These are kicking off crazy Willy Wonka vibes and are BY FAR the most complicated recipe I've ever made as well as one of the most time consuming. You know what though, it's worth it. They look suuuuuper cool and they taste exactly the way you want them to taste. Designate a random day a Special Occasion and make these for yourself because you def deserve it right now.
Ingredients are listed in the order they appear in the recipe and anything that requires prep is in bold. Ingredients are bolded in the directions when you first encounter them as well as when they are reintroduced after being set aside. All ingredients are Capitalized.
Source recipes: Love and Olive Oil
INGREDIENTS:
Blueberry Gelee:
1 ½ cups (8 ounces) Blueberries
¼ cup Granulated Sugar, divided
3 teaspoons Lemon Juice, divided
1 ½ sheets Leaf Gelatin, bloomed
2 tablespoons Water, plus more for blooming gelatin
Cake:
4 Eggs separated, room temperature
½ cup granulated Sugar
1 ½ cups Almond Flour
Mousse:
3 sheets Leaf Gelatin, bloomed
½ cup Blueberry Purée*
½ cup Mascarpone Cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup Granulated Sugar
½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
¼ teaspoon Almond Extract
pinch Fine Sea Salt
¾ cup Whipping Cream
Mirror Glaze:
6 sheets Leaf Gelatin, bloomed
7 ounces White Chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup Sugar
⅔ cup Corn Syrup or glucose syrup
½ cup Water
½ cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
Food Coloring as desired
TOOLS:
Blender or Food Processor
Silicone Half Dome Mold
-Small
-Mini
Electric Hand Mixer
Instant Read Thermometer
2 in. Canning Jars or other Small Stands
DIRECTIONS:
To make the Blueberry Gelée (*Blueberry Puree):
Combine 1 ½ cups Blueberries, 2 Tbs Sugar, and 1 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, smashing berries slightly as you stir, until Blueberries are softened and bursting.
Transfer to a Blender or Food Processor and purée until completely smooth. You should have 1 cup of Blueberry Purée.
Measure out ½ cup of Purée and place back into saucepan. Put the remainder in a jar or airtight container and refrigerate it for later (you will need it for the Blueberry Mousse).
Cut 1 ½ Gelatin Sheets into 1-inch strips and submerge in cool water for at least 5 minutes to soften. If using powdered gelatin, sprinkle 1 ½ tsp over 2 Tbs of cool water.
Add remaining 2 Tbs Sugar and 1 ½ tsp Lemon Juice, along with 2 Tbs Water to saucepan with Purée. Heat until it just barely begins to bubble.
Wring out softened Gelatin with your hands, squeezing out as much water as you can (for powdered gelatin, just add it straight to the pan, liquid and all). Add to saucepan with warm Blueberry Mixture and whisk until completely dissolved.
Pour Blueberry Mixture into 1-inch silicone sphere molds. Refrigerate overnight until completely set, then gently remove from molds (it might help to freeze for 20 or 30 minutes to make the spheres easier to remove).
To make the Almond Cake:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9 x13” cake pan. Line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper.
Separate 4 Egg yolks from the whites and keep seperate. In a large mixing bowl, combine 4 Egg Yolks and ½ cup Sugar. Beat with an Electric Hand Mixer on high speed for 3 minutes or until thick, creamy and lightened in color. Add 1 ½ cups Almond Flour and use a spatula to fold and stir together until incorporated. Wash and dry attachments from the mixer.
In a second large mixing bowl, add 4 Egg Whites and beat together until stiff peaks form (about 2 minutes). Fold the Egg Whites 1 heaping spoonful at a time into the Almond Batter, folding with each addition just until incorporated and scraping from the bottom of the bowl to ensure batter has an even consistency.
Once all the Egg Whites are incorporated and batter is even in consistency, transfer batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes or until top is firm.
Let cake cool completely.
For the Blueberry Mousse:
Cut 3 sheets Gelatin into 1-inch strips and submerge in cool water to soften.
Meanwhile, rewarm reserved ½ cup Blueberry Purée in a saucepan over medium heat until it is once again smooth (whisk it vigorously to break up any remaining chunks left after refrigeration). Wring out water from Softened Gelatin and add to warm Blueberry Purée; whisk until smooth. Set aside and let cool to lukewarm.
In a bowl, whisk room temperature ½ cup Mascarpone with ¼ cup Granulated Sugar, ½ tsp Vanilla Extract, ¼ tsp Almond Extract and pinch Fine Sea Salt until smooth and paste-like. Add lukewarm Blueberry Mixture and whisk until smooth.
In a clean bowl or the bowl, beat ¾ cup Heavy Whipping Cream until it holds soft peaks. Add ⅓ of Cream to the Blueberry Mixture and fold to lighten, then add the entire Blueberry Mixture to the bowl with the Cream and fold until fully incorporated.
To assemble your cakes, spoon or pipe the Mousse into silicone molds, not quite all the way full. Gently press a Gelée sphere, curved side down, into the top of each mousse-filled mold. Scrape with an offset spatula to make the top perfectly level with the top of the mold. Finally, cut out rounds of sponge cake exactly the same size as the base of the molds and press onto the top of the mousse. Freeze at least 3 hours or overnight until completely firm.
Before you make the glaze, remove cakes from molds and place on a frozen cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Return to freezer until just before glazing.
For Mirror Glaze:
Cut 6 sheets Gelatin into 1-inch strips and submerge in cool water for at least 5 minutes to soften. Place 7 oz. chopped White Chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and set aside.
Combine 1 cup Sugar, ⅔ cup Corn Syrup and ½ cup Water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat until Sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is clear.
Remove from heat, then add Gelatin (squeeze out as much water as possible first) and whisk until dissolved. Whisk in ½ cup Sweetened Condensed Milk. Pour hot mixture over chopped White Chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds, then stir until Chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth.
Let Glaze cool, stirring occasionally, until Glaze reaches approximately 95 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. When the glaze reaches 95-96 degrees, add powder or gel Food Coloring as desired.
Remove Cakes from freezer and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, elevated off the sheet using small jars. Pour Glaze generously over cakes, taking care to ensure there are no bare spots left. Allow the excess Glaze to drip off for 5 or 10 minutes, then gently scrape the edges to remove any remaining drops. Carefully transfer cakes using a small offset spatula to cardboard cake rounds or small pieces of parchment paper for easy movement. Any leftover glaze can be scraped up and refrigerated in an airtight container for later use.
Glazed cakes will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let come to room temperature before serving.
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