Cynthia's Hazelnut Layers

I've always loved Four Leaves' Coco Exotic but it's so mightily costly at $3.60 a slice! I love the crunchy fellutine base as well as the hazelnut flavours. I've been putting this project off for a while due to the haze. But as the skies cleared a little and I'm gaining freedom for weekday nights once again, I embarked on this rendition of Cynthia's Hazelnut Layers. It's inspired by Coco Exotic but I added my own twist to it.

It's relatively manageable as it's generally a mousse cake with little cake layers. It took me about 2 hours in all to complete it and I'd rate it a difficulty level 3 out of 5. 

Cynthia's Hazelnut Layers Recipe

Yields one 5.5" square cake

1 fresh room temperature egg (55 - 60g)

25g fine/castor sugar

25g vegetable oil

25g cake flour

80g dark compound chocolate

40g fellutine

SUPER DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE 

80g non-dairy whipping cream

135g dark coverture chocolate

DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

55g non-dairy whipping cream

40g dark coverture chocolate

WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

55g non-dairy whipping cream

40g white coverture chocolate

HAZELNUT MOUSSE

55g non-dairy whipping cream

40g hazelnut ganache/chocolate

HAZELNUT GANACHE

100g hazelnut ganache/chocolate

1 tbsp unsalted butter

33g non-dairy whipping cream

1/2 tbsp golden syrup

Method

Preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius. Sift the cake flour.

Line the baking tin. I used a 5" square baking tin.

Add the egg to the sugar. Whisk till stiff peaks.

Fold in the oil and cake flour. This video tutorial will better help you visualise how to get the cake component baked.

Pour the batter into the baking tin and gently tap/drop the baking tin to release the larger air bubbles. Bake for 15 minutes or till toothpick comes out clean from cake.

Remove from baking tin and remove baking paper. Allow cake to cool in cake caddy. 

Melt the dark compound chocolate in a microwave over 1 minute intervals for 3 minutes or till shiny and melted. Alternatively, use a double boiler. 

Add the fellutine into the compound chocolate. This fellutine is what gives the cake the perfect crunch that I love very much! Compound chocolate is used here so that it hardens unlike coverture chocolates. 

Mix the fellutine and chocolate well. 

Spread the mixture thinly about the size of the cake ring. I lined a piece of cling wrap as I didn't wanna clean the plate (: Place mixture into chiller/fridge and allow to set for 15 minutes.

This is the baked cake!

This is the Hazelnut Ganache that I got from Phoon Huat.

Melt the chocolate for all 4 mousse in individual bowls. You may do so using the microwave at 1 minute intervals on medium for 2 minutes or till shiny. For the hazelnut chocolate/ganache, 1 minute will suffice. Alternatively, you may double boil the chocolates till chocolate is shiny and melted. 

Whip up the whipping cream for each mousse till stiff peaks are achieved. Add in the respective chocolate and mix well. This is for the dark chocolate mousse.

This is for the white chocolate mousse.

This is for the hazelnut mousse.

This is the base that has been set.

Trim the base to fit the cake ring.

Scoop the SUPER DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE into a piping bag fitted with a round tip or just snip off a small portion and pipe straight lines onto the base.

Layer one complete!

Place the cake onto the DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE LAYER. Prepare a sugar solution of 1 part hot/boiling water to 1 part castor/fine sugar and mix well to allow sugar to dissolve. Have the sugar solution in a spray mist bottle. Spray the cake with some sugar solution to keep it moist. 

Scoop the HAZELNUT MOUSSE into a piping bag fitted with a round tip or just snip off a small portion and pipe straight lines onto the cake layer.

Scoop the DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE into a piping bag fitted with a round tip or just snip off a small portion and pipe straight lines onto the HAZELNUT MOUSSE LAYER.

Scoop the WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE into a piping bag fitted with a round tip or just snip off a small portion and pipe straight lines onto the HAZELNUT MOUSSE LAYER.

Spread as evenly as you can using an offset spatula. Chill in fridge while you prepare the hazelnut ganache. 

In a microwavable bowl or double boiler, warm the hazelnut ganache (product)/chocolate for a minute on medium heat. Add in the non-dairy whipping cream and golden syrup. Warm for another 2 minutes on medium heat. 

Mix well and add in butter. Mix well till butter is dissolved.

Pour hazelnut ganache onto the cake. Chill for an hour. 

Remove cake by using the back of a paring knife to run along the sides of the cake. Alternatively, warm up the sides of the cake ring using a hair dryer. I prefer the first method. 

To cut the cake, dip your cake knife/knife into hot water and wipe dry. Cut with one steady motion taking extra care to apply a little more force to cut through the hard base.

So there you have it.. The awesome Cynthia's Hazelnut Layers. Enjoy! (: 

I'd love to see the bakes or stuff you've cooked using the blog's recipe! Do share photos of stuff you've baked or cooked using the blog's recipe with me either via FB message to http://facebook.com/limcynthia OR http://facebook.com/thebakingbiatch OR via email at cynthia.lim.hl@gmail.com! I look forward to hearing from you! (: