malted hot cocoa layer cake
in collaboration with VALRHONA!! (I know, I'm freaking out too)
While you’re probably deep into holiday cookie prep right now, it is far too late for my to try and convince you to add an entire layer cake to your Christmas baking line up. This cake was created around the idea and flavor profile of a malty, warm cup of hot chocolate but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it year round. It makes the perfect end of year show stopping cake project for NYE.
Now, let’s talk about the byline of this email… in collaboration with VALRHONA!! I’m still freaking out about it because I’ve loved Valrhona since 2016 when I took a chocolate class in college. Their chocolates are such high quality and each variety has amazing tasting notes. Some notable ones in this cake being vanilla, coconut, toasted milk, caramel. This is huge and so full circle to me. Things like this are not possible without you and your support. Thank you so so much for hanging around and reading all my chaotic internet ramblings as I make this switch from full time cake decorating to full time recipe developer. I cannot wait for what 2024 has in store for us.
About this cake!! Layers of brown butter rye chiffon made with Valrhona Oriado 60% feves and cocoa powder. The brown butter is giving the chiffon structure while maintaining a light and air crumb, she’s gonna need it because this cake is HEFTY, and a whopping 6 layers of cake. and 5 layers of filling, albiet thin layers but 11 layers nonetheless. Two fillings, a malty Valrhona Dulcey 36% + Andoa Lait 39% cremeux and mascarpone whipped cream to really lean into that hot cocoa vibe. We finish her off with a toasted brown sugar Swiss buttercream, to bring notes of molasses and toasted marshmallow. Because if we’re gonna emulate hot chocolate, we’re doing it right and combining whipped cream and marshmallows!
I brought this cake with my to celebrate my dad’s birthday earlier this month. He is my dad, and he says everything I make is good, nice and tasty. So, sometimes its kinda hard to trust his judgement. For this cake though, his generally stoic remarks about my cakes were replaced with something a little more upbeat, so for once I truly believe him. He is a tough nut to please and this was a time where I believed his reaction to the fullest extent. He meant it and not just because I was his daughter.
Now, getting right into this recipe because it’s definitely a project but so worth the work. This is gonna make you one 8” cake with 6 layers of cake and 5 layers of filling. A tru show stopping behemoth!!
Breaking this up into two days of work:
Day One:
Bake your cake layers
Prepare your cremeux
Make the hot cocoa soaker
Day Two:
Make torched swiss buttercream
Make the mascarpone whipped cream
Build + Crumb coat the cake
Decorate
You can also, add a third day for decorating, but im not trying to confine you to the kitchen longer than needed.
Chocolate Brown Butter Rye Chiffon
Makes 3-8” rounds of cake
Ingredients:
85 grams unsalted butter, browned
40 grams Valrhona Dutch Processed cocoa powder
50 grams Valrhona Orido 60% feves
2 teaspoons espresso powder
100 grams water, hot
8 large eggs, separated
115 grams granulated sugar
145 grams dark brown sugar
45 grams olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
80 grams all purpose flour
60 grams rye flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 335F
Brown the 85 grams of unsalted butter in a medium saucepan. The final yield of browned butter should be 65 grams. Pour into a heat safe bowl and set aside.
Place cocoa powder, Oridao feves and espresso powder in a large bowl. Pour over the hot water and let sit for 5 minutes to bloom and melt the chocolate before stirring to combine.
Separate the eggs, set the yolks aside to be added to the wet ingredients. Place the whites into the bowl of a stand mixer along with the granulated sugar. Whisk on medium speed until medium peaks form.
While the eggs are whipping add the dark brown sugar, olive oil, egg yolks and vanilla to the chocolate mixture from earlier.
In a separate bowl combine the all purpose flour, rye flour, baking powder and kosher salt. Whisking to combine.
When the egg whites are just shy of reaching stiff peaks add the brown butter to the chocolate mixture, whisking to incorporate. Once fully incorporated add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Whisk until no dry pockets remain.
Fold ⅓ of the egg whites into the batter to lighten. Continue to add the meringue to the batter in 3rds until fully combined. Taking care not to overmix the batter.
Line 3 8” cake pans with parchment paper rounds. Place 355 grams of batter into each pan.
Bake for 23-26 minutes. The cake should bounce back when gently tapped in the center. Or have an internal temp of 205F.
Fresh from the oven, firmly tap the cake pans on your counter once from a height of 5 inches. This helps to set the structure of the chiffon.
Allow to cool completely before assembly. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer until ready to use.
Malted Andoa Lait + Dulcey Cremeux
Make 1 QT cremeux
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
210 grams whole milk
225 grams heavy cream
50 grams malted milk powder
185 grams Valrhona Andoa Lait feves
185 grams Valhrona Dulcey feves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions:
Combine the eggs, milk, heavy cream and malted milk powder in a medium mixing bowl.
Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisking frequently.
In a separate bowl add the Andoa Lait & Dulcey feves with the kosher salt
Cook the anglaise to nape.
Strain the angliase through a fine mesh strainer over the chocolate feves.
Allow the mixture to sit for a few moments to melt the chocolate before whisking to combine.
Cover directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Chocolate Milk Soaker
Ingredients:
360 grams whole milk
100 grams granulated sugar
45 grams Valrhona cocoa powder
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring just to a simmer stirring to avoid scorching the cocoa. Allow to cool in the fridge before using.
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
190 grams heavy cream
95 grams mascarpone cheese
1 tablespoon granulated sugar.
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Yes, this can also be done by hand.
Torched Brown Sugar Buttercream
Ingredients:
500 grams dark brown sugar
300 grams egg whites
1 tablespoons kosher salt
600 grams unsalted butter,softened
Directions:
While you weigh out your ingredients, fill a pot with about an inch or two of water. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
In a bowl that fits over the pot without touching the water, place your egg whites and brown sugar. Whisk until homogenous.
Place the egg white mixture over the simmering water. Whisking constantly until it reaches 145F. Normally you would cook this mixture to 165F but since you’ll be applying a significant amount of heat to the whipping whites when you torch them you’ll reach 165F then.
Once at temp, move the egg white mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and add the kosher salt. Beat on medium high with the whisk attachment until the mixture just starts to become a very loose meringue. It’s right when there’s enough air for the egg whites to start to lighten in color
At this point turn the mixer off and using a kitchen torch- toast the top layer of the meringue. Remove the flame and mix for 10 seconds. Stop the mixer and torch the top layer of meringue again. Remove flame and mix. Repeat this step as many times as you’d like for desired toastiness. I do this about 11-14 times.
Turn your mixer up to medium/high speed and allow the torched meringue to whip until stiff peaks form. Allow this to whip longer enough for the meringue to cool to room temp.
Add the softened butter to the mixer all at once.
Let the buttercream whip until it comes together. Then let it go for an additional 5 minutes.
After using the whisk attachment switch to the paddle attachment for another 10 minutes to eliminate any larger air bubbles.
Assembly:
For ease of use, add the chocolate milk soaker to a squeeze bottle.
Cut each cake layer in half to yield a total of 6 cake layers.
On your cake board place a small dollop of the buttercream to secure the cake.
Place down the first layer of cake, drizzle evenly with the chocolate milk soaker.
Using a piping bag filled with the buttercream, create a dam around the edge of the cake.
Fill the center with one third of the cremeux. Use an offset spatula to spread into an evenly layer.
Place the next layer of cake on top. Drizzle with the soak. Creating another buttercream damn, this time filling with half of the mascarpone whipped cream.
Repeat the layering process, alternating between cremeux and whipped mascarpone cream. There should be 3 cremeux layers and two whipped cream layers.
Coat the cake in a thin layer of buttercream to lock in the crumbs. Place the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes and allow the buttercream to set.
Frost the cake however you’d like, topping with fresh, organic edible or non-toxic florals (if you’d like)
I hope you make this cake to share with all your loved ones this holiday season and beyond ♡ Thanks so much for another wonderful year!!
Do you this would bake okay as a sheet cake?
Adding this to my to bake list! Looks incredible