(Experiment 15) Dacquoise torte

This we could say is another take at the Trianon ( my favourite cake). I wanted to have more of a chocolate flavour than hazelnut. The cake is covered with a rich dark chocolate ganache and features 2 dacquoise layers filled with a rich chocolate mousse.

The end result is it’s a delicious cake but you can’t beat the Trianon. It’s just so damn perfect.

Dacquoise

6 egg whites
60g flour
150g almond flour
150g icing sugar
60g sugar

Ganache

88g dark chocolate chopped or couverture ( best)
118g heavy cream ( 35%)

Mousse

120g dark chocolate ( ideally couverture)
60g heavy cream (35%)
4 egg –> separate white from the yolk
45g sugar
vanilla extract

Optional
a handful of roasted hazelnut or almond slices for decoration

Instructions:

*If you want to decorate your cake with hazelnut/almonds, toast them in the oven first. Preheat oven at 350F, lay them on parchment paper on a baking tray and cook for ~8 minutes. Put them in a clean dishcloth and rub them, this will remove most of the skin. Reserve and put on your finished cake

First, we need to start working on the chocolate mousse as it needs to cool down before we can use it. Follow the instruction here. There is a lot of text but you can do this in like 20 minutes including the dishes. For the best mousse, it’s worth it.
Once you have your mousse, put it in the fridge. It will slightly firm up and will be easier to apply.
**Note I’m using a 7×7 square mould, so you may need to adjust the quantity to match the one you will use.
We need 2 layers of dacquoise, but with the quantity, we are making we can make 2 squares out of it. In a stand mixer beat the egg whites while slowly adding the sugar and keep beating until you get some nice peaks. Remove bowl from the stand mixer. Sift the icing sugar to prevent clumps and add it to the mix. Add the flour and almond flour and using a spatula gently fold everything together.
We now need to cook the mix to get a “cookie” like layer. In a pan, cover with parchment paper and dump the mixture. Spread it, not too thinly but make sure it’s at least larger than the mould you will use. The thickness should be about 1/4″. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Afterwards, flip it over and cut it to the proper size of the frame you will use. I simply pressed down my frame and it chopped it to the right size. Obviously, don’t do it in the middle as you need 2 dacquoises.
Put a layer of dacquoise down and cover with chocolate mousse. Spread carefully so it’s about the same thickness then lay the second dacquoise layer on top, press gently. Optionally, if you like some crunchiness, add some chopped hazelnut before putting the second layer of dacquoise. With a spatula or knife, remove any excess that may have “popped” out. Put back in the fridge.
To make the ganache, heat the cream to a near boil and pour over the chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir with a spatula until all combined. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
Take your cake out of the fridge and put about half the ganache on the top layer and spread it so it covers all of it. It will drip on the side and that’s what we want, just spread it with a spatula. Add more ganache and repeat until all sides are covered in ganache, if needed, do some touch-up with the spatula.
Remove any excess and put it back in the fridge for at least 60 minutes to firm up the ganache. Decorate as you wish.