Mirror Glaze Cake

White Chocolate Mousse

Servings: 1

INGREDIENTS

8 egg yolks

¼ cup sugar

1½ cups heavy cream (for the eggs)

1½ cups white chocolate (over 30% cocoa butter)

2 cups heavy cream, chilled (for whipping)

PREPARATION

1. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with a hand mixer until frothy and airy, then mix in the sugar slowly. Beat until lemon-colored and fluffy.

2. Heat the cream in a pot over medium heat until steaming but not boiling, then slowly mix in half of the cream with the eggs – being sure to not cook the eggs by pouring too much cream inside before it’s mixed.

3. Pour the warm creamy egg mixture into the pot with the rest of the cream and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon without dripping off too much.

4. Mix in the white chocolate until smooth, then transfer the mix to a bowl and press cling film into the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill completely.

5. Once the white chocolate mixture is set, beat the cold cream in a large bowl until stiff peaks. Be careful not to overmix, it’s safer to undermix than the over mix.

6. Carefully fold in the white chocolate mixture into the cream, a little at a time, until folded in completely. Set aside for later use.

Mirror Glaze

Servings: 1

INGREDIENTS

300 milliliters water

1½ cups sugar

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

15 gelatin sheets

26 ounces white chocolate, chopped (over 30% cocoa butter)

Gel food coloring of choice

PREPARATION

1. Boil the water, sugar, and condensed milk in a pot for 1 minute, then remove from heat.

2. Bloom the gelatin in 8 cups of cold water for 5 minutes, then wring the gelatin sheets of excess water and mix into the sugar mixture.

3. Pour the liquid over the chocolate, letting it sit for 2-3 minutes to allow the chocolate to soften.

4. Using an immersion blender, carefully blend the chocolate and the liquid, making sure that you are not blending in air bubbles by lifting up the blender too high. It’s okay to go slow, just make sure it’s all blended with as little bubbles as possible, which will show up in the final product.

5. Sieve the mix into a large jug or vertical container to remove any excess bubbles. If there are still bubbles, continue to sieve back and forth. A trick to remove air bubbles from the surface is to manually pop them with a toothpick or to press cling film into the surface and remove the bubbles.

6. Separate the glaze into different containers and color them to your desire. We used red and white for this cake. Blend the coloring with the glaze until the color is distributed evenly, then cover each container with the cling film, pressing the film into the glaze to ensure that there is no skin when you are ready to use the glaze.

7. When you are ready to use the glaze, make sure each one is around 90-96°F, then pour the colored glazes back into one container. Swirl them if you’d like, then glaze your cake!

Mirror Glaze Cake

Servings: 8-10

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe White Chocolate Mousse

18 ounces strawberry jam, seedless

2 round vanilla cakes, prepared with box instructions and trimmed to 1 cm thick

1 recipe Mirror Glaze

PREPARATION

1. Spread the jam evenly into the bottom of a round 8-inch cake pan, then place one of the cake rounds on top. Freeze completely.

2. In a 9-inch by 3-inch silicone round cake mold, pour ⅔ of the chocolate mousse then tap the mold on the table to release any air bubbles.

3. Place the frozen cake & jam disc on top of the mousse, jam-side down. Press the cake down slightly, then cover it with the rest of the mousse. Place the 2nd cake round on top, pressing down until the mousse rises to the level of the cake. 4. Carefully transfer to a freezer and freeze overnight. It is vital that the cake is 100% frozen through.

5. Place a can on top of a baking sheet, then carefully unmold the cake onto the can. Make sure to work quickly and that the glaze is already prepared.

6. When the mirror glaze is between 90 and 96°F, pour the glaze over the cake in a circular motion, making sure to start in the center and work your way outwards. 7. You only have one chance to glaze the cake, since the glaze will start to set due to the cold temperature of the cake, so do not pour a 2nd round of glaze after the first one.