Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake

1. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the soft butter and sugar and mix for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the room temperature egg yolks and mix again until obtaining a homogenous mixture. Make sure to scrape the bowl well.
3. Sift all the dry ingredients and add them to the butter mixture.
4. Mix until well combined and a dough is formed but make sure to not overwork the dough.
5. Spread between two plastic sheets and roll out to 3mm(0.12“) thick.
6. Place the dough into the refrigerator until cold enough to be cut.
7. Once cold, remove the top plastic sheet and cut the dough using a 16 cm (6,3”) cake ring.
8. Place on a metal tray lined with parchment paper and a silicone mat. Press the dough into the corners to avoid any air pockets.
9. Bake for 16 minutes at 160oC (320oF).
10. Once baked, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool down.
11. Run a knife around the circle to unmold the sable breton.
12. Place on a metal tray covered with parchment paper. Reserve at room temperature until assembly.
13. Roll out the remaining dough to 3mm (0.12“) thick for the decorations.
14. Place the dough into the refrigerator until cold enough to be cut.
15. Once cold, remove the top plastic sheet and cut the dough into 3 cm (1.18”) squares using a ruler and a knife.
16. Place them on a metal tray lined with parchment paper and a perforated silicone mat.
17. Cover with another perforated silicone mat and bake for 16 minutes at 160oC (320oF).
18. Reserve until assembly.

1. Using a tabletop mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar bit by bit until a creamy texture is obtained. The egg whites should look creamy and glossy and not too stiff. The texture should resemble that of shaving cream.
2. In the meantime, warm up the chocolate in a microwave for 1 minute and then in 30 seconds intervals, stirring between each interval, until the chocolate is completely melted.
3. Warm up the cream to 70°C (158°F) and pour one-third of the hot cream over the chocolate and mix using a spatula.
4. Add the remaining cream in thirds, and repeat the same process until all of the cream has been added and the ganache is formed. The final ganache should be perfectly smooth and shiny.
5. Add the room temperature egg yolks into the chocolate mixture and mix again with a spatula.
6. Delicately incorporate the whipped egg whites into the chocolate preparation little by little. The texture should be smooth, elastic and shiny. You may not need to use all of the egg whites - only the necessary amount to obtain the proper texture.
7. Pour the chocolate mixture into the remaining meringue and incorporate delicately using a spatula.
8. Pour into a piping bag. Pipe 1 cm (0.4”) of the batter inside a 16 cm (6.3”) cake ring and bake at 180°C (356°F) for 8 minutes.
9. Let cool completely and then peel the parchment paper strips off to unmold the cakes and then place them on a rack lined with a silpat.
10. Using a scraper, gently lift the sides of the cakes from the silpat and make sure the cakes have a round shape.
11. Wrap a 3 cm (1.2”) band of acetate around the flourless cakes and hold them in place using a small piece of tape.
12. Reserve at room temperature until needed.

1. Mix the cream, inverted sugar, and butter and warm up to a minimum of 70°C (158°F).
2. Pour over the chocolate and allow to sit for 1 minute before emulsifying with an immersion blender.
3. Pour the ganache into a piping bag and pipe it over the flourless cake (about half the acetate sheet) and freeze immediately for at least one hour or until solid enough to unmold.
4. Once solid, remove the acetate strips, place them onto a rack, and reserve at room temperature until needed.
5. Reserve the leftover ganache for the assembly.

1. Combine the sugar with the agar-agar.
2. Sprinkle the sugar-agar-agar mixture into the cold milk while whisking vigorously.
3. Bring this mixture to the boil.
4. Pour the milk over the chocolate and emulsify using an immersion blender.
5. Immediately pour the mixture into the cube mold and place on a metal tray lined with a silpat. (You can also pour this mixture into a frame and then cut into cubes after it has been set in the refrigerator).
6. Cover the mold with plastic film and let it set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Mix the sugar, agar-agar, and pectin together until combined.
Combine the apricot and mango purées in a saucepan.
While the purées are still cold, incorporate the sugar mixture little by little into the purées while whisking vigorously to avoid the formation of lumps.
Bring to a boil while mixing constantly with a whisk.
Once boiling, immediately pour into a dosing funnel and then deposit into a cylinder mold (or into a frame and then cut into cylinders after refrigerating).
Cover the mold with plastic film and place it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

1. Place the sables bretons onto a metal tray lined with a silpat.
2. Warm up the leftover ganache until it is liquid and place it into a piping bag.
3. Pipe the leftover ganache onto the sables in a spiral shape.
4. Place the chocolate cakes on top of the sables and gently press to stick the cakes onto the sables.

1. Place the cake on a turn table lined with a silicone mat.
2. Gently warm up the sides of the cake using a heat gun until the sides are sticky.
3. Place the squared sables breton decorations all around the cake.
4. Place the cake on a rack and shave some chocolate on top of the cake using a microplane.
5. Unmold the apricot cylinder and chocolate cubes.
6. Place two chocolate cubes on the cake and three halves of apricot cylinder.