There’s something so satisfying about making entremets, it’s the joy of cutting a slice at the end and seeing if all the layers have worked. They also pack the wow factor for special occasions as they look so pretty. This one was made for my Head of Department who turns 40 this weekend, hopefully it marks the beginning of a wonderful weekend celebrating and getting spoilt rotten!

Blackberry Entremet with an Elderflower Insert and Mirror Glaze

Makes: 10” round cake that serves 12

Time:  5-6 hours + chilling

Elements:

• Genoise sponge
• Kirsch
• Blackberry jam
• Elderflower bavarois
• Blackberry puree
• Blackberry mousse
• Mirror glaze
• Decorations: Blackberries, edible gold dust

Recipe

Genoise sponge

• 125g caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 125g plain flour
• 25g butter

Preheat the oven to 190°C and line two 30 x 40cm flat baking tray with a non-stick baking paper.

Make a sabayon by putting the eggs and sugar in a clean bowl and whisking the mix over a bain-marie to 37°C. Remove the bowl from the pan of water and continue to whisk until it reaches the ribbon stage (lift the whisk and the mix should fall back on itself and a trail will be left across the surface that should hold shape for a moment, before sinking back into the mix).

Carefully fold the sifted flour into the sabayon using a spatula. When it is around three quarters folded through take 2 large scoops of the sabayon and mix it into the melted butter. Then add the butter mix into the sabayon and fold through until fully incorporated. Pour the mix onto two lined baking tray, spreading evenly with a palette knife and bake in a pre-heated oven for 12-15 mins. You’ll know when it’s done as the sponge will be golden brown and spring back when pressed gently.  Leave to cool and then use immediately or freeze for up to a month.

 

Elderflower Bavarois

• 4 egg yolks
• 80g caster sugar
• 230ml milk
• 140 ml elderflower cordial (I used Belvoir)
• 6 gelatine leaves
• 200ml whipping cream

Soak the gelatine in a bowl of water for 3-4 mins until softened. Squeeze out excess water and put aside. Whisk the egg yolk and sugar, beat together for 4-5 mins until fully incorporated and has turned light yellow. Bring milk to the boil then add gradually bit by bit the milk to the egg/sugar mix. Put mix back in saucepan and heat until it thickens stirring constantly with a spatula.  Add the elderflower cordial and gelatine. Remove pan from heat and place in a sink of ice and whisk for 2-3 mins (this will help if your custard starts to split). Refrigerate.

Whisk the cream until just past the ribbon stage and fold into the egg mix. Use immediately.

Blackberry puree

• 500g blackberries
• 50ml water
• 50g caster sugar
• 10ml lemon juice

Blitz blackberries in a processer. Bring water and sugar to the boil and remove from heat to cool. Poor the warm syrup and lemon juice onto blackberry mix and then pass through a fine sieve. Leave to cool. The puree will be divided and used for the mousse and glaze.

Blackberry mousse

• 6 gelatine leaves
• 500ml whipping cream
• 350g blackberry puree
• 80g caster sugar

Soak gelatine. Whisk cream until ribbon stage. Put 150g of puree in saucepan and add sugar heating gently until sugar dissolves. Add gelatine and stir till dissolved. Strain and add remaining puree. Fold in cream and use immediately.

Mirror glaze

I used the Lakeland blog recipe for the mirror glaze and it works very well and is more than enough to coat 2 cakes, but it’s always good to make extra to ensure you can pour enough to get an even coat. The good thing is it can be refrigerated or frozen so nothing goes to waste, just make sure you let it drip into a clean tray you can scoop it up afterwards.

To get the marble effect I split the glaze into 3 separate jugs and coloured one pink, another purple and left the final one creamy colour.  When glazing, and especially if reheating from the fridge/freezer make sure that it’s between 28-20 degrees before pouring over your frozen cake or else it’ll melt!

To assemble:

• Cut the génoise sponge into 1 x 10″and 1 x 8″ round and place both in cake rings which have been lined on the bottom with clingfilm on the outside to stop and leakage later on.
• Brush the sponges with Kirsch and some of the blackberry jam (warm it first).
• Make the elderflower bavarois and use pour it over the 8″ sponge and use a palette knife to make an even layer.
• Cover the cake with Clingfilm and leave in the freezer for 1.5-2 hours to set.
• Make the blackberry puree and then the mousse.
• Pour 1/4 of the mousse over the 10″ sponge and pop in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Take the elderflower bavarois sponge out of the freezer and de-mould. Use a warm tea towel or sponge around the cake ring to help pop it out.
• Take out the bigger sponge from the fridge and pop the elderflower mousse sponge in the middle and then cover with the rest of the blackberry mousse. Use a palette knife to ensure an even layer then cover with cling film and freeze for four hours.
• Make your mirror glaze, cover and refrigerate.
• Take the entremet out of the freezer, de-mould and gently brush off any ice that may have formed on top of the mousse.
• Pop the entremet on a small cake tin in a clean tray.
• Make sure the mirror glaze is between 28-30 degrees and then pour over the cake ensuring good coverage. I used 3 colours, swirled them, flicked a bit of edible gold dust over it and then quickly used the palette knife to make the marbled effect. Leave for 20 mins and then transfer on to a cake board and leave in the fridge to fully defrost for 6-8hrs.