Hazelnut, caramel and sesame mousse cake with malt ice cream

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This exquisitely rich hazelnut mousse cake recipefrom Josh Eggleton contains tahini paste in the mousse element for an extra nutty kick. Served with a fabulously smooth malt ice cream, this dessert has some tricky elements but is achieveable with the right equipment and a bit of forward planning. This dessert was on the menu at the 2013 NSPCC ball.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Hazelnut cake

Caramel and sesame mousse

  • 630g of caster sugar
  • 4 1/4 bronze gelatine leaves
  • 3 tsp pectin powder
  • 6 egg whites
  • 200g of crème fraîche
  • 250g of tahini
  • 600ml of double cream, whipped
  • salt to taste

Malt ice cream

  • 900ml of milk
  • 600ml of double cream
  • 250g of malt extract
  • 400g of sugar
  • 600ml of water
  • 18 egg yolks
  • 15g of ice cream stabiliser

Chocolate glaze

Equipment

  • Food processor or blender
  • Thermomix

Method

1
For the mousse, soften the gelatine leaves in cold water. Place 180g of the sugar, pectin and egg whites in a thermomix on speed 4 at 60°C for 8 minutes to form a meringue. Add in the gelatine and mix until dissolved
  • 4 1/4 bronze gelatine leaves
  • 180g of caster sugar
  • 3 tsp pectin powder
  • 6 egg whites
2
Make a caramel by melting the remaining 450g of caster sugar and caramelise until a deep golden brown colour. Remove from the heat and add in the crème fraîche, tahini paste and salt
  • 450g of caster sugar
  • 200g of crème fraîche
  • 250g of tahini
  • salt to taste
3
Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature before gently folding in the meringue. Once completely cool, fold in the whipped cream until just combined. Cover and store in the fridge until required
  • 600ml of double cream, whipped
4
Preheat the oven to 175˚C/gas mark 4
5
For the hazelnut cake base, whisk the whole eggs and caster sugar together until pale. Blend the dates and the soft dark brown sugar until smooth, then add the water, cinnamon, vanilla and salt, blending again until smooth
  • 4 eggs
  • 50g of caster sugar
  • 250g of dates
  • 150g of dark brown sugar, soft
  • 50ml of hot water
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 pinch of flaky sea salt
6
Mix together with the egg and sugar mix, then fold in the ground hazelnuts. Bake in a greased 25cm square baking tin for 40 minutes, until the cake is set and the sides are coming away from the tin. Remove and allow to cool
7
For the malt ice cream, combine the milk, cream and malt extract in a pan and bring to the boil. Set aside for 30 minutes to infuse
  • 900ml of milk
  • 600ml of double cream
  • 250g of malt extract
8
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to the boil and stir to dissolve. Gently simmer for 8-10 minutes until clear and syrupy
  • 600ml of water
  • 400g of sugar
9
Place the egg yolks in a blender or food processor and add the hot syrup while the motor is running. Mix well
10
Add the infused milk mixture and ice cream stabiliser. Place in a Thermomix at 80°C for 8 minutes on speed 4. Alternatively, place into a heavy-based pan on a medium heat and stir until the mixture reaches 80˚C and coats the back of a spoon
  • 15g of ice cream stabiliser
11
Allow to cool and churn in an ice cream maker according the manufacturers instructions
12
For the glaze, combine the water and sugar and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa and cream. Return to the heat and bring back to the boil while whisking
  • 150ml of water
  • 175g of caster sugar
  • 10g of cocoa powder
  • 125g of double cream
13
Remove from the heat and add the softened gelatine, chocolate and butter. Whisk until thoroughly combined, then pass through a fine strainer and allow to cool
14
To assemble the cake, spread the mousse over the sponge base and use a palette knife to ensure the surface is even and flat
15
Once the glaze is completely cool, spread gently to seal the entire layer of mousse and set in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours
16
To cut the mousse cake, using a ruler, slice into rectangular pieces 3cm x 6cm, or if a square is preferred, 5cm x 5cm
17
Serve each portion of the cake with a scoop of the ice cream and a sesame tuile

It can take decades of dedication and dogged effort to win a Michelin star. Josh Eggleton, though, was ‘shocked’ to win his first Michelin star at the age of 27, after only a few years of being a Head Chef.

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