Chocolate and Praliné Easter Layer Cake

Praliné butter cream

Heat the 30 g water and 72 g sugar up to 118 degrees (you should get bubbles all over the surface).

In the meantime whisk the egg whites with 18 g sugar.

Pour the sugar syrup on the foamy whites and keep whisking until it cools down completely (several minutes). Set aside this Italian meringue.

Place the egg yolks in your food processor bowl and start whisking.

Heat the 72 g water and 180 g sugar up to 118 degrees (you should get bubbles all over the surface).

Pour the sugar syrup on the egg yolks, keep whisking until it gets foamy and white.

Place the butter in another bowl and whisk it. Add it to the previous mixture. Whisk until you get an homogeneous mixture.

Combine with the praliné paste.

Finally, add the Italian meringue and whisk at slow speed in order to add air in your butter cream.

Add cheery brandy if you want.

Cover with a cling film and set aside in your fridge.

Chocolate ganache

Heat the cream and remove form the stove once it starts boiling.

Pour on the chocolate and cocoa. Wait 1 minute or 2, then mix.

Add the butter cut in pieces. Combine.

Pour into a pastry ring covered with cling film.

Place a cling film on the surface and place in your fridge.

Set the remaining ganache aside at room temperature.

Layer cake

Preheat your oven at 160 C / 320 F degrees.

Whisk the butter at room temperature, the sugar and vanilla sugar.

Add the eggs.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking powder.

Add 1/3 of the flour/salt/baking powder to your mixture. Mix.

Add half of the milk and cream and whisk.

Start again with 1/3 of the powders, the rest of the milk and cream, and finally the rest of the powders. At each step, make sure to have an homogeneous mixture.

Pour in a buttered mold.

Bake for one hour.

Wait 15 minutes before unmolding and let cool down on a grid.

Assembly

Place the disc of ganache in your freezer.

Cut 3 discs for cake.

Whisk the butter cream to make it smooth.

Pipe a layer of butter cream on the first cake disc.

Place a second disc on top, pipe a layer of butter cream. Place the ganache disc in the center.

Place the third disc, pipe the rest of the butter cream on top and on the sides.

Flatten the surfaces with spatula.

Spread the remaining ganache on the sides and flatten with a spatula.

Set aside in your fridge one hour before serving.