Bastille Day: Riviera Cake

Ripped from the Desserts by Pierre Hermè book (p215), this perfect cake is four layers of thin chocolate meringue, lemon curd & lemon mousse. A huge hit at a very fun party!

Flourless Chocolate Cake
115 g Bittersweet chocolate (preferably Valrhona Manjari)
87 g Unsalted butter, softened
142 g Sugar
1 t. Dutch-processed cocoa
2 Yolks, room temp
1 Egg, room temp
6 Whites, room temp

Melt the chocolate in microwave and cool to 114ºF.

In mixer fitted with paddle, beat the butter and 3 t. of sugar and cocoa until creamy. Add yolks and beat until well blended. Add eggs and then the melted chocolate beating only until smooth and satiny - don't overmix. In separate bowl whip whites to soft peak. Add the remaining sugar adn beat until firm and shiny. Fold whites into chocolate. Pipe in spiral onto parchment in 350ºF oven and bake 25-30 minutes. This will make four discs.

Lemon Cream
1 C. Sugar
Zest of 3 lemons
4 Eggs
3/4 C. Lemon juice
2 sticks plus 5 T. butter (10.5 oz), unsalted, softened, cubed

Heat saucepan of water to simmer. Off heat rub the sugar and zest until aromatic. Whisk in eggs and juice. Place bowl over saucepan and whisk until cream is thick and reaches 180ºF. This will take around 10 minutes.

Remove cream and pour through strainer into blender. Cool in blender container until 140ºF. Blend on high adding butter in pieces until incorporated and then run for another 4 minutes.

Mousse
1 3/4 C. Heavy cream
2 Eggs, room temp
4 Yolks, room temp
10 oz Bittersweet chocolate (Valhrona Manjari)
1/2 C. Sugar
3 T. Water

Beat cream to firm peaks, cover and chill. In mixer bowl, add eggs and yolks and beat on low just until they break up, then set them aside. Melt the chocolate in microwave and cool until 114ºF. Place the sugar and water in saucepan and boil until 257ºF, remove from heat.

With mixer on lowest speed, beat the eggs and slowly add the syrup in thin steady stream. Turn to high and beat 5 minutes or until pale and doubled. Continue on medium until cool. Fold cream into chocolate and finally the egg - carefully.

The layers are - disc-mousse-disc-cream-thin mousse-disc-mousse-disc.