A sinfully delicious cake that disappears too fast fast from the plate and makes even the most talkative person quiet for the time it takes to devour a piece. This cake is inspired by a dessert I had the last time I was in Vienna at the historic Café Central, where I often order at least four different small cakes and desserts from their amazing selection.
With flavours of caramel, chocolate and peanuts, the little cake was reminiscent of a snickers bar and that is also the main flavors of this delicious cake.
“SNICKERS CAKE”
12-14 SERVINGS.
CRÉME BRÛLEÉ:
90 G HEAVY CREAM 38%
50 G MILK (SKIMMED MILK IS FINE)
40 G PASTEURIZED EGG YOLKS
20 G SUGAR
A PINCH OF SALT
1/2 TSP VANILLA PASTE
Preheat the oven to 140 degrees celsius.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
Pour the cream into the large savarin insert on this silicone mould.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the cream has set lightly, it should be soft and wobbly in the middle.
Place the crème brûlée in the fridge for 30 minutes, then cover it with cling film and place the mould in the freezer for at least 4-5 hours. It is only when the crème brûlée is frozen that you can handle it out of the mould and place it in the cake.
Remove the frozen crème brûleé from the mould, wrap it in film and foil and put it back in the freezer, as you will need the mould for the bottom and the praline now.
BISCUIT BASE:
125 G OREOS
40 G BUTTER
Blend Oreos to crumbs.
Melt the butter and blend the two things together.
Press the mixture into the savarin insert and freeze the base while making the praline.
PRALINE:
25 G SUGAR
25 G SALTED PEANUTS
25 G MILK CHOCOLATE (FX. JIVARA 40% FROM VALRHONA)
10 G PUFFED RICE
A PINCH OF SALT
Melt the sugar to golden caramel in a small saucepan.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the peanuts.
Pour the caramelised peanuts onto a piece of baking paper and let them cool.
Blend the nuts to a creamy mixture.
Briefly blitz the puffed rice in the blender together with the nut mixture, there should be a few larger pieces in between so do not blend for too long.
Melt the chocolate and mix it in.
Spread the praline on top of the biscuit base, cover with film and place the mould in the freezer, so that everything is ready to be put in the mousse.
SALTED CARAMEL MOUSE:
265 G CONDENSED MILK
145 G MOLASSES SUGAR
35 G BUTTER
4 SHEETS OF GELATINE
600 G HEAVY CREAM 38%
1/2 TSP. FLAKY SALT
Soak the gleatine in cold water for 10 min.
Cook the condensed milk, molasses sugar and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Let the caramel cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add 100 g heavy cream, a little at a time and mix well.
Let the caramel cook for a few minutes, remove the pan from the heat and add salt.
Squeeze the water out of the bloomed gelatine and melt it in the caramel. Place the caramel in the fridge until it is approx. 37-40 degrees celcius.
Whip 500 g heavy cream to whipped cream with soft peaks and fold in to the warm caramel, in three turns.
Distribute the mousse in a silicone mould, I used a Gioia mould from Silikomart, tap the mould lightly against a flat surface, so any air holes are removed.
Lightly press the crème brûleé insert into the mousse and then place the base on top.
Press down until the base is even with the mousse and the surface is smooth and flat.
Cover with film, place the mould on a cutting board and place the cake in the freezer for a minimum of 4-5 hours, preferably overnight. Only when the mousse is completely frozen can you get it out of the mould.
MILK CHOCOLATE MIRROR GLAZE:
6 SHEETS OF GELATINE
150 G MILK CHOCOLATE, 40% (FX. VALRHONA JIVARA)
100 G HEAVY CREAM 38%
50 G WATER
150 G SUGAR
150 G GLUCOSE SYRUP
Soak the gelatine in cold water for 10 minutes.
Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a high jug that can withstand heat.
Heat the heavy cream, water, sugar and glucose syrup to the boiling point, stirring gently using a rubber spatula, ensuring that not too many air bubbles form.
Remove the pan from the heat, squeeze the water out of the gelatine and gently stir it into the cream.
Pour the cream over the chocolate and slowly slide a stick blender into the glass at an angle to avoid air bubbles as much as possible. Blend.
Cover the surface with film and let the glaze cool to approx. 35 degrees celcius.
Push the frozen cake out of the mould and place it on 4 small glasses, I used shot glasses, with a dish lined with film placed underneath.
Pour the glaze over the mousse in gentle movements until the cake is covered.
It doesn’t matter if there are any holes in the glaze at the bottom of the cake. You can cheat a little by taking a spoon, collecting some of the glaze that has dripped down from the cake and patching the holes, which will be covered with peanut crunch afterwards.
Also take some excess glaze with the spoon and make stripes on top of the cake as the glaze starts to set. It’s going to look like the top of a chocolate bar a bit.
PEANUT CRUNCH:
50 G SUGAR
100 G SALTED PEANUTS
Melt the sugar in a caramel pan and add the nuts. Stir well.
Pour the caramellised nuts onto a piece of baking paper and separate the nuts lightly so that they do not clump together.
Once the nuts have cooled completely, they can be chopped semi-coarsely or blitzed briefly in a blender.
Pour some of the nuts into the palm of your hand and gently press them into the glaze around the bottom of the cake. Make sure the large pieces of peanuts are evenly distributed so they do not gather in one place.
Let the cake thaw on a serving platter in the fridge.