Vanilla & pecan

And here is the recipe of the cake I made for my husband's 30th birthday and for which he chose the flavors, a vanilla pecan charlotte! The cake is made with a ladyfinger cookie, a vanilla mousse, a crunchy pecan layer and a pecan praline crémeux. Finally, as a finishing touch, I made a vanilla sabayon that I caramelized like a crème brûlée 😊 You can of course make the pecan praline several days/weeks in advance to save time, it keeps perfectly well in a closed container at room temperature.
 
 

 
 Prep time : about 2 hours + 10 minutes cooking
 For one charlotte 20 to 22cm diameter :

 

Pecan praliné :

 500g pecans
 300g sugar
 50g water
 One pinch of fleur de sel
 
 Roast the pecans in a preheated oven at 150°C for 15 minutes. During this time, prepare the caramel with the sugar and water. When it is golden, pour it over the pecans, add the fleur de sel and let it crystallize.
 
 

 
 When the caramel has cooled and hardened, blend it into a smooth praliné.

 

 
 

Pecan crémeux :

 60g whole milk
 60g full cream
 25g egg yolk
 10g caster sugar
 45g milk chocolate
 65g pecan praline
 
 Heat the milk with the cream. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar.
 
 

 
 Pour the hot liquids over it, mixing well, then pour it all back into the saucepan and cook to 85°C.
 
 

 

 
 Pour the custard over the chocolate and praline and blend the cream with a hand blender.
 
 

 
 Put a plastic wrap on the crémeux and chill it completely in the refrigerator.
 
 

Ladyfinger cookie :

 150g egg whites (about 5 whites)
 150g sugar
 100g egg yolks (about 6 yolks)
130g flour
 Powdered sugar
 
 Beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold in the sugar.
 
 

 
 When you have a firm, shiny meringue, add the egg yolks and whisk for a few seconds to incorporate them.
 
 

 
 Gently stir in the sifted flour.
 
 

 

 
 Put the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a 1cm diameter plain tip. Pipe 2 circles of 20 to 22cm in diameter, and two 6cm high strips, so that you can go around your circle. Sprinkle the cookies with powdered sugar.
 
 

 
 Bake for about 10 minutes at 180°C, the cookies should be cooked but still quite soft. Carefully remove them from the parchment paper.
 
 

 
 Place your circle on your serving dish or golden cardboard, then place the cookie strip all around, making sure to squeeze the cookies tightly at the seam so they don't leak. Place one of the cookie circles on the bottom, cutting it if necessary to fit.
 
 

 

 
 

Vanilla soaking syrup :

 40g sugar
 50g water
7g vanilla flavouring 
 
 Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lightly soak the ladyfinger cookie that forms the base of the charlotte and reserve the rest for the assembly.

 

 
 

Pecan crispy layer :

 45g pecan praline
 30g Jivara or 40% cocoa milk chocolate
40g crumbled crêpes dentelles
 
 Melt the chocolate, then add the praline and spread the crumble over the base of the cake.
 
 

 

 
 

Vanilla mousse :

 2g gelatin
 45g whole milk
 10g full cream (1)
 1 vanilla bean
 10g sugar (1)
 15g egg yolks
 5g sugar (2)
200g full cream
 
 Rehydrate gelatin in a bowl of cold water.
 Heat the milk with the mascarpone, vanilla beans and sugar (1).
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar (2).
 
 

 
 Pour the hot liquid over it, then pour it back into the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until it reaches 83°C. Add the rehydrated gelatin and wring it out well.

 

 
 Let cool to 30°C, then whip the cream (not too firm, otherwise it will be more difficult to incorporate).
 
 

 
 Gently fold it into the vanilla custard, then immediately proceed to assembly.
 
 

 
 

Assembly :

 Some praliné pécan
 
 Spread half of the pecan crémeux on the crystallized crunchy layer.
 
 

 
 Add half the mousse.
 
 

 
 Cover with the second ladyfinger cake, soak it with vanilla syrup and add the remaining pecan crémeux.
 
 

 
 Finish by adding the remaining vanilla mousse and a little pecan praline.
 
 

 

 
 Place in refrigerator or freezer until fully set.
 
 

Sabayon :  

1 egg yolk
 20g sugar
 1 teaspoon of vanilla flavouring
 30g whipped cream
 Cassonade sugar for caramelization
 
 Whip the egg yolk with the sugar and vanilla.
 
 

 
 Put the mixture on a water bath and whisk until it reaches a temperature of about 70°C. The mixture should whiten and swell.
 
 

 
 Let cool, then whip the cream and add it to the previous mixture.
 
 

 

 
 Spread a very thin layer of sabayon on the unmoulded charlotte, chill for a few minutes, then sprinkle with brown sugar and caramelize with a blowtorch before enjoying!