Mini Dessert Table

Since I started this blog, hunting and gathering new props has become a new pleasure. I really like spend hours in shops searching for unique and beautiful pieces. Besides using them for food styling, they are also a great source of inspiration. Weeks ago I was in an antique shop in Chagrin Falls and I found a vintage Haviland & Co plate. I fell in love with it immediately.  I started to imagine a whole post inspired by the graceful French rose pattern. So I created a little dessert table with painted cookies and mini cakes.

Recently I bought the wonderful book Pastries by Pierre Hermé, so I decided to try the chocolate cake recipe. It’s so rich and good. It matched perfectly with the dark chocolate ganache that I used as filling and frosting. I made one recipe and I cut it into 4 layers using a 3-inch ring mold. So this way I could prepare two mini cakes. I used gel food coloring for painting the fondant for the cookies and one of the cakes. For the other cake I made a sugar rose. 

Chocolate Cake

(from the book Pastries, Pierre Hermé)

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

9 oz (250g) dark chocolate, 60% cacao

2 sticks (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups (220g) superfine granulated sugar

4 eggs (200g)

2/3 cups (70g) all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°F)

Butter a 9-inch (22cm) cake pan, flour it, then tap to release any excess and tip it out.

Using a serrated knife, chop the chocolate. Melt it in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water; the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. When the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the bain-marie. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment, beat the butter with the sugar and add the eggs one by one. Add the melted chocolate, and mix well, then sift the flour and incorporate it.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake the cake for 40 minutes, wedging the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Remove the cake from the oven and unmold it onto a wire rack. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!