Next up for the Cake Slice Bakers from Gâteau by Aleksandra Crapanzano is the Gâteau Concorde (or Concorde Chocolate Meringue and Mousse Cake).
This chocolate-filled, amazing concoction was originally created by a pastry chef for the Concorde jet that was introduced in the 70's and whose final flight was in late 2003.
The flight on the airplane from New York to London was actually shorter than the time it takes to make this cake!
Oh, did I mention the luscious layers of meringue and whipped chocolate ganache?
Don't worry, it's only time consuming because of the low baking temp of the meringues for 3 hours, then letting them sit in a cold oven for 6-ish hours.
Then after the dessert is put together, it needs to be stored for at least 6 hours.
You know I didn't wait, though, right? I took them out of oven out after three hours (so I could get photos), then we only refrigerated for 3 hours before digging in. However....I do recommend going by her times so that the cake will be perfect!
Here's a shot of a slice after it was refrigerated and set overnight:
Full confession - I don't like baking with almond flour. A great substitute is usually all-purpose flour (1 to 1 ratio) whenever possible, but this Gâteau Concorde seems to need it, so I gave in and used almond flour.
These meringue disks are not very tall (thus being called disks) and they're light and delicate. And beautiful. I just loved the light chocolate color and beautiful texture.
They do come out crunchy, so don't expect a cakey cake. After refrigerating, though, the ganache makes the meringue chewy and the end result is incredible.
This is a wonderful, chocolatey dessert. Careful when cutting, though, as the meringues do tend to break some when handled with the ganache.
Oh, and that whipped ganache. Wow. Rich and decadent, but fluffy and almost light.
This Concorde Chocolate Meringue and Mousse Cake is an impressive dessert and tasty, too! Would be perfect for a nice dinner party.
If you like the meringue in this recipe, you may also like my Chocolate Chip Meringue Bars. They have a thin, crunchy meringue layer on top of a wonderful chocolate chip bar.
Concorde Chocolate Meringue and Mousse Cake
Rich, delicious meringue layers, filled with a decadent, but somehow light, whipped chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
- For the Meringue:
- 6 large egg whites, (213g) room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 C (200g) granulated sugar
- ½ C (50g) almond flour
- ¼ C (25g) Dutch processed cocoa, unsweetened
- For the Whipped Chocolate Ganache:
- 2 ¼ C heavy cream
- 280 g dark chocolate (60 to 65% cacao)
Instructions
- For the Meringue: Put two oven racks equal distance in the top and bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 225°. Line two 18x13-inch baking sheets with parchment paper. Trace three 8" circles on the parchment, at least 3" apart. Flip the parchment paper over, ink side down, and liberally butter the top side.
- In a stand mixer (or with a handheld mixer), combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat on medium speed until fine bubbles form, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar and whip until the meringue is stiff and shiny, but not dry (about another 2-3 minutes).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the almond flour and cocoa powder. Sprinkle half of the mixture over the egg white and, using a rubber spatula, gently fold in to combine. Repeat with the rest of the cocoa mixture, gently folding until just combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to catch and integrate any stray streaks of almond flour.
- Using a piping bag or a small offset spatula, fill the circles neatly with the batter.
- Bake for 3-3 ½ hours, until the meringues are firm to the touch. Turn off the oven and close the oven door, leaving the meringues in there. Leave them in the closed oven for at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours.
- For the Whipped Ganache:
- After the meringues are baked, set and cooled, make the ganache. Bring ¾ C of the cream to a boil, then immediately pour over the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to sit for a minute, then whisk to create a smooth ganache. Set aside to come to room temperature (about 5 minutes). If it gets too cool, it will start to solidify and you can warm it up a bit to where it stirs easily.
- In a stand mixer (or handheld mixer) with a whisk attachment, whip the remaining 1 ½ cups of the cream until you see soft, but structured peaks. Stir a third of this whipped cream into the ganache to lighten it, then gently fold the remaining ganache into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula. Use immediately.
- Assembly: Lay the meringue disks on a sheet of parchment. Cover each with a third of the ganache.
- Stack the meringues, one on top of the other, on a cake plate, then sprinkle the top later with chocolate curls (optional). Create a tented dome of aluminum foil and cover the cake (try not to be touching) and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 2 days. Let it sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before serving.
Notes
An alternative to buttering the parchment is to use cooking spray very lightly. You don't want to skip this step, however, because the meringues will stick to the paper.
I didn't have Dutch process cocoa (and couldn't find any), so used regular cocoa.
I piped a circle of ganache about 1" from the edges of each meringue disk. Then I just scooped the rest into the centers. That kept it from 'oozing' out the sides.
This is a make-ahead dessert, made to impress!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 407Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 175mgSodium: 78mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 16gProtein: 7g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes by Aleksandra Crapanzano. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!
Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.
The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.
It is a new year and a new book - Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes - and our choices for April 2023 were ~
Rich Vanilla Génoise
Concorde Chocolate Meringue and Mousse Cake
Pine Nut Weekend Cake
I used cooking spray too! Your cake is gorgeous and I love that you hurried up the process! It was sooooo good!
Thanks Karen. Just had another piece after it was in the fridge overnight. Wow that's good!
This was time consuming but effortless really. Yours turned out lovely.
You're right Wendy. I was afraid the disks would stay crunchy, but oh my, they melded with that ganache and Wow!