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Chocolate Royal (aka "Royal au Chocolat", "Versaillais", "Trianon")

https://www.bakinglikeachef.com/royal-chocolate-cake-by-christophe-felder/ see also: https://www.tartedor.nl/chocolate-royal/

Ingredients:

For the dacquoise:

  • 3 ½ tablespoons (55g) egg whites (about 1.5 eggs worth of white, if each egg is 60g)
  • 2 ½ tablespoons (35g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup + 1 teaspoon (65g) powdered/icing sugar
  • ⅓ cup (30g) almond flour
  • 2 tablespoons (15g) hazelnut flour

For the crunchy praline feuilletine:

  • 1.7 oz (50g) crêpes dentelles Gavottes
  • 1.7 oz (50g) milk chocolate
  • 1.7 oz (50g) hazelnut spread Nutella
  • 1.7 oz (50g) hazelnut praline paste

For the chocolate mousse:

  • 2 cup + 3 tablespoons (500ml) whipping cream
  • 5 tablespoons (75ml) whole milk
  • 7 oz (200g) dark chocolate

For the cocoa mirror glaze:

  • ⅔ cup + 4 ½ tablespoons (210g) granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons (75ml) water
  • 9 ½ tablespoons (70g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (145ml) whipping cream
  • 3 ⅓ gelatin sheets (or 8g powdered gelatin bloomed in ¼ cup (60ml) cold water)

Instructions:

To make the dacquoise (almond biscuit similar to a coarse macaron):

  1. Preheat the oven to 335°F / 170°C.
  2. Sift powdered (icing) sugar, almond flour, and hazelnut flour through a flour sifter.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites and gradually add granulated sugar until stiff peaks.
  4. Once the meringue is ready, add icing sugar/flour mixture and gently fold in with a spatula.
  5. Transfer the preparation in a pastry bag, fitted with an Ateco plain pastry tip 809.
  6. Adjust a mousse cake mold to 7 inches/18 cm in diameter, and line it with parchment paper.
  7. Pipe a large flat disc inside the mold using a spiral pattern, or simply use a spoon to flatten it out.
  8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
  9. Let it cool in a frame.

To make the crunchy praline feuilletine:

  1. Crush crepes Gavottes roughly with your hands or a rolling pin.
  2. Melt milk chocolate in a bain-marie/water bath.
  3. Mix hazelnut praline, Nutella, and broken crepes in a bowl.
  4. Add melted chocolate and mix again.
  5. Loosen the dacquoise from the mold, but keep it inside.
  6. Pour the crunchy mixture over dacquoise, spread it in a thin layer.
  7. Then remove the mold and freeze the dacquoise for about 10 to 15 minutes.

To make the chocolate mousse:

  1. Whip the cold whipping cream in a bowl to get the whipped cream and refrigerate. (Note: philips blender with a whipping attachment can only reliably whip 1 cup at a time, so whip in 2 batches)
  2. Melt dark chocolate broken into small pieces in a bain-marie/water bath.
  3. Bring milk to a boil, pour it over the melted chocolate, and mix with a rubber spatula until smooth.
  4. When the chocolate mixture is lukewarm, add it to the whipped cream and mix with a spatula as fast as possible.
  5. Transfer the mousse to a pastry bag with a plain tip.

To assemble the cake:

  1. Seal one side of the 8 inches/20 cm cake ring with a plastic film and place it on a wooden board or a baking sheet.
  2. Insert an acetate collar inside the ring.
  3. Poach the chocolate mousse in the mold, trying to raise it on the sides of the ring using a rubber spatula.
  4. Take the dacquoise disk from the freezer, turn it over and place it over the mousse (dacquoise side up).
  5. Slightly press the disk and remove the excess mousse with a bent spatula.
  6. Cover with a plastic film and freeze for at least 5 hours.

To make the cocoa mirror glaze:

  1. Soak gelatin sheets in cold water for 10 minutes.
  2. Heat whipping cream over low heat and set aside.
  3. Pour water and sugar into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
  4. Once the sugar syrup starts boilng actively, pour it over the sifted cocoa powder and gently mix, trying not to incorporate air.
  5. Add the drained gelatin and mix it with a hand blender.
  6. Then pour hot whipping cream and mix again.
  7. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and mix with a hand blender.
  8. Let the glaze cool down to 86°F/30°C.

To glaze the cake:

  1. Take the dessert out of the freezer.
  2. Place the cake on a wire rack or a plate, which is itself placed on a baking sheet to collect the excess glaze.
  3. Remove the plastic film, mold (heat the sides of the ring with a blowtorch), and acetate collar.
  4. Pour the glaze over the cake and remove the excess glaze with a bent spatula, passing it over the top once.
  5. Transfer the dessert to a cake board using two metal spatulas.
  6. Place the cake in the fridge to thaw for 3 to 4 hours.

Notes:

  • Do not over whisk egg whites while making the dacquoise. They have to be slightly firm to incorporate the nut flour.
  • Spread the chocolate mousse well inside the mold, using a rubber spatula to avoid trapping air in the cake.
  • Once the cocoa mirror glaze is applied, use a bent metal spatula to remove the excess with a single pass over the top of the cake to avoid making marks.
  • Store the decorated cake for 2 to 3 days in the fridge.
  • Take the dessert out of the fridge about 20 minutes before tasting (the cold temperature alters the taste of chocolate).