White Chocolate Hazelnuts Dacquoise Cake is a recipe for a hazelnut dacquoise cake with white chocolate mousse, strawberry compote, and pistachios, all covered in a white chocolate glaze and decorated with berries and edible gold.
This cake is part of my collection of cakes and entremets on the blog. If you enjoy these types of cakes, you might also like this Walnut Meringue Cake With Dark Chocolate Mousse. My No Bake Orange Mousse Cake is the perfect cake for the holidays, while this Chocolate Mousse and Praline Entremet is perfect for any big celebration.
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Discover the Magic of This Recipe
I love entremets. They are elegant, always creamy, with layers that surprise the eye and the taste buds.
Very different from regular layered cakes, entremets are considered high-end desserts in America. They are not necessarily complicated to make, but they do take some time and a little bit of experience to complete due to the multiple layers involved.
This cake looks and tastes fancy, but with a little bit of patience and skill, you can make a wonderful cake that everyone will love.
I made this cake the other day: a hazelnut dacquoise cake with white chocolate mousse and a strawberry compote insertion with pistachios, all covered in a white chocolate glaze and decorated with fresh berries and edible gold sprinkles.
The cake is made in an 8-inch pan and has a 6-inch insertion in the middle, made of cake and strawberry compote with added pistachios. It is beautiful inside with an element of surprise!
Ingredients for White Chocolate Hazelnuts Dacquoise Cake
- Ground Hazelnuts: These add a rich, nutty flavor and a slightly coarse texture to the dacquoise cake, providing structure to a delicious base.
- All-Purpose Flour: A staple in baking, this flour helps bind the ingredients together and gives the cake its structure.
- Salt: Just a pinch enhances the flavors of the other ingredients, balances the sweetness, and adds depth. This is a very important ingredient in baking.
- Egg Whites: Whipped to stiff peaks, they create a light, airy texture in the dacquoise, help the cake rise, and give it a delicate crumb.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed, it adds a hint of brightness and helps stabilize the egg whites when whipped.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cake and aids in creating a crisp, meringue-like texture for the dacquoise layers.
- Fresh Strawberries: These juicy, sweet berries form the base of the compote, adding a fresh and fruity element to the cake.
- Water: Used in the compote to help the strawberries break down and form a sauce.
- Cornstarch: A thickening agent that helps the strawberry compote achieve the right consistency.
- Pistachios: Toasted for enhanced flavor, these nuts add a delightful crunch and a subtle, earthy taste to the compote.
- White Chocolate: Used in both the mousse and glaze, it adds a creamy, sweet, and luxurious flavor to the cake. ( I suggest using good quality chocolate, as not everything on the market tastes good).
- Gelatin Sheets: These provide the necessary structure to the mousse and glaze, ensuring they are set properly while remaining smooth and creamy.
- Whole Milk: Adds richness and a smooth texture to the white chocolate mousse.
- Heavy Cream: Whipped to medium peaks, it lightens the mousse and adds a creamy, airy texture. It is also used in the glaze to create a smooth, shiny finish.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and a silky texture to the white chocolate glaze, enhancing its flavor and smoothness.
- Fresh Berries: These are used for decoration, adding a pop of color and a burst of fresh, fruity flavor to the finished cake.
- Edible Gold Sprinkles: These luxurious decorative touches add a sparkling finish, making the cake look elegant and decadent.
More About Gelatin Sheets
Gelatin sheets are a form of gelatin used in baking and pastry-making, prized for their purity and ability to produce a clear, smooth texture. Unlike powdered gelatin, sheets are pre-measured, making them easy to use without worrying about incorrect ratios.
In this recipe, I used gold bloom gelatin sheets, which I love. They are easy to use and always give me consistent results for my creams and mousses.
If you have never worked with gelatin sheets before, the "bloom" of gelatin refers to its strength or gelling power. Gold bloom gelatin sheets are a mid-range strength variety, typically around 200 bloom.
This makes them ideal for recipes that require a firm yet tender set, like mousse and glazes. They dissolve easily and create a stable, smooth texture without adding any flavor or cloudiness to the final product.
Ideal for mousse, panna cotta, and glazes, gold bloom gelatin sheets enhance both the look and texture of desserts.
Expert Tips
- Use a Kitchen scale: I totally recommend you use a kitchen scale that measures both ounces and grams. This recipe is not difficult, but its success depends on measuring ingredients correctly.
- Timing is key: Start this cake a day in advance. For best results, let the assembled cake freeze overnight, ensuring it sets well and is easy to handle for glazing.
- Please read the instructions before you start working on the cake. It is important to understand how each part of the cake is made.
How To Store White Chocolate Hazelnuts Dacquoise Cake
This cake needs refrigeration. Keep the leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days. If you want to make the cake in advance, you can freeze it without the glaze. Cover it with glaze a few hours before you are ready to serve it.
This cake is elegant, delicious, and perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, summer gatherings, and even holidays, like Christmas or New Year's Eve.
Tools and special ingredients recommendation
- Gelatin sheets
- Kitchen aid- My favorite tool in the kitchen and a lifesaver
- Springform pan 6 inches
- Springform pan 8 inches
- Round parchment paper
- Spatulas
- Edible gold flakes for decoration
Update: I made this cake again recently. This time, I decorated it differently. What do you think?
More recipes to love
- Festive Cakes And Tortes For The Holidays
- Philadelphia No-Bake Cheesecake With Berries
- Walnut Cake with Egg Yolk Glaze
📖 Recipe
White Chocolate Hazelnuts Dacquoise Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Hazelnuts Dacquoise Cake:
- ¾ cup ground hazelnuts
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 egg whites
- juice from half lemon
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Strawberries compote and pistachio insertion:
- 1 ¼ cups fresh strawberries
- 2 tablespoons water
- juice from half lemon
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- ½ cup pistachios
White Chocolate Mousse
- 1 ¾ cups white chocolate (14ounces)
- 4 gelatin sheets
- 1 cup +2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
White Chocolate Glaze
- 1 ¾ cups ounces white chocolate chopped
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 82% fat, at room temperature
- 2 gelatin sheets
Instructions
Hazelnuts Dacquoise Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 340F(170C).
- Prepare two baking springforms—one measuring 8 inches in size and the other 6 inches. Line both pans with parchment paper and set them aside.
- Mix the hazelnuts with flour and salt.
- In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low to medium-low speed until foaming, taking about 1 minute. Keep beating until the egg whites increase approximately four times in volume. Add the sugar and the lemon juice.
- Increase the mixer's speed to high and continue beating the egg whites to a stiff peak stage.
- Stop the mixer and add the flour, salt, and hazelnuts with a spatula, mixing gently from underneath to the surface, carefully not losing the air from the egg whites.
- Pour the mixture into both springforms and bake for 13-15 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the cakes to rest for an additional 5 minutes with the oven door closed.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool. Keep the dacquoise in the springform pans; do not remove them.
Strawberries compote and pistachio insertion:
- Strawberries, water, lemon juice, sugar, and corn starch go in a medium pot on the stove on medium heat.
- Simmer them until the mixture thickens and becomes silky. Let cool, then pour the compote over the 6 inches of cake still in the springform pan.
- In a small pan, toast the pistachios until they develop the flavor, and add them to the strawberry compote.
- Place the springform pan in the freezer.
White Chocolate Mousse:
- Place the gelatin sheets in a pan with icy water to cover them and let the gelatin sheets hydrate. The gelatin is hydrated and ready to use when it is very soft. Squeeze the gelatin in your hands to get rid of the water, then place it over the white chocolate.
- Meanwhile, bring the milk to a boil. Remove it from the stove and pour it over the gelatin and white chocolate.
- Let it sit for about 2 minutes, then gently mix it. Let the mixture cool.
- While the chocolate cools down, whip the heavy cream to a medium soft peak and fold it gently into the cool white chocolate mixture.
White Chocolate Mousse Glaze:
- Place the gelatin sheets in a pan with icy water to cover and let the gelatin sheets hydrate. The gelatin is hydrated and ready to use when it is very soft. Squeeze the gelatin in your hand to get rid of the water, then place it over the white chocolate.
- Bring the heavy cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate and gelatin. Add the butter and mix slowly just on the bottom of the bowl, right in the center, in small circles. The idea is to obtain a smooth, shiny glaze that doesn't have air bubbles when poured on the cake. Let it cool, then glaze the cake with it.
How to ensemble the cake:
- Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the 8 inches cake. Place the cake back in the springform pan.
- Add about ⅓ of the white chocolate mousse over the cake.
- Remove the 6 inches pan from the freezer and remove the strawberry and cake insertion. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake.
- Place the 6 inches cake and strawberry insertion(which should be hard frozen) in the middle of the 8 inches cake over the chocolate mousse.
- Pour the rest of the white chocolate mousse over and level the surface with a spatula.
- Place the cake in the freezer for 24 hours.
- The next day, place the cake on a metal rack. Place a tray underneath the rack.
- Pour the glaze over the cake. Grab the cake from underneath with a wide spatula and place it on a serving platter. Refrigerate so the glaze hardens.
- Decorate it with fresh berries, white chocolate, and a few golden sprinkles.
- This cake needs refrigeration. After decoration, the cake must stay in the fridge to defrost for 2 hours before serving it.
Notes
- Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Use quality ingredients.
- Follow the instruction for the best results.
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