This dark chocolate cake is perfectly balanced with toasted notes from brown butter and a caramelized flavor from brown sugar. It features six internal layers and is finished with a striking black mirror glaze and chocolate bat decorations.
Servings: 12 people
Target Mold Size: 16 cm diameter pastry ring (Internal Insert), 18 cm diameter silicone mold (Outer Mousse).
DAY 1: Component Preparation & Internal Insert
Brown Butter & Milk Chocolate Whipped Ganache
| Ingredients | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gelatin Sheets (240 Bloom) | 2.63 g | About 1 and a half sheets, soaked |
| Butter | 110 g | To yield 80 g of brown butter |
| Heavy Cream | 370 g | About 370 ml |
| Glucose Syrup | 50 g | |
| Milk Chocolate (34 percent) | 100 g | |
| White Chocolate (28 percent) | 80 g | |
| Sea Salt | 0.5 g | A pinch |
Method
- Prepare Brown Butter: Heat 110 g butter in a small pot until it melts, sputters, and then foams. When the butter solids start getting darker, stir until all the butter has a dark caramelized color and smells nutty. Pour the brown butter into a small container and let it set in the freezer, stirring every 5 minutes until it has the consistency of soft butter. Measure 80 g brown butter and reserve it.
- Soak 2.63 g gelatin in cold water. Chop milk and white chocolate and place in a tall jug.
- Heat heavy cream and glucose syrup almost to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in gelatin, and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let set for 1 minute.
- Hand blend until smooth. Add the brown butter and hand blend again.
- Pour the ganache in a bowl, cover the surface with cling film, and cool in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours.
- Whip Ganache: When ready to assemble, use a hand mixer to whisk half of the ganache (about 350 g) to a thick consistency. Put the whipped ganache in a piping bag.
Brown Butter & Brown Sugar Caramel with Dark Chocolate
| Ingredients | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy Cream | 210 g | About 210 ml |
| Brown Sugar | 190 g | |
| Butter | 80 g | To yield 55 g of brown butter |
| Glucose Syrup | 35 g | |
| Dark Chocolate (66 percent) | 25 g | |
| Sea Salt | 3.75 g | About three-quarters teaspoon |
Method
- Prepare Brown Butter: Follow the steps above to make brown butter from 80 g of butter. Measure 55 g set brown butter and reserve it.
- Heat heavy cream, brown sugar, the set brown butter, glucose syrup, and sea salt in a pot to 109 degrees C. Note: Once boiling, stop whisking to prevent sugar crystals from forming.
- Remove from the heat and pour into a jug. Let it cool to 85 degrees C.
- Add dark chocolate and hand blend to combine.
- Pour the caramel into a box, cover the surface with cling film, and let it cool to room temperature. Once ready, put the caramel in a piping bag.
Chocolate Cake
| Ingredients | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee (lukewarm) | 80 g | About 80 ml |
| All-Purpose Flour | 145 g | |
| Cocoa Powder | 55 g | |
| Baking Soda | 7.5 g | About 1 and a half teaspoons |
| Baking Powder | 3.75 g | About two-thirds teaspoon |
| Salt | 2.5 g | About half a teaspoon |
| Espresso Powder | 7.5 g | About 1 and a half teaspoons |
| Caster Sugar | 225 g | |
| Sunflower Oil | 85 g | About 85 ml |
| Eggs (whole) | 75 g | About 1 and a half eggs |
| Sour Cream (room temperature) | 100 g | |
| Buttermilk (room temperature) | 92 g | About 90 ml |
| Vanilla Extract | 6.25 g | About 1 and a quarter teaspoons |
Method
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (fan-assisted). Prepare the coffee and let it cool.
- Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt in a bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, oil, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla with a hand mixer until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients while whisking on low speed, just until combined. Add in coffee and whisk again, just until combined.
- Pour the batter into two lined 16 cm pastry rings.
- Bake at 175 degrees C for 17 to 23 minutes.
- Cool completely. Cut the top off the cakes so each cake is 1.5 cm tall. Reserve one cake for a later step.
- Place one cake in a 16 cm pastry ring, lined with acetate, and put it in the freezer.
Cocoa & Milk Chocolate Feuilletine Crunch
| Ingredients | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Milk Chocolate (34 percent) | 50 g | |
| Nutella | 30 g | |
| Cocoa Powder | 7.5 g | About 1 and a half teaspoons |
| Feuilletine | 75 g | |
| Salt | 0.5 g | A pinch |
Method
- Carefully melt the milk chocolate in a small saucepan. Remove from heat.
- Stir in feuilletine, Nutella, cocoa powder, and salt.
- Spread half of the crunch (75 g) on top of the frozen chocolate cake (Layer 1). Level the surface.
- Reserve the remaining crunch (keep it slightly warm, if possible, to prevent it from setting).
- Put the cake back in the freezer until the crunch is set.
Assembling the Internal Core (6 Layers)
Note: To create a stable cake with clean layers, freezing between each layer is critical.
- Layer 3: Whipped Ganache: Spread a 1.5 cm thick layer of the whisked brown butter whipped ganache on top of the set crunch layer (Layer 2). Level the surface. Freeze for approximately 20 minutes, until the surface is set.
- Layer 4: Caramel: Once the ganache is set, pipe a 1 cm layer of brown butter and brown sugar caramel on top. Level the surface.
- Layer 5: Second Cake: Place the second 1.5 cm chocolate cake on top of the caramel. Gently level. Freeze for approximately 15 minutes.
- Layer 6: Second Crunch: Spread the remaining crunch on top of the second cake. Level. Freeze for approximately 15 minutes.
- Layer 7: Second Whipped Ganache: Whip up the remaining brown butter whipped ganache. Spread a 1.5 cm thick layer on top of the second crunch layer. Level. Freeze for approximately 20 minutes.
- Layer 8: Second Caramel: Spread a final 1 cm layer of caramel on top of the ganache. Level.
- Freeze the entire 16 cm core overnight.
DAY 2: Mousse Preparation & Assembly
Dark Chocolate Mousse
| Ingredients | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gelatin Sheets (240 Bloom) | 2.63 g | About 1 and a half sheets, soaked |
| Dark Chocolate (66 percent) | 215 g | |
| Sea Salt | 2.5 g | About half a teaspoon |
| Heavy Cream (for heating) | 135 g | About 135 ml |
| Heavy Cream (for whipping) | 265 g | About 265 ml, chilled |
Method
- Soak 2.63 g gelatin in cold water. Melt 215 g dark chocolate and reserve.
- Heat 135 g heavy cream almost to a boil. Remove from heat, whip in gelatin, and let cool slightly.
- Pour the hot cream (about 50 degrees C) over the chocolate while stirring to combine. Let it cool to lukewarm.
- Whip 265 g heavy cream to soft peaks. Gently fold the cream into the lukewarm chocolate mixture.
- Prepare an 18 cm silicone mold (Silikomart TOR mold) lined with a tall acetate sheet. Allow the mousse to thicken slightly in the fridge.
- Take the frozen cake core out of the freezer. Gently place the core into the mousse with the caramel (Layer 8) facing downwards.
- Freeze the cake fully overnight.
DAY 3: Glazing and Decoration
Black Milk Chocolate Mirror Glaze
| Ingredients | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gelatin Sheets (240 Bloom) | 10.5 g | 6 sheets, soaked |
| Milk Chocolate (33 percent) | 150 g | |
| Heavy Cream | 100 g | About 100 ml |
| Water | 50 g | |
| Caster Sugar | 150 g | |
| Glucose Syrup | 150 g | |
| Black Food Coloring Paste | 5 g | To desired shade |
Method
- Soak 10.5 g gelatin. Chop chocolate and place in a large jug.
- Heat sugar, water, heavy cream, and glucose syrup almost to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the gelatin.
- Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate and hand blend (at an angle). Add black food coloring paste and blend again.
- Cover the surface with cling film and cool the glaze down to 34 to 35 degrees C.
- Unmold the frozen cake and place it on a wire rack. Pour the glaze over the cake. Use two palette knives to clean the excess glaze from the base.
- Place the cake on a platter and let it thaw in the fridge for approximately 6 hours.
Chocolate Decoration
| Materials | Weight (g) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| White Chocolate | 300 g | Tempered, colored black |
| Black Chocolate Coloring Powder | 5 g | |
| Chocolate Cooling Spray | – | Optional |
Chocolate Ribbon Dimensions:
| Element | Dimensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ribbon 1 (Around cake) | 4 cm x 60 cm | |
| Ribbon 2 (Around cake) | 5 cm x 60 cm | |
| Ribbon 3 (On top, angled ends) | 2 cm x 26 cm | |
| Ribbon 4 (On top, angled ends) | 3 cm x 28 cm |
Chocolate Bats Method
- Temper the white chocolate and color it black.
- Pour tempered chocolate between two large acetate sheets and spread evenly. Set in the fridge for approximately 20 minutes.
- Remove the first acetate sheet and let the chocolate sit for 5 minutes at room temperature.
- Cut out bat shapes with a cookie cutter (11.5 cm). Cut the bats in half with a warmed knife.
- Place a round cookie cutter on parchment paper. Dab a small amount of melted black chocolate onto the ends of the bat wings and place them inside the cookie cutter, meeting in the center.
- Secure them with a chocolate cooling spray or let them set naturally.
- Final Assembly: Place the ribbons around and on top of the cake as directed. Dab a small amount of melted chocolate onto the tallest top ribbon and secure a chocolate bat with cooling spray. Fasten the second bat in the same way.
I’m Chef Mimo, a passionate pastry chef with over 17 years of experience in the world of fine desserts. I specialize in French-style entremets, refined cakes, and creative chocolate work. Pastry is not just my profession—it’s my lifelong passion. Through PastryCrafted.com, I love sharing my recipes, techniques, and inspirations with anyone who dreams of mastering the art of pastry. Whether you’re a curious beginner or a seasoned pro, you’re welcome in my sweet world.