Currant Cakes with Panna Cotta & Caramel
- Jul 3, 2021
- 5 min read
I love currants! Their bright, tart flavor works especially well in cakes, where they can really shine alongside sweeter, richer elements.
In these cakes, the currants are paired with caramel and creamy panna cotta, creating a lovely contrast between the sharp berries and the soft, sweet flavors. The combination is fresh, balanced, and full of flavor.
You can easily skip the glaze and leave the mousse cakes as they are, or use velvet spray instead. The Silikomart Mini Dot mold has a lovely indentation on top that creates a beautiful finish on its own, so the cakes don't necessarily need any additional decoration. I just couldn't resist glazing them, as I thought the glossy finish suited these little cakes perfectly.
Amount:
6 cakes / 6 people
I used a Silikomart Mini Dot mold (7 cm in diameter).
Ingredients:
Day 1: Brownie, panna cotta, mousse
Day 2: Shortcrust, glaze, decoration
Day 1:
Caramel Brownie with Almonds:
30 g butter
30 g caramel chocolate (I use Callebaut Gold 30.4%)
0.5 egg (1 medium egg = 50 g)
25 g caster sugar
15 g all-purpose flour
15 g semi-coarsely chopped almonds
15 g coarsely chopped caramel chocolate (I use Callebaut Gold 30.4%)
a pinch of salt
Panna Cotta:
1 gelatin sheet (1 sheet = 1.75 g, bloom value 240)
150 ml whipping cream
15 g caster sugar
0.75 tsp vanilla paste
Red Currant Mousse:
2.25 gelatin sheets (1 sheet = 1.75 g, bloom value 240)
150 g frozen red currants
75 g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste
3 tbsp lemon juice
225 ml heavy cream (min. 35%)
Day 2:
Shortcrust Pastry Bases:
95 g all-purpose flour
20 g almond flour
35 g powdered/icing sugar
55 g cold butter
0.5 small egg (1 medium egg = 50 g)
a pinch of salt
Glaze:
6 gelatin sheets (10.5 g, bloom value 240)
150 g white chocolate (28%)
110 ml heavy cream (min. 35%)
50 g water
140 g caster sugar
150 g glucose syrup
Pink and white food coloring paste
Decoration:
Chocolate swirls: 100 g white chocolate and pink powdered food coloring
Fresh red currants
Instructions:
Caramel Brownie with Almonds:
Melt the butter and set it aside. Melt 30 g of caramel chocolate in another bowl and set it aside.
Whisk the eggs, sugar, flour, and salt together until the batter is light and has a fluffy consistency.
Fold the butter and chocolate into the batter. Add the chopped almonds and chopped chocolate.
Pour the batter into 6 silicone molds, each 4 cm in diameter (I used this one), filling them a little less than halfway so there’s room for a layer of panna cotta on top later.
Bake the bases for 10–15 minutes at 175°C / 347°F.
Let the bases cool completely. Then remove them from the molds and set them aside.
Panna Cotta:
Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5–10 minutes.
Heat the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla paste until it reaches a boil, remove the pot from the heat, and whisk in the gelatin.
Pour the panna cotta mixture into 6 silicone insert molds, each 4 cm in diameter (I used this one), filling them halfway.
Place the silicone inserts in the freezer so the panna cotta can set slightly.
Once the surface has firmed up slightly, place the cooled caramel brownies on top.
Return the molds to the freezer to set completely for at least 3 hours.
Red Currant Mousse:
Soak the gelatin in cold water for 5–10 minutes.
Bring the red currants, sugar, vanilla paste, and lemon juice to a boil in a small saucepan until the berries are tender. Remove the saucepan from the heat, strain the mixture, and whisk in the gelatin.
Let the mixture cool until lukewarm.
Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and fold it into the mixture, which has cooled to lukewarm (if it’s too hot, it can cause the heavy cream to separate).
Pour the red currant mousse into the molds, leaving enough room for the frozen panna cotta/brownie inserts (around 80% full).
Remove the frozen panna cotta/caramel brownie layers from the molds and place them in the red currant mousse with the panna cotta side facing down.
Place the mousse cakes in the freezer overnight.
Shortcrust Pastry Bases:
Place the flour, almond flour, powdered sugar, salt, and butter (cut into cubes) in a food processor and pulse briefly until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Transfer the dough to a bowl and quickly bring it together with the egg. Be careful not to over-knead the dough.
Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and let it rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or about 45 minutes in the freezer. It should be very cold when you take it out.
Cut out 6 crusts using a 7-cm cookie cutter and bake them in the oven at 175°C / 347°F for about 10 minutes or until they’re a nice golden brown. If desired, bake the crusts on a Silikomart Air silicone mat to give them a nice checkered pattern.
Let the crusts cool on a wire rack.
Glaze:
Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5–10 minutes.
Finely chop the white chocolate and place it in a large pitcher.
Heat the sugar, water, heavy cream, and glucose syrup to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the gelatin.
Pour the hot mixture over the white chocolate in the pitcher. Blend with a hand blender until the glaze thickens (hold the hand blender at an angle to avoid air bubbles). Add pink and white food coloring.
Cover the top of the glaze with plastic wrap and let it cool to 34-35°C / 93-95°F.
Remove the frozen cakes from the freezer just before glazing. Place the cakes on a cooling rack lined with parchment paper.
Pour the glaze over the cakes. Pour the glaze over the cakes, avoiding the center indentation as much as possible. Use a small palette knife to remove any glaze strands from the bottom of the cakes.
Once the glaze has set, cut a small circle in the center of the cakes and remove the glaze to make room for berries in the indentation.
Fill the indentation with fresh red currants.
Chocolate Swirls:
Temper the chocolate.
Spread the chocolate onto a piece of acetate sheet. Smooth the chocolate layer evenly with a small palette knife.
Use a chocolate scraper to create the swirl pattern.
Let the chocolate set briefly, then run your fingers along the side of the acetate sheet to remove any chocolate residue.
Place the acetate sheet inside a 7-cm-diameter circular pastry cutter, with the chocolate facing inward, and let the chocolate set completely in the refrigerator.
Carefully remove the chocolate swirls and place them on the cakes just before serving. Finally, garnish with flowers.
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