquoise, top with mocha mousse.  Then finish with the last chocolate layer and allow to set 3-4 hours, then loosen and remove adjustable pan. Decorate by piping white chocolate on top or if you have leftover mocha mousse, decorate with the two.  Refrigerate at least 4-5 jours or overnight.  

Enjoy, everyone !

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