“He showed the words ‘chocolate
cake’ to a group of Americans and recorded their word associations. ‘Guilt’ was
the top response. If that strikes you as unexceptional, consider the response
of French eaters to the same prompt: ‘celebration’”.
-- Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto
We must celebrate chocolate!
I am not French, but I also believe chocolate should be honored.
Milk chocolate, dark, bittersweet, even white – all of these have a place on
our table. All are instrumental when celebrating, whether they be life’s
milestones or Sunday afternoon with friends.
The trifle is a perfect way to start the celebration.
Also referred to as Fool, Zuppa Inglese, Tipsy Cake, or Punschtorte, the trifle is an English
dessert layered with sponge cake, custard, fruits and whipped cream.
I love making trifles for large parties because they are easy
and affordable. Turning your favorite dessert into a trifle is not difficult at
all:
- Tiramisu - layers of cake soaked with rum and coffee, zabaglione, fresh fruits, mascarpone, whipped cream and cocoa powder
- Black forest - layers of chocolate cake soaked with Kirsch, cherries, chocolate mousse and whipped cream
- Banana cream pie - layers of sponge soaked with rum, custard, sliced ripe bananas and whipped cream
Chocolate, Strawberry and Mousse Trifle
(Best made a day in advance)
Ingredients
for Chocolate Sponge Cake (Roulade)
5 Egg whites
1 tsp Cream of tartar
Pinch of Salt
100 grams Sugar
5 Egg yolks
75 grams Cake flour
35 grams Cocoa powder
¼ tsp Baking powder
¼ tsp Baking soda
2 pints
of Strawberries halved, stems removed
Frangelico
liquor
3/4 cup Simple
syrup
The
Mousses: All mousses should be made no more than 30 minutes prior to
using. Otherwise, they will set and can’t be poured into the bowl.
Ingredients
for Dark Chocolate Mousse:
6 oz. Dark chocolate (61% to 75%), melted
6 oz. Dark chocolate (61% to 75%), melted
1/2 cup Milk, hot
Pinch of Salt
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
1 cup Heavy cream, softly whipped
Ingredients
for Milk Chocolate Mousse:
12 oz. Milk chocolate, melted
⅓ cup + 2 TBSP Milk, hot
3/4 cup Heavy cream, softly whipped
1/2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Cinnamon
White
Chocolate Mousse:
6 oz. White chocolate, melted
¼ cup Milk, hot
½ cup Heavy cream, softly whipped
1/2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
Pinch of Salt
Directions
for the Chocolate Sponge Cake
Watch
here for a how-to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xszjXq6gPc&list=PLAWpIBpOvRSJa8KNjNwUtSojHovkMX2Ul&index=4
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line ½ sheet tray with
parchment paper.
2. Make a French Meringue: Add egg whites, pinch of salt, and
cream of tartar to mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment. Whip egg whites,
pinch of salt, and cream of tartar until foamy. Slowly add sugar to prevent
deflating the whipped egg whites. Whip egg whites to medium peak.
3. Gently whisk egg yolks.
4. Sift dry ingredients together.
5. Fold egg yolks into French meringue. Once yolks are
incorporated into French meringue, fold dry ingredients in two batches. It is
ok to leave some of the dry ingredients from the first round before adding the
second batch of dry ingredients. Make sure there are no dry sections after second
round of dry ingredients is folded in.
6. Pour onto prepared sheet tray. With an offset spatula,
gently spread the batter to the edges of the sheet tray, being careful not to
deflate the batter. Clean the edge by running your thumb around the edge of the
sheet tray. This makes it easier to remove the cake from the sheet pan once
finished baking.
7. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Roulade is done when it springs back
when touched.
8. Remove from oven. Run spatula along edges of pan to loosen
cake. Cover with parchment paper and flip over to remove cake from pan. Peel
the parchment paper off the cake. Cover with a towel to keep the cake moist
until completely cooled.
Assembling
the Trifle
1. Make simple syrup: In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar
and 1/2 cup cold water. Bring to a boil until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat
and cool to room temperature. Stir in Frangelico.
2. Cut the cooled cake into pieces to arrange in first layer
of trifle bowl.
3. With a pastry brush, brush the cake layer with 1/2 of
Frangelico/simple syrup
4. Slice strawberries in half and arrange in any desired
pattern. Press the cut side of strawberries firm against the glass. Any odd
pieces of berries and cake can be placed in the middle.
5. Make the white chocolate mousse:
· Melt white chocolate over a double boiler. Remove
from heat.
· Heat milk in the microwave.
· Pour hot milk over melted chocolate. Gently stir
until combined.
Cool over ice bath.
· In a mixer, whip heavy cream to soft peaks.
· Fold whipped cream into melted chocolate mixture.
6. Pour white chocolate mousse over strawberries. Mousse
should completely cover strawberries with ½ inch coverage. Try to keep mousse
on top of strawberries without getting it in between trifle bowl and
strawberries.
7. Put in refrigerator to set for about 30 minutes.
8. Make milk chocolate mousse:
· In a double boiler, melt milk chocolate. Remove
from heat.
· Heat milk in microwave.
· Pour hot milk over milk chocolate. Gently stir
until combined.
Cool over ice bath.
· Add balsamic vinegar, cinnamon, and salt to milk chocolate
mixture once
cool.
· In a mixer, whip cream to soft peaks.
· Fold whipped cream into melted chocolate mixture.
9. Pour milk chocolate mousse over white chocolate mousse.
10. Put in refrigerator to set for 30 minutes.
11. Brush another layer of cake with Frangelico syrup and
place on top of milk chocolate mousse.
12. Make dark chocolate mousse:
· Melt dark chocolate over a double boiler. Remove
from heat.
· Heat milk in the microwave.
· Pour hot milk over melted chocolate. Gently stir
until combined. Stir in
vanilla extract and pinch of salt. Cool over ice bath.
· In a mixer, whip heavy cream to soft peaks.
· Fold whipped cream into melted chocolate mixture.
13. Pour dark chocolate mousse on top of cake layer.
14. Cover trifle with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator
overnight. To finish trifle, decorate with whipped cream, mousse or more
berries.
Here’s what the layers look like:
To garnish the top, artistic skills are not a requirement.
All that is needed is an imagination. The top can be decorated in any fashion
you like. I use a pastry bag and make designs. The chocolate can also be
drizzled or spread in a thin layer.
Or, instead of making one large dessert, consider Individual Fools. These are perfectly
portioned desserts for guests who want a beautiful dessert all of their own.
Individual
Fool Recipe
Ingredients:
4 cups Angel food cake, cut in one-inch cubes
12 oz. Raspberries
¼ cup + 2 TBSP Sugar
Zest of one Lime
1 cup Heavy cream
¼ cup Crème Fraîche
Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.. On a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, place angel food
cake cubes in oven for 5-10 minutes until toasted. Remove from oven and let
cool.
3. With a fork, mash berries with 2 TBSP sugar and zest
4. In a mixing bowl, whip heavy cream and Crème Fraiche together.
Slowly add remainder of sugar while heavy cream and crème fraiche are mixing.
5. Alternate layers of toasted angel food cake, raspberries
and whipped creams. Serve.
Or, try this variation of the Fool:
This one is layered with angel food cake, lemon cream and
blueberry jam (made with my garden blueberries) and topped with a brandied cherry.
To make brandied cherries, cook Bing cherries in simple syrup for 15 minutes. When
cooled, place cherries in mason jars filled 1/3 with simple syrup and 2/3 with brandy.
The longer they sit, the better they taste. Mine were in the jar for a year.
I encourage you to celebrate using these
recipes, whether it is a birthday, anniversary, or simply, Tuesday.
