Image is for illustrative purposes only.
This is a deep, glossy chocolate cream built on a cooked egg and cream base that is enriched with cocoa, dark couverture and a generous amount of butter. Cooking the base first gives it body and a silky, custard-like smoothness, while the couverture sets it just firm enough to hold a clean edge once it has chilled.
The flavour is properly dark and not overly sweet, and the texture is soft enough to spread but stable enough to pipe. Use it as a filling between sponge layers, as a masking cream under ganache or fondant, or piped into tart shells and choux buns. It also holds up well in a fridge cabinet, which makes it a reliable cream for cakes made a day ahead.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
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Weight Per Unit: 1680
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: batch, enough to fill and mask one 20–24 cm round cake
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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250 |
0.6 pound
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
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B
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340 |
0.7 pound
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Butter
Butter is a solid dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk, to separate the butterfat from the buttermilk. It is generally used as a spread on plain or toasted bread products and a condiment on cooked vegetables, as well as in cooking, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying. Butter consists of butterfat, milk proteins and water.
unsalted
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room temperature, soft |
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C
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225 |
4.5 Whole Eggs
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Whole Egg
Eggs are one of the most common ingredients in a typical cake. Egg yolks and whole eggs store significant amounts of protein and choline, and are widely used in baking. Usually an eggs role in a cake is to add moisture and richness, act as a raising agent as well as a glue to bind the ingredients together.
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room temperature |
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D
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170 |
6 ounces
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Cocoa Powder
Cocoa Powder (cocoa solids) is a mixture of many substances remaining after cocoa butter is extracted from cacao beans. When sold as an end product, it may also be called cocoa, and cacao. In contrast, the fatty component of chocolate is cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is 50% to 57% of the weight of cocoa beans and gives chocolate its characteristic melting properties.
Cocoa solids are one of the richest sources of flavanol antioxidants. They are a key ingredient of chocolate, chocolate syrup, and chocolate confections.
unsweetened, dutch processed
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sifted |
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E
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170 |
6 ounces
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Dark Chocolate (Couverture)
Couverture chocolate is a very high-quality chocolate that contains extra cocoa butter (32–39%). The higher percentage of cocoa butter, combined with proper tempering, gives the chocolate more sheen, firmer "snap" when broken, and a creamy mellow flavor.
bitter, cooking grade
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chopped |
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F
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500 |
2.1 cups
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Thickened Cream
Cream is used as an ingredient in many foods, including ice cream, many sauces, soups, stews, puddings, and some custard bases, and is also used for cakes. Perfect for pouring, baking, whipping or adding the indulgent touch to your favourite recipes.
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G
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25 |
0.9 ounce
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Modified Starch
Modified starch is a corn or tapioca starch that has been treated so it thickens smoothly and stays stable when acid, sugar and freezing are involved. In a glaze it gives body and shine without becoming cloudy or watery; plain corn starch can be used instead, though the set will be a little softer.
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1680
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
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STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Chop E (dark couverture chocolate) and set it aside in a bowl. Have B (butter) out of the fridge well ahead of time so it is soft and spreadable. |
Butter at room temperature, not melted or greasy |
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2 |
Mix |
In a large bowl, whisk A, D and G (caster sugar, cocoa powder and modified starch) together, then whisk in C (whole egg) until you have a smooth, lump-free paste. |
No dry pockets of cocoa or starch left |
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3 |
Heat |
Bring F (thickened cream) to a gentle simmer in a heavy-based saucepan. |
Small bubbles around the edge, do not let it boil over |
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4 |
Temper |
Pour about a third of the hot cream over the cocoa and egg mixture while whisking, then return everything to the saucepan. |
Smooth and evenly combined before it goes back on the heat |
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5 |
Cook |
Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a slow boil. Let it bubble for about a minute to cook out the starch. |
Thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and hold a trail from the whisk |
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6 |
Melt |
Take the pan off the heat and stir in E (dark couverture chocolate) until it has completely melted into the hot base. |
Glossy and uniform in colour, no unmelted pieces |
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7 |
Cool |
Pass the base through a sieve into a clean bowl, cover the surface directly with cling film and cool to room temperature, around 25°C (77°F). |
Cooled but still soft, not set hard or cold to the touch |
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8 |
Whip |
Beat B (butter) in a mixer with the paddle until pale and creamy. |
Light, smooth and fluffy |
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9 |
Combine |
With the mixer running on medium speed, add the cooled chocolate base to the butter a spoonful at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. |
Silky and glossy; if it looks split, warm the bowl briefly and keep beating until it comes back together |
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10 |
Rest |
Use the cream straight away for filling and masking, or refrigerate it and bring it back to room temperature and re-beat before use. |
Spreadable and holding a soft peak |
Important Notes
This quarter batch makes about 1,675 g of cream, enough to fill and mask one 20–24 cm round cake, or to fill roughly 40 to 50 small tart shells or choux buns. The chocolate base and the butter must be close to the same temperature when they are combined, or the cream will split; if it does, warm the outside of the bowl for a few seconds and keep beating. Covered in the fridge it keeps for up to five days, and it freezes well for a month. Always bring it back to room temperature and re-whip it before spreading or piping. The modified starch keeps the cream stable and stops it weeping; plain cornflour can be used instead, but the cream will be a little softer.
Tools & Arrangements
Heavy-based saucepan, balloon whisk, fine sieve, heatproof mixing bowls, electric mixer with paddle attachment, rubber spatula, cling film, digital thermometer, palette knife and piping bag with a plain or star nozzle
