Dark Chocolate and Espresso Demi Spheres

We're getting a little fancy over here today. I'm talking demi-spheres-fancy. Look at those cute little domes! And the little dome inside the dome! It's like a Russian doll that has smaller dolls inside each one, but this is edible. And not kind of creepy looking.

First topic of todays post - SILICONE MOLDS! You cannot make this dessert in this shape without silicone molds. End of story. 

You can make this dessert without silicone molds but it will not be in the dome shape. You can build it in a glass and it would still be tasty and wonderful. But it will not be in a dome.

I can guess what most of you are thinking right now - what the heck is a silicone mold, where in the world would you buy one and why would you spend a ton of money on something you'll only use once? 

$12 bucks on Amazon and you can use it for anything and everything and it's awesome!

Silicone molds are molds made out of silicone (durr). You can bake things in them and freeze things in them. They are easy to use and (if you treat them right) can last a long time. They're relatively cheap.  And you can create super cool and impressive desserts like this.

There are endless shapes and sizes of silicone molds. Squares, demi spheres, pyramids, cylinders, rectangles, flowers, cartoons, boats, trains, planes, whatever the heck you want, there's probably a silicone mold of it somewhere out there. 

For this dessert, I used two different sizes of demi sphere molds. I used this 2.75 inch diameter mold and this 1 inch diameter mold. 

Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, we can move onto the fun stuff. Stuff around the internet and a few in real life that are pretty cool and that I want to share with you.

And no, it's not pictures of my cat. Although I wish I could share all the adorable but crappy iPhone photos of my cat because he is THE cutest cat in the world.

Anyways, here's that cool stuff:

- I'm not really into jewellery but this local and super unique company called Pyrrha makes such awesome jewellery and I want every single piece. They use real 19th century wax seals to create unique pendants, rings, bracelets, and more and each image has a specific meaning. And then they went and did the coolest thing ever - teamed up with HBO to create Game of Thrones jewellery!! I am obsessed with Game of Thrones and everything to do with Game of Thrones. So, when I found this out while I was doing some birthday shopping with my Mama, I had to have one. Since I had blown most of my birthday money already, the necklace will be a Christmas present. But guys, seriously, how cool is this?!

That's the one I will be getting for Christmas. It's the House Baratheon and while I'm not a fan of Robert and his drinking and hunting and infidelity, I love the sigil so much that it was an easy choice. But last night, I went on their website to find a picture of my new necklace to show you guys. Instead, I found one of their necklaces that was not in the store but I realize now that I neeeeeed this one, too. I mean, Daenerys is the most badass chick in the world. 

- Have you ever seen a pygmy marmoset being brushed by a toothbrush? No? Well now you can. You'll thank me.

- The sheer excitement that this corgi feels for his food is the same excitement I feel about Christmas. Especially now because I'll get my new necklace at Christmas.

- My boyfriend did an unreal cover of Damien Rice's "Coconut Skins" and I am so darn proud of him. He also has a cover of Coldplay's "Yellow" up there that blows my mind. 

-This guy in Australia attracts a herd of emus by...doing a pilates move? I'm not lying. I think they're just genuinely curious of the guy doing bicycle legs in the middle of a dirt road. 

- Damn you, Restoration Hardware and your gorgeous holiday lights, dreamy snowglobes, and magical birch trees. I daydream about having beautiful and cohesive Christmas decor. That's normal for a 22 year old, right?

- Man oh man, these two Swedish girls... I'm sure that many lewd stories have started with that but I'm talking about the Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit. I've been listening to their albums on repeat this week!

Chocolate Cake

Recipe adapted from Elements of Dessert

20 g cocoa powder

220 g all-purpose flour

4 g baking soda

2 g salt

150 g unsalted butter, at room temperature

266 g icing sugar

66 g eggs

163 g buttermilk

Espresso Bavarois

100 g heavy cream

30 g whole milk

22 g sugar

25 g egg yolks

10 g freshly brewed espresso

180 g espresso anglaise

180 g heavy cream

Dark Chocolate Mousse

Recipe from Elements of Dessert

60 g eggs

25 g sugar

80 g good quality dark chocolate (70-73%), finely chopped

131 g heavy cream

Ganache

150 g good quality dark chocolate (70-73%), finely chopped

150 g heavy cream

For the chocolate cake, sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper, then spray the borders of the sheet pan. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Cream the butter and icing sugar together in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until it is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs in 2 additions, scraping the sides of the bowl and the paddle between each addition. 

Add half of the sifted dry ingredients and mix for a few seconds, until combined. Add half of the buttermilk and mix for a few seconds. Repeat with the other half of the dry ingredients and the remaining half of the buttermilk.

Pour the batter onto the prepared sheet and spread evenly with an offset spatula. 

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Once it has cooled, lift the cake and parchment off of the sheet pan and flip it upside down. Carefully peel off the parchment. Line the sheet pan with a new sheet of parchment and gently place the cake on that. Freeze until hard, about 20 minutes.

Cut out 6 rounds of cake measuring 2.75 inches in diameter. Reserve in the freezer.

For the espresso bavarois, place a 1-inch diameter demi sphere silicon mold on a half sheet pan. Set aside.

Combine the cream and milk in a saucepan and place over medium-low heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and the egg yolks until paler in colour. 

Once the cream mixture has just come to a boil, pour a small amount into the egg yolks while whisking constantly. Pour the remaining cream into the yolks, then return to the saucepan. Over medium-low heat and stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, cook the anglaise until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately strain into a clean bowl set over an ice bath. Bring to room temperature, stir in the espresso, then refrigerate until cold.

Whip the heavy cream to medium peaks. Once the espresso bavarois has cooled completely, add half of the heavy cream and fold in. Add the remaining half and fold. Pipe into the 1-inch demi spheres and freeze until completely hard, about 2 hours.

Place a 2.75 inch diameter demi sphere silicon mold on a half sheet pan. Set aside.

For the chocolate mousse, place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and place over a hot water bath while whisking constantly until it reaches 60 C/ 140 F.

Remove the mixture from the heat and place it in the stand mixer. Whip on high speed until it cools to about 35 C/ 95 F and creates ribbons, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate over the hot water bath. Let it cool to 35 C/ 95 F.

Once both the egg mixture and the chocolate are at the correct temperatures, whisk the egg into the chocolate until evenly combined. Fold half of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remaining half. Transfer to a piping bag.

Pipe the 2.75 inch demi spheres half full with chocolate mousse. Take out the frozen bavarois demi spheres from the freezer and unmold them. Place one demi sphere of bavarois into each demi sphere of mousse, pressing down to ensure the bavarois demi sphere is will be in the middle of the mousse. Pipe the remaining mousse into the demi spheres and smooth with an offset spatula. Top with a round of cake and freeze until completely hard, about 4 hours.

For the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Place the cream in a saucepan over medium heat and bring just to a boil. Pour over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute. Using a heatproof spatula, stir the ganache in tight circles in the middle of the bowl until the cream and chocolate start to emulsify. Slowly enlarge your circle until the ganache is completely emulsified. Cool to room temperature.

To finish, Line a sheet pan with plastic wrap and place a wire rack on top. Remove the frozen 2.75 inch demi spheres from the freezer and place on the wire rack. Glaze the frozen demi spheres with the ganache and let them sit for 2 minutes. Remove the rack and transfer to a clean sheet pan lined with a silpat. Reserve in the fridge until thawed, about 1 hour.

Enjoy!