There’s a trend in French patisserie for ´deconstructed desserts´ where the elements have been pulled apart and reorganized differently.  And so my log cake was broken down, with the chocolate cider sponge and chestnut purée magically reappearing in some little verrines, layers of different textures and flavours in a glass!  Trifles à la French. You can see the advantages:  no special mould, easy to assemble and great use of leftovers.  Chocolate, chestnut mousse and spiced apples verrines, a taste of Autumn or Christmas in a glass, involving rum, calvados and cider!  Happy pre-Christmas! 🙂You can make these in glasses, cups or bowls.  But I’d suggest mini ones (would a shot glass be too small?) because this dessert is delicious and powerful, with a little going a long way. Which is good news if you have a large family, party or healthy appetite!  🙂

RECIPE

Chocolate cider sponge

Follow my recipe (based on Will Torrent’s in Patisserie at Home) for an intense and slightly salty chocolate cider sponge or use your own leftover or shop-bought sponge, maybe a lighter kind.

Spiced apples

• 15g/1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 to 4 apples (russetts/reinettes are good) or more, to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• half a teaspoon ground cinammon
• half a teaspoon ground mixed spice

Peel, core and slice the apples 1cm – 1.5cm thick. Mix the spices into the slices.  Melt the butter in a frying pan so the apples can be sautéed on a low to medium heat for around 5-10 minutes, stirring carefully and occasionally to ensure they’re all coated in the spices and until the slices have softened a little but aren’t mush.  Place on a plate to cool and set aside.

Chestnut mousse (or cream)

• 1 sheet/2g leaf gelatine (optional)
• 200g/1 and a quarter cups sweetened crème de marron, preferably Clement Faugier (available in Barcelona at Colofruit/Coloimport)
• 20g/1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon dark rum
• 200g/three-quarters of a cup plus 1 tablespoon whipping cream (35%) or double cream
• half a teaspoon pure vanilla extract or seeds scraped from half a vanilla pod

Method

Assembly

You’ll need a little Calvados or rum, and maple syrup or honey.  And marrons glacés (optional).

Marrons glacés (confit chestnuts)

This is a very flexible dessert and you can adapt layers, ingredients or quantities.  You could even have plain whipped cream if it’s difficult to find chestnut purée.  Or just make the absolutely divine chestnut mousse to fill a sponge cake.

Anyway my trusty cake testers (aka friends) told me this combination is delicious.  One said with every spoon or bite you taste all the elements, with a different one deliciously highlighted each time.  You might like to try some for yourself… ?Wishing you a lovely autumn (or Spring!) with yummy seasonal stuff sweet reader!  Till next time, happy baking and eating!  🙂 x

P.S.  Here are the black and white illustrated recipes if you’d like to print them to do some colouring or make yourself little recipe cards.  🙂