Vanilla, caramel and chocolate cake

This cake is a variation from the banana caramel and chocolate cake. You’ll need to use quality vanilla beans and to let them infuse longer than usual (20 min or more) so as to bring out all their flavor.

Ingredients for a 10x3 cake

Decoration
Nougatine
125 g sugar
50 g slivered almonds
3 drops of lemon or 50 g glucose

Dried-fruit crumble
100 g butter
100 g all-purpose flour
50 g sugar
50 g brown sugar
100 g dried fruit (almond, hazelnut, coconut… you can vary)
40 g butter

Creamy caramel
435 g boiling heavy whipping cream
60 g egg yolk
90 g egg white
30 g cornstarch
210 g sugar
100 g butter
3 gelatin sheets Dr. Oetker (6 g)
8 g orange liquor (optional)

Light vanilla cream
470 g whole milk
2 vanilla beans
110 g egg yolk
110 g sugar
47 g cornstarch
47 g butter
400 g cold heavy whipping cream
3 gelatin sheets Dr. Oetker (6 g)

Chocolate cream
125 g whole milk
30 g sugar
45 g egg yolk
170 g chocolate 48% cacao
80 g chocolate 67% cacao
180 g cold heavy whipping cream 

Method

Dried-fruit crumble
- Preheat the oven to 340°F.
- With the flat mixing paddle of a stand mixer (Cuisineart or KitchenAid) on low speed, beat 100 g of butter with the flour.
- Add the sugar and dried fruits.
- Spread and bake for approximately 15 min.
- Cool the crumble and put it back into the electric mixer on low speed.
- Add 40 g of melted butter.
- Spread and press the crumble in a 10x3 ring on a cake cardboard and put it in the fridge.

Creamy caramel
- Hydrate the gelatin in cold water.
- On medium heat, caramelize the sugar.
- Once mildly brown, add the boiling whipping cream.
- Beat together the eggs and the cornstarch without whitening or frothing.
- Pour in 1/3 of caramel, blend, add the rest and blend.
- Put the caramel back in the pan over high heat and beat until it thickens.
- Remove the pan and add the butter.
- Blend with a hand blender.
- Once cooled, melt the gelatin in the microwave without boiling and add in the caramel with the orange liquor.
- Pour the caramel in a 9-inch wide ring put over the crumble and put it back in the fridge.

Light vanilla cream
- Split the vanilla bean in two and scrape the seeds into the milk. Bring to a boil and let it infuse 20 min or more.
- Hydrate the gelatin in cold water.
- Meanwhile, beat together the yolks, the sugar and the cornstarch without whitening or frothing.
- Boil the milk again and pour 1/3 into the eggs, blend, add in the rest and blend.
- Put it back into the pan by pouring it through a strainer and beat over high heat until it thickens.
- Remove the pan and add the butter.
- Cool it rapidly stirring the whole time so as to prevent the cream from drying.
- Once it is cool, whip the cream and fold it gently in the pastry cream.
- Pour the cream over the caramel in the same ring and put everything in the fridge.

Chocolate cream
- Put both chocolates in a mixing bowl.
- Boil the milk.
- Beat together the egg yolks and the sugar without whitening or frothing.
- Pour in 1/3 of boiling milk, beat, add the rest and beat.
- Put the custard back in the pan and cook over low heat to 180°F stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
- Immediately pour over the chocolate, blend with a hand mixer and cool to 86°F.
- Whip the cream and fold it gently in the chocolate cream.
- Remove the 9-inch ring and pour the chocolate cream into the 10-inch.
- Freeze it at least for two hours.

Decorate with the nougatine and some strawberries.

Poached pears with chocolate and its caramel sauce

Poached pears are a delicious classic. Combined with chocolate, caramel, slivered almonds and pistachios, they are exquisite. Always use ripe but firm pears. If you can find Louise Bonne pears, they are one of the best suited for this recipe because they remain firm and melting at the same time.

Ingredients for 10 poached pears

10 Louise Bonne pears, firm but ripe

Decoration

Grilled slivered almonds and pistachios

Vanilla and cinnamon syrup

3 vanilla beans

3 cinnamon sticks

1.2 L water

450 g sugar

Caramel sauce

160 g sugar

70 g butter

20 cl boiling heavy whipping cream

Dark chocolate icing

200 g boiling heavy whipping cream

30 g honey

180 g chocolate 67% cacao

1 tablespoon oil

Method

Vanilla and cinnamon syrup

- Combine the water, sugar, scraped vanilla beans et cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil in a large pot over high heat, stirring from time to time. Let it boil for 5 minutes.

- Meanwhile, peel your pears and rub them with lemon juice to prevent discoloring.

- Delicately add the pears in the syrup and let them poach to a mere simmer for 20 minutes, turning them regularly.

- Remove the pears with a skimmer, allow them to cool on a cooling rack placed over a dish and chill them in the refrigerator.

Caramel sauce

- On medium heat, caramelize the sugar.

- Once brown, remove the pan and add the boiling cream, be careful because it will bubble up.

- Put the pan back over medium heat and stir 2 to 3 minutes to allow the caramel blocks to melt.

- Remove the pan and add the butter.

- Pour the caramel in 10 small glasses and chill in the refrigerator. You will heat them up in the microwave before serving the pears.

Dark chocolate icing

- Break your chocolate bar into small pieces in a mixing bowl.

- Bring the cream and honey to a boil and pour it on the chocolate.

- Allow the chocolate to melt, blend and add the oil.

- Let it cool to room temperature.

- Pour the chocolate on the whole pears. Do it twice.

- Put the pears back in the refrigerator and decorate at the very last minute.

Banana, caramel and chocolate cake

This cake is one of my best creations. It combines 3 different creams and a dried-fruit crumble that bring a crunchy sensation. It is not very complicated to make but it is quite long due to the 3 different creams and the several cooling periods. Nevertheless, it is so worth your time. 

Ingredients for a 10x3 cake

Decoration :

Grated coconut

Crispy chocolate balls

Slices of banana

Dried-fruit crumble

100 g butter

100 g all-purpose flour

50 g sugar

50 g brown sugar

100 g dried fruit (almond, hazelnut, coconut… you can vary)

40 g butter

Creamy caramel

435 g boiling heavy whipping cream

60 g egg yolk

90 g egg white

30 g cornstarch

210 g sugar

100 g butter

3 gelatin sheets Dr. Oetker (6 g)

8 g orange liquor (optional)

Banana cream

40 g mineral water

55 g sugar

150 g egg yolk

190 g blended bananas

90 g sugar

60 g boiling heavy whipping cream

300 g cold heavy whipping cream

4 gelatin sheets Dr. Oetker (8 g)

Chocolate cream

125 g whole milk

30 g sugar

45 g egg yolk

170 g chocolate 48% cacao

80 g chocolate 67% cacao

180 g cold heavy whipping cream

Method

Dried-fruit crumble

- Preheat the oven to 340°F.

- With the flat mixing paddle of a stand mixer (Cuisineart or KitchenAid) on low speed, beat 100 g of butter with the flour.

- Add the sugar and dried fruits.

- Spread and bake for approximately 15 min.

- Cool the crumble and put it back into the electric mixer on low speed.

- Add 40 g of melted butter.

- Spread and press the crumble in a 10x3 ring on a cake cardboard and put it in the fridge.

Creamy caramel

- Hydrate the gelatin in cold water.

- On medium heat, caramelize the sugar.

- Once mildly brown, add the boiling whipping cream.

- Beat together the eggs and the cornstarch without whitening or frothing.

- Pour in 1/3 of caramel, blend, add the rest and blend.

- Put the caramel back in the pan over high heat and beat until it thickens.

- Remove the pan and add the butter.

- Blend with a hand blender.

- Once cooled, melt the gelatin in the microwave without boiling and add in the caramel with the orange liquor.

- Pour the caramel in a 9-inch wide ring put over the crumble and put it back in the fridge.

Banana cream

- Hydrate the gelatin in cold water.

- Whip the egg yolks with a stand mixer on high speed.

- Boil together the water and 68 g of sugar and add in the beaten yolks.

- Beat until it is cool.

- On medium heat, caramelize 90 g of sugar.

- Blend the bananas.

- Add 75 g of boiling whipping cream into the caramel, then the blended bananas.

- Add in the gelatin and let it cool.

- Add to the yolks.

- Whip the cream and fold it gently in the banana cream.

- Pour the banana cream above the caramel cream in the 9-inch ring.

- Freeze it for about an hour.

Chocolate cream 

- Put both chocolates in a mixing bowl.

- Boil the milk.

- Beat together the egg yolks and the sugar without whitening or frothing.

- Pour in 1/3 of boiling milk, beat, add the rest and beat.

- Put the custard back in the pan and cook over low heat to 180°F stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

- Immediately pour over the chocolate, blend with a hand mixer and cool to 86°F.

- Whip the cream and fold it gently in the chocolate cream.

- Remove the 9-inch ring and pour the chocolate cream into the 10-inch.

- Freeze it at least for two hours.

Decorate with grated coconut, crispy chocolate balls and slices of banana at the very last time.