Gâteau Chocolat-Menthe (Chocolate-Mint Cake)
Christophe Michalak is the charismatic star of the Paris gâteau scene. His master-class book, called Michalak Masterbook, is illustrated with rocket ships and the stuff of superhero cartoons—in other words, he plays the boy genius who never grew up. A second look, however, and you’ll discover a true and original talent who owns several of the best pâtisseries in Paris. Much awarded, much lauded, published by no less than Alain Ducasse Édition, Michalak is playful, energetic and ready at every turn to flip an idea. He took Paris by culinary storm with his Gâteau Opéra Menthe. The traditional opéra is composed of several thin layers of almond joconde, steeped in coffee, slathered with coffee buttercream and dark chocolate ganache and glazed with even more chocolate. Michalak replaced the coffee with mint, producing a cake that tastes like the very best version of an After Eight. This is the cake for those of you who keep their freezers stocked with mint-chip ice cream.
I’ve stripped away the hours of arduous and intricate labor and simply run with the idea, but the flavor is fantastic. Mint appears in three places in this chocolate-mint cake recipe. The soaking syrup is infused with fresh mint leaves, the Chantilly is infused with either a little crème de menthe liqueur or a little more of the mint soaking syrup and the cake is decorated with candied mint leaves. The quality and freshness of the mint is key. If you don’t have access to really fragrant and fresh mint or want a shortcut, Woodford Reserve and Sonoma Syrup Co. both make mint syrups that are easily found online. Either can be used both to steep the génoise and perfume the cream.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘Gateau’ by Aleksandra Crapanzano. Buy the full book on Amazon.
Ingredients
Makes 1 cake
For the Chocolate Génoise
For the Mint Soaking Syrup
For the Candied Mint Leaves
For the Mint Chantilly
For the Whipped Chocolate Ganache
Preparation
Make the Chocolate Génoise
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment.
Step 2
Melt the butter and pour it into a heatproof bowl, leaving the milky solids behind. Set aside somewhere warm.
Step 3
In a stand mixer or using handheld electric beaters, whisk the egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Add the sugar and the salt and continue to whisk until they form firm, but not dry, peaks.
Step 4
In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks until homogenous. Add the chocolate extract, if using. Pour this mixture over the egg whites and, using a rubber spatula, fold to incorporate. Set a sieve over the mixing bowl and sift the cornstarch, cake flour and cocoa powder onto the eggs. Fold these in until no streaks remain. Fold about half a cup of batter into the melted butter, then fold this butter mixture back into the batter.
Step 5
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until the surface springs back when touched and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Set on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before unmolding.
Make the Mint Soaking Syrup
Step 6
Bring the water and sugar to a simmer over low heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and add the mint leaves. Allow to steep for around 20 minutes before removing the mint.
Make the Candied Mint Leaves
Step 7
Place the egg whites in one bowl and the confectioners’ sugar in another. Dip each mint leaf into the egg whites, then hold the leaf above the bowl for a few seconds to let any excess egg drip off. Next, dip the leaf into the sugar. Give it a little shake to let any excess fall away. Place the leaf on a parchment-lined baking sheet and set aside to dry. If your kitchen is hot or humid, place in an oven on the lowest setting and turn off the oven. Let the leaves dry out as the oven cools.
Make the Mint Chantilly
Step 8
In a stand mixer or using handheld electric beaters, whip the cream until it is billowy. Sprinkle with the confectioners’ sugar and whisk to incorporate. Drizzle with whatever source of mint you are using and whisk to incorporate.
Make the Whipped Chocolate Ganache
Step 9
Bring ¾ cup of the cream to a boil and immediately pour over the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to melt for a minute, then whisk to create a smooth ganache. Set aside to come to room temperature. This shouldn’t take more than about 10 minutes. If it gets too cold, it will start to solidify, which you don’t want. If that happens, warm it up a tiny bit—just enough that it stirs easily.
Step 10
In a stand mixer or using handheld electric beaters, whip the remaining cream until you see soft, but structured, peaks. Stir a third of this whipped cream into the ganache to lighten it, then fold the remaining ganache into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula. Use immediately.
Assemble
Step 11
Slice génoise into two horizontally. Brush both halves of the génoise with the mint syrup. Allow to absorb. Repeat. And repeat a third time. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Step 12
Slather the bottom layer with the whipped chocolate ganache. Cover with the top layer. Ice this with ganache. Decorate by creating a border of candied mint leaves.
Step 13
Serve with a generous dollop of the mint Chantilly.
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