A chocolate lover’s dream cake

CHOCOLATE: Flavors and Colors

It can be pure, organic, alcoholic, milky, white, blonde, decorated with nuts, almonds, lemon, fruit, pepper or salt, it remains the ultimate temptation that few can resist. Constantly updated and revised forms and flavors continue to surprise and flatter the palates of gourmands and gourmands. Whether they come from Ecuador, the Ivory Coast, Switzerland, Belgium or France, the big three countries most famous for chocolate in Europe, or elsewhere – even Americans are trying to match, but the finesse is still lacking – master chocolatiers get their inspiration from here. ever-evolving current tastes and fashions. Unafraid to surprise the palate and shake the accepted ideas, through social networks and attractive visuals, chocolate makers from all over the world attract a large number of lovers, connecting all generations.

The Frenchman Vincent Vallée, winner of the world chocolate championship organized at the 21st Paris Chocolate Exhibition for 2022, and the Ivorian Axel Emmanuel Gbaou, who won the producer title, are at the head of these wonderful taste creators. “World’s Best Chocolate” at the Paris Agricultural Fair last March for its chocolate made in Daloa, in western Côte d’Ivoire.

From the simple pill often used in food to bars, powders, spreads, bites, candies, lollipops, and other rocks, chocolate cannot accept the designation of “dark chocolate,” “fine chocolate,” or “superior chocolate.” , according to European Directive 2000/36/EC, only if it contains a minimum of 43% cocoa, at least 26% cocoa butter and 14% fat-free dry cocoa. Milk chocolate should contain a minimum of 25% fat-free dry cocoa, 14% milk powder and 25% fat.

It was in the early 1920s that the first chocolate bars appeared with Dutchman Kwatta, the inventor of the first 30 gram chocolate bars. It was followed by the American Mars and Dutch Nuts that launched the Milky Way, its eponymous nut bar. “Industrial” chocolates find their place in supermarkets, while more artisanal and more refined chocolate bars are the reputation of Swiss, Belgian and French chocolatiers above all. Today, a hundred years later, this first bar of chocolate is blessed with surprising flavors. Chocolate blonde, super sweet, super melty, covered in lemon, lime, mint, green pepper, wasabi, bacon and caramelized soy. Chocolate-fusion, chocolate-creation, is also transformed into sculptures to be tasted first with the eyes. These artists include Patrick Roger, Meilleur Ouvrier de France and Sceaux-based sculptor or Amaury Guichon, 31, star

A Franco-Swiss pastry chef who made a name for himself with his spectacular videos that went viral on social media. An expert in chocolate sculptures, admired but unable to taste, he has 42 million subscribers on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. “Although people cannot taste my creations, I give them great love. I really think about finding the right angle and the right light so that the pleasure translates to the screen. I don’t mind spending a lot of time staging my pasties,” she told Vanity Fair in October 2022.

A chocolate lover’s dream cake

Layer cake with dark chocolate ice cream and milk chocolate truffle filling.
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: medium

RECIPE FOR 14 PEOPLE

INGREDIENTS : Chocolate cake
190 ml (¾ cup) vegetable oil
460 g (2 cups) powdered sugar
2 large eggs
400 g (2 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
90 g (¾ cup) cocoa
A teaspoon of baking soda
A teaspoon of baking powder
Half a teaspoon of sea salt
375 ml (1 ½ cups) cold water
A spoonful of pure vanilla extract
1 bar (100g) Lindt 70% cocoa dark chocolate, finely chopped

Chocolate frosting
3 ½ bars (100g each) Lindt 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate, coarsely chopped
250 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
30 g (¼ cup) cocoa powder
115 g (½ cup) powdered sugar
One teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
60 ml (¼ cup) whipped cream
60 ml (¼ cup) sour cream

Cut
50 Lindor milk chocolate truffles (optional)
Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffles – Bag (150 g)

PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease two 20cm springform tins with vegetable oil.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar, then add the eggs one at a time.
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Mix them up. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients in the mixer bowl, alternating with the water. Beat well and add the vanilla, then the chopped chocolate.
Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cakes comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool for at least an hour.
For the glaze, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds. This should take about 2 minutes. The chocolate should not be completely melted. Allow to stand at room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the butter, cocoa and powdered sugar. Beat until well combined. Add the vanilla, whipping cream, sour cream, and cooled chocolate and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl regularly.
Unwrap 50 Lindor truffles and set aside. Using a serrated knife, trim the tops of each of the cooled cakes to make them flat. Place one cake on a plate, smooth side up, and spread about 125 ml (½ cup) of ice cream. Place the second cake smooth side down, taking care to line up the cakes.
Frost the top and sides of the cake generously – the frosting will allow the Lindor Truffles to stick to the cake. Line the bottom of the cake with a row of Lindor truffles, pressing them deliciously against the frosting. Add another row to the top edge of the cake. Here it is ready!

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