Blackberry delice
This blackberry delice is made up of a light genoise sponge, blackberry custard and creamy vanilla mousse. For this mousse I have kept the cake and the custard hidden under the vanilla mousse so that when sliced there is a blackberry surprise. I have also given the mousse a glossy finish with the blackberry glaze, you can decorate this however you like, I have chosen to use fresh blackberries, the custard and white chocolate curls.
Ingredients:
For the genoise sponge:
30g self raising flour
30g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
7g unsalted butter, melted
For the vanilla mousse:
3 egg yolks
375ml whole milk
15g corn flour
60g caster sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
4 sheets gelatin
3 egg whites
250ml double cream
For the blackberry mousse:
2 egg yolk
100ml whole milk
150ml blackberry puree
10g corn flour
15g plain flour
40g caster sugar
For the glass finish:
4tbsp blackberry puree
2 sheets gelatin
For the garnish:
Handful of fresh blackberries
Sprigs of fresh mint
White chocolate curls
Method:
Prehheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Grease a 7inch deep cake tin with a removable base.
Begin by making the genoise sponge. beat together the egg yolk nd sugar until pale and fluffy then stir in the melted butter. Next gently fold in the flour until fully incorporated. gently pour the cake batter into the cake tin being careful not to remove too much air from the batter. Place in the oven and bake for 10-20 minutes until golden brown.
remove from the tin and allow to cool completely, then place back in the tin.
Next prepare the vanilla mousse. Soak he gelatin leaves. In a large pan on a medium heat, heat the milk until warm but not simmering. Meanwhile in a large bowl whisk together the egg yolk, corn flour and sugar until pale and fluffy. when the milk is warm beat it into the egg mixture one spoon at a time until all the milk has been added. pour this mixture back into the pan and stir constantly over a medium heat until smooth and thick,stir in the soaked gelatin. Allow to cool.
Next prepare the blackberry custard follow the same method as for the vanilla custard but heating the milk and blackberry puree together rather than just the milk and eating the plain four and cornflour with the egg yolk, this will make this custard slightly thicker. Allow to cool.
Once cooled reserve 2 tbsp of the blackberry custard and spread the rest over the cooled genoise sponge keeping it at least 1cm away from the edge of the cake, this will allow it to be hidden when the vanilla mousse is poured over.
Next whisk the double cream until it hold soft peaks. whisk the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks then add the sugar and continue whisking until stiff and glossy.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the vanilla custard until fully incorporated then gently fold in the whisked egg whites.
Immediately pour the mousse into the cake tin over the custard and cake, shake the tin gently to make sure the mousse reaches the bottom and is level. place in the refrigerator and allow to chill for 1 hour.
Meanwhile take the reserved blackberry puree and add 2 tbsp of water, stir and pass through cheese cloth to get a clear juice with no bits, don't squeeze the puree through otherwise the juice will become cloudy.
When the mousse cake has chilled, soak the gelatin and gently warm the blackberry juice, stir in the soaked gelatin and pour over the top of the mousse cake for a glass finish.
Return to the refrigerator and chill over night.
When you are ready to serve use a hairdryer or blow torch to warm the sides of the cake tin, the cake should slide out smoothly.
Finish with the reserved blackberry custard, fresh blackberries, chocolate curls and mint.
