Cocoa Bean Cake

Recipe by:
Chef Glenn Chu,
Indigo Restaurant
Serving Size: 10
Preparation Time: 1 1/2 hours

Cake Layers:
4 ounces Hawaiian Vintage Kea'au Chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 ounces unsalted butter -- clarified
1 cup Hawaiian Vintage cocoa bean powder
1 cup cake flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder (bitter sweet)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Mousse:
3/4 pound Hawaiian Vintage Kea'au Chocolate
2 egg white
1 1/2 ounces sugar
2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolk -- beaten slightly

Chocolate Ganache:
8 ounces Kea'au 1996, Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup cold water

For Cake Layers: Preheat oven to 350°. Place the chocolate, vanilla, butter, and milk in a stainless steel bowl over boiling water. Stir until melted and well blended. Remove from heat, keep near warm burner.

Sift cocoa bean powder, flour, cocoa powder, baking flour, and salt.

Place the eggs and sugar in a stainless steel bowl, over boiling water. Beat the mixture for 1¸ minutes, remove from heat and beat until the mixture thickens and becomes pale yellow.

Quickly fold sifted ingredients into egg mixture, then add melted chocolate. Do not over-mix. Pour into an 8", buttered and floured cake pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer plunged into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes, remove cake from pan, and cool on a rack. Slice into 3 layers.

For Chocolate Mousse: Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Stir, until melted. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks, and continue beating while gradually adding the sugar.

Whip the cream with the vanilla to soft peaks. Beat the egg yolks into the melted chocolate, remove from heat. Whip 1/3 of the whipped cream into the chocolate, then mix in the rest of the whipped cream and egg whites. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before using.

For Chocolate Ganache: Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Stir, until the heat melts the chocolate. Sift the sugar then stir into the chocolate. Add the butter to the chocolate and stir until well blended, remove from heat. Add one tablespoon of water to the chocolate and mix, then add another tablespoon of water and mix until all the water is in the chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes before coating cake. Chocolate should have a fluid viscosity, not too warm and runny nor too cold and thick.

To Assemble: Place a cake layer down and cover with chocolate mousse. Add the next layer of cake on top of the first, then cover with mousse. Finally, place the last layer on top and spread a 1/4" layer of mousse over the top and sides of cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place cake on a wire rack. Pour an even layer of chocolate ganache over the cake, refrigerate and cool before serving.

- Return To List of Recipes