Passionfruit & milk chocolate Christmas log

10 December 2020

Third Christmas log recipe this year, with an association that I love and that I discovered a long time ago at Pierre Hermé : milk chocolate and passion fruit, or mogador. I love the macarons of the same name, so I decided to go with a macaron base for my log, and I used Pierre Hermé's ganache recipe which I used as an insert. On top of that, there is a Jivara milk chocolate crispy layer, a Valrhona inspiration passion mousse and a Jivara whipped ganache. For decoration, as I often do fast, I used a bomb of chocolate velvet icing, but you can also leave the ganache as is and decorate it with the macaroon shells. As always with this style of cake, you can easily prepare it several days in advance and keep it in the freezer, to take it out a few hours before tasting it.

Prep time : 1h30 + cooking, freezing and defrosting time
For a 25cm Christmas log :

Passion fruit & milk chocolate ganache :

150g milk chocolate (Jivara by Valrhona)

67g passion fruit puree

28g butter

Melt your chocolate in a double boiler.

Bring the passionfruit puree to a boil, then pour it in three times over the melted chocolate, mixing well with a maryse at each addition.

You should obtain a very smooth and shiny ganache.

Add the butter and, if necessary, mix the ganache with a hand blender.

Pour the ganache into the insert mould and place in the freezer until completely set.

Cocoa macaron :

128g powdered sugar

128g almond powder

47g egg whites (1) at room temperature

47g egg whites (2) at room temperature

32g water

128g caster sugar

QS unsweetened cocoa powder

QS yellow colorant for the decorating macarons

You will have too much macaron dough, but it is difficult to make a smaller quantity of meringue and therefore macarons ; this is the opportunity to treat yourself while waiting to taste the log ;)

Sift the powdered sugar and almond powder, then add the egg whites (1), mixing well.

Next, prepare the Italian meringue : make a syrup with the water and caster sugar. When it reaches 110°C, start beating the egg whites (2). When the syrup reaches 118°C, pour it in a trickle over the egg whites and continue beating until you obtain a shiny meringue.

Take half of the Italian meringue and pour it into the first mixture.

When the mixture is homogeneous, add the rest of the Italian meringue, mixing with a maryse.

Then, take a few spoonfuls of dough to set aside.

In the large quantity, add cocoa powder. In the small one, a bit of yellow colorant. The two doughs must then be loosened so that they are homogeneous and flexible, but above all not liquid ; they must form a ribbon.

Put the macaron doughs in two piping bags with plain tips, then pipe a 19x8cm rectangle on a baking sheet covered with baking paper with the cocoa pdoughaste. Pipe mini shells with the yellow dough. Sprinkle with cocoa powder, then let it crust at room temperature until the paste no longer sticks when you put your finger on it.

Bake in the preheated oven at 140°C for approx. 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool before paking off the baking paper.

Milk chocolate crispy layer :

50g praliné

30g milk chocolate

40g crêpes dentelles

Melt the chocolate, then add the praliné and crumbled crêpes dentelles.

Spread it thinly between two sheets of baking paper and put it in the freezer until it is assembled.

Passion fruit mousse :

180g inspiration passion by Valrhona

100g liquid cream (1)

200g liquid cream (2)

Heat the liquid cream (1). Melt the inspiration passion. Then, pour the hot cream in three times on the melted inspiration passion by miwing well with a maryse to obtain a smooth and shiny ganache.

!!!buchegggmogadorggg17$$

Next, whip up the liquid cream (2) into whipped cream and gently fold it in, using a ganache maryse.

Assembly :

Pour some of the mousse at the bottom of the mold.

Place the passion chocolate insert, then cover with mousse.

Place the crispy layer cut to the right size, again mousse, then finish with the macaroon.

Put in the freezer until fully set.

Milk chocolate whipped ganache :

115g milk chocolate 40%

250g liquid cream

Melt the milk chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave, very gently.

Heat half of the cream, then pour it three times over the melted chocolate, stirring well to create an emulsion.

Once the ganache is smooth, add the rest of the cold cream, mix to obtain a homogeneous cream, film on contact and place in a cool place until the next day.

Decoration :

When the log is frozen, whip the ganache like a whipped cream.

Put it in a piping bag with a plain tip, then pipe balls over the entire surface of the log.

(I left some holes so that I could deposit some macaron shells after defrosting).

Cover with a sheet of Rhodoid, press lightly to flatten the balls, then return to the freezer until the whipped ganache is frozen. You can also put some ganache at the ends of the log by spreading with a spatula.