Happy Halloween!! Here’s a special Halloween recipe! This is an entremet with the shape of a brain ?? I know it doesn’t look appetizing but I guarantee you this cake is really good ?? It’s made up of a thin sweet crust base, a layer of marshmallow, some whipped strawberry ganache and a strawberry insert ? The brain effect is created with some strawberry ganache and the brains are glazed with a neutral red glaze ? I’ve also added some sugar pieces for a better look!
Organization:
D-2: Marshmallow + Sweet Crust + Insert + Strawberry Ganache (for the inside)
D-1: Whip the Ganache + Assemble the entremet + Make the Ganache (for the outside)
D-Day: Whip the Ganache and pipe it + Make the glaze + Make the sugar + Finish the Entremet
For 5 brains of 8cm in diameter:
Sweet crust:
- 100g of flour
- 50g of butter
- 50g of icing sugar
- 0,5 pinch of salt
- 20g of eggs (half a small egg)
Marshmallow:
- 1 egg white
- 62,5g of sugar
- 12,5g of honey
- 25mL of water
- 4g of powdered gelatin (or sheets)
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- + 25g of icing sugar + 25g of corn starch
Strawberry Insert:
- 150g of strawberry coulis (= mixed strawberries)
- 15g of sugar
- 15g of lemon juice
- 4g of powdered gelatin (or 2 sheets of 2g)
Strawberry Ganache (inside):
- 200g of full liquid cream
- 100g of white chocolate
- 3,2g of powdered gelatin (or sheets)
- 100g of strawberry coulis
- 10g of sugar
Strawberry Ganache (outside):
- 125g of full liquid cream
- 60g of white chocolate
- 65g of strawberry coulis
- 7g of sugar
- 3g of powdered gelatin
Sugar pieces:
- 100g of sugar
- 50mL of water
Glaze:
- 78g of sugar
- 105g of water
- 25g of strawberry coulis
- 1 pinch of cocoa powder
- 2 tsp of red food coloring
- 6g of powdered gelatin
We’ll start with the insert:
1. Hydrate the gelatin in 6 times its weight in cold water. Let it sit for 10min.
2. Mix some strawberries to have 150g of coulis.
3. Bring to boil the coulis with the sugar and lemon juice. Make sure that it becomes very hot.
4. Off the heat, add the hydrated gelatin and stir.
5. Pour this coulis into 5 half-spheres of 5cm.
6. Freeze overnight.
For the strawberry Ganache: The steps are the same for both Ganache, it’s just the quantity that changes. Both need to be made one day before use.
1. Hydrate the gelatin.
2. Mix some strawberries to have a smooth coulis.
3. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie (or microwave).
4. Bring to boil half of the liquid cream with the strawberry coulis.
5. Pour the boiling cream in 3 times over the melted chocolate. Mix vigorously.
6. Add the hydrated gelatin.
7. Finish off by adding the other half of cold liquid cream.
8. Wrap with cling film (it must touch the surface) and refrigerate overnight.
For the marshmallow:
1. Hydrate the gelatin.
2. Heat the sugar with the water until it reaches 121°C.
3. When the temperature is at 115°C, start to whisk the egg white.
4. Once the syrup reaches 121°C add the hydrated gelatin and pour the syrup into the egg white in a thin steady stream while whisking.
5. Increase the speed and whisk for 10-15 more minutes. The egg whites should stick to the whisk.
6. Add the vanilla extract and mix.
7. Place the marshmallow into a pastry bag fitted with a large tip.
8 Sprinkle a dish with the icing sugar and corn starch mix.
9. Pipe the marshmallow to 6-7cm circles. Let them harden at room-temperature for 2h. Sprinkle them with the icing sugar/corn starch mix and refrigerate overnight.
For the sweet crust:
1. Cream the softened butter with the sugar. You must take the butter out of the fridge at least 1h30 before starting.
2. Add the egg and the almond powder (optional) and mix.
3. Add the flour and mix to form a ball.
4. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate at least 1h.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F fan-assisted.
6. Roll out the dough between two parchment papers to a 3mm thickness. Make sure that you can cut 5 disks of 7cm.
7. Cook for 10-12min. The dough should be golden.
8. Immediately cut 5 circles of 7cm and then let them cool down.
For the assembly:
1. Take the strawberry ganache (the one for the inside) and whip it by increasing the speed gradually. It shouldn’t be too firm but it must stick to the whisk.
2. Place it into a pastry bag with no tip.
3. Into your 8cm half-spheres, pipe a little bit of ganache.
4. Unmold your strawberry insert and place them over the ganache.
5. Pipe more ganache until it covers the insert. Make sure there are enough ganache on the edges.
6. Add one marshmallow and one sweet crust disk. Slightly press.
7. Freeze overnight.
The next day:
1. Take the other ganache out of the fridge and whip it by increasing the speed gradually. This one must be very firm.
2. Place it into a pastry bag and cut the end to create a small hole.
3. Refrigerate for 1h.
4. Unmold the entremet.
5. Pipe waves of strawberry ganache over the surface to create this brain effect.
6. Freeze the entremet until the ganache hardens completely.
For the sugar:
1. Heat the water and sugar until it boils. Let it boil for a couple of seconds.
2. Pour the sugar over a silicone mat and let it harden.
3. Once the sugar is hard, break it into small pieces.
For the glaze:
1. Hydrate the gelatin.
2. Heat the sugar, water, food coloring and cocoa powder until it reaches 103°C.
3. Off the heat, add the hydrated gelatin.
4. Let the glaze cool down to 20°C.
5. Place the entremet over a tray with a container underneath.
6. Glaze the entremet and tap the tray to remove the excess.
7. With this amount of glaze, you need to always recover the excess and use it to glaze the other entremets.
8. Decorate with the sugar pieces.
Your Brain Entremets are ready! Let them defrost at room-temperature for 1h-1h30 or in the fridge for 2h-3h.
Please feel free to ask all your questions in the comment section and don’t forget to send me pictures of your realisation on my email address: partage@justonemorecake.com or send me a DM on my Instagram account: blog_justonemorecake
