Peanut Butter Caramelized White Chocolate Stout Cake
Peanut Butter Caramelized White Chocolate Stout Cake is devilishly delicious Guinness cake, filled with decadent layers of dark chocolate peanut butter cremeux and caramelized white chocolate mousse.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Cake
Keyword cake, caramelized white chocolate, cremeux, mousse
Caramelize the white chocolate using your preferred method, or use a blond chocolate like Dulcey. See this post for sous vide method.
When the chocolate is ready, warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
While the milk is warming, soak the gelatin sheets for a few seconds in cold water. When the milk is ready, squeeze the water from the gelatin sheets and stir into the warm milk until dissolved.
Slowly add the milk/gelatin mixture to the chocolate while stirring. Use an immersion blender to fully combined, then refrigerate for 20 minutes. Remove from the fridge after 20 minutes and blend again, then chill for an additional 20 minutes.
Pour the cream into a chilled bowl and use a hand whisk to whip the cream to soft peaks. Once the chocolate mixture has chilled, remove from the fridge and combine fully with the whipped cream. Do not whisk to stiff peaks, mixture should still be pourable.
Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate to set for 24 hours.
Make the cremeux:
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and stir in the peanut butter, once melted. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Set aside.
Bring the milk, cream, and sea salt to a simmer in a saucepan. Remove from heat, and slowly pour a small amount of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, while whisking. Add the remaining milk mixture in a slow and steady stream while whisking. Once combined, pour the mixture back into the sauce pan and cook over medium-low heat while whisking continuously, until mixture reaches 82C and has thickened.
Immediately strain the mixture into the melted chocolate. Whisk until combined, or use an immersion blender for best results. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until firm, 4 to 24 hours. Once set, remove from the refrigerator and whip the cremeux to a smooth, spreadable texture.
Bake the cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare two (2) 7” square pans using your preferred method. I used a pastry brush to apply homemade cake release.
Cut butter into cubes. In a heavy large saucepan over medium heat, bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer .
When butter is melted, whisk in the cocoa powder until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Sift flour and baking soda into a large bowl, or onto a sheet of parchment paper. Add sugar and salt and whisk together.
Using the paddle attachment of your electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream until blended. Add the Guinness mixture to the egg mixture and beat briefly, just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed.
Remove bowl from stand mixer. Using a silicone spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. (I use a scale for accuracy)
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean - that was about 35 minutes in my oven. Baking time may vary depending on your oven.
Transfer cakes to a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.
Pull it all together:
Split the cakes in two to create four layers in total. Dab some cremeux on a square cake board or plate and secure the first layer of cake onto the board.
Fill separate piping bags with some of the cremeux and mousse. Pipe the first cake layer with cremeux and place a cake layer on top. Pipe the second layer with mousse and place another later on top. Repeat with the cremeux and place the final layer on top. Ensure the layers are well aligned and use some of the cremeux to crumb-coat the cake before chilling for a few minutes.
Remove cake from the refrigerator and apply a thin, smooth layer of cremeux on all sides of the cake. Apply the flakes to the sides of the cake by scooping up handfuls and pressing lightly onto the cake.
Fill a double piping bag, or two piping bags, with the remaining mousse and cremeux. Attach a large piping tip to a large piping bag and insert the bags filled with the mousse and cremeux into the bag outfitted with the tip.
Mark an X on the top of the cake to create four triangles. Pipe from the centre out to the edge of the cake while moving from one side of the triangle lines to the next.