Recipe: Le Bernardin Macaroon Birthday Cake with Vanilla Cream and Chocolate Mousse

LE BERNARDIN BIRTHDAY CAKE
Eric: "Every afternoon I check to see if a client has made a birthday dinner reservation, and when I spot one, I always go to the pastry station to ask for a piece of this cake. I love it."

THE VANILLA CREME:
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
THE MACAROON:
3/4 cup almond flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
THE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE:
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons water
9 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
CHOCOLATE DECORATION:
1/2 pound extra-bittersweet chocolate, chopped
CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
One 5 1/2-inch round cake pan
Electric mixer
Parchment paper
One 8-inch metal ring, 1 1/2 inches high
Candy thermometer
Pastry bag
Plain 3/8-inch pastry tip
One 10-inch cardboard round
Large off-set spatula
Saint-Honore pastry tip or 1/2-inch star tip
Ruler

For the vanilla creme:
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar; set aside.

Place the milk, cream, and vanilla bean in a small saucepan over medium heat. When hot but not simmering, whisk a quarter of the milk mixture into the yolk mixture. Bring the rest to a boil and whisk it into the yolk mixture. Strain the creme through a fine-mesh sieve. Pour it into a 5 1/2-inch cake pan and skim off the foam.

Bake until not quite set, about 20 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the creme stand in the oven for 5 minutes. Let it cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. (The recipe can be made to this point 2 to 3 days ahead.)

For the macaroon:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, stir the almond flour and confectioners' sugar together, then sift. Set aside.

Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl and add the lemon juice and granulated sugar. Whip with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Raise the speed to high and whip until the egg whites hold firm peaks. Use a large rubber spatula to gradually fold in the flour mixture.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the 8-inch ring in the center. Fit the pastry bag with the plain tip and fill it with the batter. Pipe the batter into the ring and let it stand for 20 minutes.

Lift off the ring and bake until the macaroon is lightly browned allover the top, about 15 minutes, turning the pan around once halfway through baking. Set aside.

For the chocolate mousse:
Place the sugar in a small saucepan and stir in the water. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and set aside until cool.

Place the chocolate in a metal bowl and set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted. Set aside. Keep the pan of water just below a simmer.

Place the egg yolks and the sugar syrup in a mixing bowl and set it over the pan of slowly simmering water. whisk until frothy. Leave over the water, whisking from time to time, until the mixture reaches 170 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes. Remove from the water, keeping the water barely at a simmer, and whip with an electric mixer on medium speed until cold. Place in a large bowl and fold in the melted chocolate.

Whip the cream until it holds soft peaks. Fold a quarter of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest.

IMMEDIATELY ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
Take the macaroon off of the parchment paper and place it upside down on the cardboard round. Set the metal ring over the macaroon. Gently spread 1 cup of the mousse over the macaroon.

Run a small knife around the edge of the vanilla creme and then dip the bottom of the pan into a bowl of hot water to loosen the creme from the pan. Unmold it and place it over the center of the macaroon. Spoon about 2 cups of the mousse over and around the creme. Use the off-set spatula to scrape off the excess mousse, leveling the top.

Refrigerate the cake and the remaining mousse for 2 to 3 hours.

Meanwhile, for the chocolate decoration:
Melt the chocolate over the pan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally. Pour a third of the chocolate onto a piece of parchment paper that is at least 18-inches long. Use the offset spatula to spread the chocolate into a rectangle roughly 15-by-4-inches. Repeat twice, making 3 bands of chocolate. Place the paper on baking sheets and refrigerate them to firm the chocolate.

Working with 1 of the chocolate bands at a time (keeping the rest refrigerated), carefully peel off the paper. Trim the ends off neatly. Using the ruler as a measure and then a straight edge, cut the band lengthwise into two 1 1/2- inch-wide strips (save the scraps for another use). Cut the strips crosswise into 3/4-inch-wide pieces. Refrigerate the pieces and repeat with the remaining bands.

Place the remaining mousse in a pastry bag fitted with the Saint-Honore or star tip. Pipe a decorative border around the edge of the top of the cake. Refrigerate.

For the glaze:
Place the cream in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate and butter until melted and smooth. Set aside.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the glaze onto the top of the cake center (reserve the rest of the glaze for another use). Rotate the cake to spread the glaze evenly.

Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.

Run the tip of a small knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the ring. Lift off the ring. Run a thin spatula underneath the cake and transfer it to a serving plate. Stand the chocolate strips up against the sides of the cake, pressing them lightly into the mousse and overlapping the strips slightly.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. When slicing the cake, rinse the knife with hot water between each slice. (The cake can be finished 1 day ahead.)

Makes 8 to 10 servings
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Source: Le Bernardin Cookbook by Maguy Le Coze, Eric Ripert