Black Forest Gateau (Heston)

Special Equipment:
21.5cm x 31.5cm brownie tin(s),
food mixer (optional),
oven thermometer,
2.6-litre hard plastic container with lid (through which you have bored a small
hole, using a corkscrew),
microwave (if you have one),
whipping-cream canister and charges,
vacuum-seal storage bag with one-way valve,
vacuum cleaner,
digital probe, 9cm x 19cm x 5cm-deep baking tin(s),
piping bag,
melon- baller,
large cardboard box,
paint gun
Timing:
Lots of layers mean lots of different cooking techniques. To assemble a whole ca
ke in one day would, undeniably, be a fair amount of work. Better to think of th
is as architecture a flat-pack gateau and spread out the building tasks. Prepare
the chocolate sponge and kirsch cream up to a month in advance and keep them in
the freezer, and make the biscuit base up to a week in advance, keeping it in a
n airtight container.
The aerated chocolate can be prepared any time: it will keep well in the fridge
if sealed properly. That leaves only two layers to prepare on the day: the choco
late ganache and the chocolate mousse neither of which is particularly laborious
.
Madeleine Biscuit Base:
50g unsalted butter
1 large egg (60g)
30g honey
60g plain flour
30g icing sugar, sifted
tsp (5g) baking powder
Pinch of table salt
1 tbsp (15ml) whole milk
1. Heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Line a 21.5cm x 31.5cm brownie tin wit
h greaseproof paper or a little butter.
2. Melt the butter over a low heat, then leave to cool a little.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and honey together for 5 minutes, or until w
hite and thick. A food mixer with a paddle attachment is ideal for this job.
4. Gradually add all the dry ingredients, then the cooled butter and finally the
milk. Mix until they are just combined. Do not overbeat.
5. Pour the mixture into the brownie tin. Bake for 10 minutes, or until a pale g
olden brown.
6. Turn the oven down to 100C/200F/Gas Mark . Use an oven thermometer to check t
his. Cut the biscuit base into three 8cm x 18cm rectangles. It's not essential to
be exact they will need to be trimmed again when assembling the gateau. Lift the
m out of the tin and place on a baking tray.
7. Bake in the low oven for 20 minutes, until deep golden brown and crisp. Leave
to cool, then store in an airtight container.
Aerated Chocolate Layer:
Here, it is a good idea to get all the equipment ready beforehand, so that the c
hocolate goes through the process quickly, stays liquid and gets well aerated.
500g top-quality milk chocolate (such as Valrhona's Tanariva)
65g groundnut oil
1. Line the 2.6-litre plastic container with greaseproof paper.
2. Break the chocolate into chunks and place in a medium-sized glass bowl. Place
the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and let the chocolate melt. (The bo
wl needs to be large enough so it can sit on top of the saucepan without its bas
e touching the water: the aim is to soften the chocolate on the gentlest of heat
s, so it doesn't go grainy.) Alternatively, melt the chocolate at high power in a
microwave for 12 minutes. Again, be careful not to overheat it.
3. Place a whipping-cream canister in a bowl or pan of boiling water. (Warming t
he canister ensures that the chocolate stays molten when poured into it.)
4. Stir the oil into the bowl containing the melted chocolate, then pour it all
into the whipping-cream canister. Attach the canister cap, and charge with three
charges.
5. Shake the canister, then squirt the chocolate onto the base of the 2.6-litre
plastic container. Put on the lid, then place the container in the vacuum storag
e bag. Position the storage bag's valve over the hole in the container's lid. Switch
on the vacuum cleaner and place the hose on the valve to suck the air out of th
e bag. The chocolate should rise and be riddled with small bubbles. As soon as i
t does so, remove the vacuum and close the valve as quickly as possible. To set
the chocolate, place the box still in the vacuum bag in the fridge until require
d.
Flourless Chocolate Sponge:
65g top-quality dark chocolate (such as Amedei's Toscano Black 66%)
7 egg yolks (140g)
130g unrefined caster sugar 1
5g good-quality cocoa powder (such as Green & Black's Organic), sifted
5 egg whites (150g)
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Line a 21.5cm x 31.5cm brownie tin
with greaseproof paper or a little butter.
2. Break the chocolate into chunks and place in a glass bowl. Place the bowl ove
r a saucepan of simmering water and let the chocolate melt (or heat the chocolat
e at high power in a microwave for 12 minutes). Leave to cool.
3. Beat the egg yolks with 65g of the caster sugar for 5 minutes, or until white
and thick. (A food mixer with a whisk attachment can perform this task.) Stir i
n the cocoa powder and the melted, cooled chocolate.
4. Whisk the egg whites with the remaining sugar in a separate bowl until soft p
eaks form. (The mixer can do this job too. If you have only one mixer bowl, a si
milarly sized glass or stainless steel bowl will work. Make sure it is spotlessl
y clean: a dirty bowl is the most common reason for egg whites not stiffening.)
5. Gradually fold the egg whites into the egg-yolk mixture, then pour this mixtu
re into the brownie tin and bake for 2025 minutes. The surface of the cake will l
ook a little dry when removed from the oven, and it may sink slightly. Leave it
to cool before cutting into three 8cm x 18cm rectangles.
Kirsch Cream:
2 sheets of leaf gelatin
5 egg yolks (100g)
90g unrefined caster sugar
250ml whole milk
220ml whipping cream
20ml top-quality kirsch
1. Line a 21.5cm x 31.5cm brownie tin with clingfilm.
2. Place the sheets of gelatin in a small bowl and pour over 100ml cold water. L
eave for 15 minutes, until soft.
3. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar for 5 minutes, or until white and thick. (T
he food mixer can do this job.)
4. Gently warm the milk in a small pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the bea
ten egg-yolk mixture. Return to a medium heat and cook for a further 23 minutes,
stirring frequently. Use a digital probe to monitor when the temperature of the
mixture reaches 80C/175F, at which point it should be taken off the heat. (It wi
ll have become thicker, with tiny bubbles appearing on the surface.)
5. Drain the gelatin and stir it into the warm mixture. (Make sure the mixture i
s not too hot, or the gelatin will break. Make sure, too, that all the gelatin d
issolves.) Leave until lukewarm.
6. Meanwhile, lightly whip the cream, then add the kirsch. Fold this into the co
oled gelatin mixture, then pour the mixture into the brownie tin and place it in
the freezer to set for at least 1 hour.
About Kirsch:
Good kirsch is integral to this recipe, and the quality of the spirit is very im
portant. Here are some pointers:
- It musn't be too sweet.
- I like to use one with 50% alcohol strong enough to stand up to the chocolate.
- Look for a brand that is aromatic and flavoursome. I recommend Franz Fies.
- Selfridges' wine department has a very good spirits range, as does Fortnum & Mas
on, from which you can also buy online at www.fortnumandmason.com.
Cherry Stalks:
To make the cherry stalks, you need six plump vanilla pods. Cut them into four len
gthways, tie a knot at the end of each strip, then twist it to give a gnarled ef
fect. Place on a plate and leave to dry overnight at room temperature. W You've ma
de the biscuit base, the chocolate sponge, the kirsch cream and the decorative s
talks for the cherries. Now you need to make the remaining two recipes and assem
ble the gateau. You'll also need the following for the final touches.
1 jar of apricot baking glaze
1 jar of top-quality wild cherries in heavy syrup (eg Griottines, or Amarena Fab
bri if you can get them)
30ml top-quality kirsch (eg Franz Fies)
500g top-quality dark chocolate (such as Amedei's Toscano Black 66%) 150g groundnu
t oil
Line a 5cm-deep, 9cm x 19cm loaf tin with clingfilm. Now make the chocolate gana
che.
Chocolate Ganache:
95ml whipping cream
1 tsp glucose syrup
Pinch of table salt
95g top-quality dark chocolate (such as Amedei's Porcelana)
20g unsalted butter, diced
1. Gently heat the cream, glucose syrup and salt. Break the chocolate into a bow
l, then stir in the warm cream. When the chocolate has melted entirely, add the
butter and stir until that too has melted. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag a
nd place it in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up.
2. Meanwhile, if need be, trim the madeleine base so that it will fit the bottom
of the loaf tin, with a 5mm gap between it and the sides of the tin. Trim the f
lourless chocolate sponge to the same dimensions as the madeleine base. Cut the
aerated chocolate to these dimensions, and trim it so that it is no more than 1c
m thick.
3. Before putting the madeleine base into the tin, spread it with a generous lay
er of apricot baking glaze. Put the aerated chocolate on top and place these in
the bottom of the tin.
4. Remove the piping bag containing the ganache from the fridge. Along the lengt
h of the top of the aerated chocolate, about 23mm from the edge, pipe a thick lin
e of ganache. Repeat on the other side. (Looked at from above, the rectangle of
aerated chocolate should now have two stripes of ganache, each running parallel
to the longer edges.)
5. Drain the cherries and reserve the syrup. Fill the gap between the two lines
of ganache with a double row of cherries. (The idea is that every person is serv
ed a slice containing a pair of cherries, so calculate the number you'll need acco
rdingly and be sure to space them well. Keep in mind roughly where you've placed t
hem you'll need to know later.)
6. Mix 60ml of the reserved cherry syrup with the kirsch. Dip the chocolate spon
ge in this soaking syrup, then position it on top of the ganache and cherries.
7. Remove the kirsch cream from the freezer and trim it to the same dimensions a
s the other layers. Manoeuvre it on top of the chocolate sponge, using a palette
knife or fish slice. Put the gateau in the freezer while you prepare the chocol
ate mousse.
Chocolate Mousse
4 egg yolks (80g)
200g unrefined caster sugar
100ml whole milk
150g top-quality dark chocolate (such as Amedei's Chuao)
Generous pinch of table salt
200ml whipping cream
1. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar for 5 minutes, until white and thick. (A fo
od mixer with a paddle attachment can be used for this.)
2. Gently warm the milk in a small pan. Remove it from the heat and stir in the
beaten egg yolks. Return to a medium heat and cook for 23 minutes, stirring frequ
ently. Use a digital probe to monitor when the temperature of the mixture reache
s 80C/175F, then remove from the heat.
3. Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a medium-sized bowl. Pour the warm
milk and eggs over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted. Add th
e salt and leave to cool.
4. Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold the cream into the cooled chocolat
e mixture.
5. Remove the gateau from the freezer.
Make sure the clingfilm is taut against the sides of the tin. Pour the chocolate
mousse down the sides of the tin until it reaches a level 1cm above the kirsch
cream layer. Return the gateau to the freezer and leave it for at least an hour,
to firm up the layer of mousse.
6. Using a melon-baller, scoop out a double row of indentations along the gateau
. (Ideally, they should be above the cherries that were added earlier.) Return t
he gateau to the freezer for a least an hour: it needs to be properly frozen in
order to get the right effect with the chocolate coating.
7. For the coating, break the chocolate into chunks and place in a small glass b
owl. Melt the chocolate by placing the bowl over a pan of simmering water, or by
heating it at high power in a microwave for about 2 minutes. Leave to cool slig
htly before stirring in the groundnut oil. (If you don't plan to coat the cake wit
h the paint gun, take 100g of this chocolate, cut it into shavings and scatter o
ver the cake just before serving.)
8. Fill the base of the paint gun with the melted chocolate mixture and attach t
he nozzle. To avoid redecorating the kitchen in chocolate brown, set the large c
ardboard box on its side (which effectively provides a protective roof and walls
to work in). Remove the gateau from the freezer. Carefully lift it out of the l
oaf tin and onto a plate. Remove the clingfilm and place the gateau in the cardb
oard box. Spray the gateau with the chocolate, turning carefully as you go. Retu
rn it to the freezer until 20 minutes before serving.
9. Use a skewer to bore a small hole 23in into the centre of the bottom of each i
ndentation, down towards the cherry below. Agitate the skewer a little to increa
se the hole's diameter. Pour in cherry syrup until it reaches the top of the bore-
hole (but doesn't spill out into the indentation itself). Place a sour cherry, sta
lk end up, in each indentation, and sit a dried vanilla pod in each cherry, to m
ake a decorative stalk. For the full effect, fill an atomiser with kirsch and sq
uirt it round the room just before serving the gateau it will magically bring a
little of the Black Forest to the dinner table.