This brownie torte is the perfect mixture of fresh ripe berries, white chocolate, and dark chocolate. A fantastic fudge double chocolate brownie base, topped with slightly sour cherry jelly that’s bursting with summer flavours, and adorned with a light raspberry white chocolate mousse. By far the most fragrant and flavourful cake you can serve all summer.
One note I have regards the gelatine – I used the bronze gelatine sheets (140 bloom), so if you use stronger gelatine (225 or even 300), please adjust the amounts according to the package directions, because if you use too much gelatine, the mousse will be not as light and airy and the jelly layer will turn into a gummy candy.
Ingredients
For the fudge brownie base
200 grams dark chocolate
120 grams unsalted butter
200 grams granulated sugar
3 medium eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
120 grams plain flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
For the cherry jelly
300 grams fresh cherries, pitted
100 grams sugar
120 ml cold water
5 sheets leaf gelatine
For the raspberry mousse
500 grams fresh raspberries
100 grams sugar
100 grams real white chocolate
400 ml double cream
5 sheets leaf gelatine
Preparation
To make the fudge brownie base, chop up the dark chocolate, and dice the butter. Place them in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, over medium heat, and keep stirring until they are completely melted and blended. Remove the pan from the heat and add sugar. Whisk briefly, then proceed to add the eggs, one at a time, whisking very well after each egg. Add the vanilla, and whisk once more. Finally, sift in the plain flour and unsweetened cocoa powder, and fold them in very gently. Do not overmix the batter, because the brownie will be tough when baked. It should take about 25 spatula strokes.
Grease the base and sides of a round cake pan (23 cm; 9”), place a round of baking paper on the bottom of the pan, and grease the paper lightly. Pour in the batter, and bake in a preheated oven, at 180°C (350°F), for about 15-18 minutes. Check them carefully with a toothpick to make sure they are done, but not overbaked. Once baked, remove the pan from the oven, let it cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan, place it on a cake platter, and close the cake ring around it.
For the cherry jelly, start by roughly dicing the cherries, and keeping all the liquid they release. Place them in a pan, and sprinkle in the sugar. Let them sit for about an hour or two, to soften up, and release more liquid. When they are softer, strain them carefully, and place them in a double bottomed saucepan. Measure the released cherry juice, and pour 120 ml of it over the cherries in the saucepan. Add 120 ml of cold water, and place the saucepan over medium high heat. In the same time, soak the sheets of gelatine in cold water, to soften up.
Once the cherries are bubbling, keep cooking and stirring for about 10 minutes, until they further soften, and the liquid reduces by almost half. Remove from the heat, and take the softened gelatine sheets out of the water, wring them very gently to remove excess water, then add them to the cherry mixture. Mix until they are dissolved, then set the pan in a cool place until the liquid starts to set (about 30 minutes in the refrigerator should be enough). Once it starts to set, carefully pour it over the brownie base, level it, and place the entire cake platter in the refrigerator.
For the raspberry and white chocolate mousse, place the fresh raspberries in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, sprinkle the sugar over them, then place them over medium high heat and bright them to a boil. Chop up the white chocolate and place it into a deep bowl. Once the raspberries come to a rolling boil, cook them for 5 minutes, breaking the berries with a wooden spoon or a spatula as you cook. When the purée is ready, remove them from the heat and immediately strain them over the chocolate. Keep pressing them into the fine mesh strainer to remove all the raspberry seeds. It will take some time to strain it completely.
Discard the seeds, and whisk the raspberry purée and the now melted chocolate until blended. Let this mixture cool down in the fridge (about 10 minutes). Soak the sheets of gelatine in cold water, as you did before, for about 10 minutes. Whip up the double cream until soft peaks form, pour in the raspberry purée, and continue beating on low speed until stiff peaks form. Melt the softened gelatine sheets over low heat, stirring until melted, but be careful not to let them come to a boil. Take a bit of the raspberry mousse and mix it in the gelatine, then pour everything back into the mousse and fold gently with a spatula. Pour the mousse over the cherry jelly layer, and place the cake back into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Keep refrigerated until serving. Yields 16 servings.
