Ann Reardon

Mocha Dream Dessert

chocolate mocha dessert recipe

 

Wow your tastebuds with this amazing dessert. It has several elements but they’re all easy to make. You could just make one part or, if you’re up for the challenge, make the lot and enjoy the wonders of this Mocha Dream Dessert.This week I watched some very emotional interviews with people who were held captive in the recent Sydney siege. While it was only one day of their whole lives – it will undoubtedly haunt, define, destroy or motivate them. Each will never be the same again.
Post traumatic stress disorder is a condition that can arise after these sort of horrendous events, with some people struggling to function or becoming depressed and withdrawn. Interestingly for others the opposite is true. It’s called ‘post traumatic growth’ – where a traumatic situation drives them to change and adapt, becoming stronger as a person and appreciating life more. Research shows that people who experience this type of growth tend to have two key things going on in their lives – a strong sense of spirituality and a good social support network. While we never really know what life will throw our way, I’ve found there’s something precious about being involved in a local church and building a strong network of friends – after all, who better to invite over to share this delicious dessert.

Mocha Dream Dessert Recipe

crispy base
260g (9.17 ounces) milk chocolate
60g (2.12 ounces) or 3/4 cup crepe dentelle / praline feutille / crushed wafer cones /rice bubbles

daquoise recipe
224g (7.9 ounces) or 7 egg whites
60g (2.12 ounces) or 1/4 cup sugar
200g (7.05 ounces) or 1 2/3 cups almond meal
200g (7.05 ounces) or 1 1/2 cup plus 2 tsp icing sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
100g (3.53 ounces) or 2/3 cup blanched almonds, roughly chopped

Use a 10 x 15 inch (38.1 centimetres) pan
Bake at 180c till cooked through (approx 15mins)

mocha cremeux recipe
270g (9.52 ounces) dark chocolate
200g (7.05 ounces) milk chocolate
120g (4.23 ounces) or 7 egg yolks
60g (2.12 ounces) or 1/4 cup sugar
550ml 2 1/4 cup plus 2 tsp cream
10 coffee beans

Mascarpone cream recipe
250g (8.82 ounces) 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp mascarpone
25g (0.88 ounces) or 1-2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla
chocolate decorations garnishes

Chocolate for decorations
200g (7.05 ounces) milk chocolate
coffee beans
circle cutters in two sizes
elegant dessert recipe ann reardon

To make the almond dacquoise whip together the egg whites and sugar until you can turn the bowl upside down without it falling out.  Next fold in the icing sugar and ground almonds until just combined.

Pour it onto a baking tray and spread it out all the way to the edges.  Top with roughly chopped almonds.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until it is browned and cooked through.  Leave to cool.

For the crispy base.   Melt the chocolate add the crape dentelle  and mix together well.  Tip it out onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper and spread it out into a rectangle in the same size as the tin you baked your dacquoise in.  Then add a sheet of baking paper on top and roll it out gently to level it out.

Remove the baking paper and place the dacquoise on top of the crispy base.  Place a rectangle frame over the top.  If you don’t have one of these you can make the next layer in a lined baking tray and add it on top after.

To make the mocha cremeux put your chocolate in a bowl with a sieve over the top.  Measure out the sugar egg yolks, cream and coffee beans, you can use instant coffee if you prefer.

Bring the cream and coffee beans to the boil and then remove from the heat.

While that flavour is infusing, add the sugar to the yolks and whisk with a fork until they are well combined.  Now whisk in some of the coffee cream.   Then add that back into the pan and return it to the heat.

You want to bring this up to 186F (85.56 degrees Celsius) which doesn’t take long you can use a candy thermometer.  Or see the video for how to check if it is ready.

Pour it through the sieve onto the chocolate.  The sieve will get out the coffee beans and any little bits of egg that have overcooked.

Stir the chocolate mixture until it is all smooth and then pour the cremeux into the frame.  Then that whole thing goes into the freezer over night.

For the chocolate decorations, temper some milk chocolate and spread it out on some acetate or foil, shake it to smooth it and get rid of air bubbles.

Leave it at room temperature for a few minutes.  Once it is set firm but not too hard cut out circles and then cut out smaller circles to one side of those.  Put a little dot of chocolate onto the thin side and add a coffee bean.  Then gently brush on some edible gold luster dust.

For the mascarpone cream simply add the sugar to the mascarpone and mix it through.  Then place that into a bag fitting with a round piping tip.

Remove the frame from your frozen cremeux and using a sharp knife shave a tiny amount off each side to neaten it up.  Then use a hot knife cut slices of the dessert, it’s a good idea to measure with a ruler so they are all the same.

Pipe dots of mascapone cream along one edge and then top with one of the chocolate circles.

My Cookbook

ann reardon crazy sweet creations cookbook
Stores that sell my book listed by country: http://bit.ly/ARcookbook
All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.

141 Comments View Comments

  1. Hi

    I made this recipe yesterday and I put it in the freezer as suggested.
    I have two problems, can you tell me what I did wrong?

    1) the mocca cremeux is to soft, when removed from the freezer it just melts like ice cream?
    It is just not firm.. What kind of cream did you use? I used 35% whipping cream.

    2. Chocolate, I used the bags with the chocolate bits… When I microwaved it the first time it burned, so that was not a good idea. In an aubainmarie it worked only when adding some milk to get it soft.
    So for decorating it didn’t work out because it gets to soft to quickly. I think this is also the problem with the cremeux..

    The two other layers worked out great, just the cremeux and the chocolate deco..
    Do you have any solutions/advice for me?
    Thank you in advance!

    • HI Miryam, Yes if you add milk to the chocolate to melt it, then it will not set for chocolate decorations. For the cream, Ann used 35% fat cream. It sounds like your chocolate may be the problem not the cream. The other possibility is that the cream was not heated enough to set the yolks.

  2. Hi ann! I want to make this but just not the whole dessert, can i make the crispy base and the cremeux?

    • Hi Zaynab, of course you can.

  3. I made this desert for my family reunion and everyone loved it! Thankx

    • That’s great to hear Natalie.

  4. Hi Ann,
    I was wondering if this dessert can be set in the fridge overnight, and not in the freezer? Would it still be firm to slice? Also what is the conversion of 10 coffee beans to instant coffee powder? I tried researching how much each bean converts to in instant powder and couldn’t find an answer.
    Thank you!
    xoxo

    • Hi Christine, you could set this in the fridge but it is more difficult to get perfect slices. If you don’t mind that, then yes you can refrigerate instead of freeze. You can swap the coffee beans for about 1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee.

  5. Hi ann, would like to ask you whether this dessert can be a little less time consuming? As in can it be completed in 2 hours or so? I plan to make it in a small portion then serve, is that any possible way that can shorten the freezing time? Thanks

  6. Hi Anne,
    If the entire dessert is frozen after being cut into pieces, approximately how long does it take to defrost (or before it can be served)? Also, if I’m using something more similar to the Chantilly cream from your “Best Chocolate Cream Cake” recipe, can that be piped on and then the entire dessert frozen at that stage as well? Thanks! This dessert looks amazing, and I’ve been wanting to make this ever since you posted the video 🙂

    • Hi Emily, If you defrost the slices in the fridge, you should allow 2 hours. Yes you can freeze the dessert with the chantilly cream.

  7. CAN THIS RECIPE CAN BE MADE WITHOUT EGG..i.e. 100% veg ?
    if yes then how ?

    • Hi Niranjan, Unfortunately egg is necessary for this recipe.

  8. OMG CHOCOLATE

  9. Hi Ann. I would like to make quite a few of your recipes in advance of a special birthday party. Can you tell me if the following freeze well, or if I should/can freeze any of their components? mocha dream dessert/ elegant fruit dessert/ white chocolate mousse/ chocolate eclaires/ patterned roll cake/ chocolate butterflies/ white cake.

    Also, how do I store decorations made of royal icing or fondant, and for how long? When I want to use frozen ganache, can I heat it in a bain marie and stir (I don’t have a microwave)?
    Thank you very much. I have to tell you, I enjoy your creativity, expertise, and clear instructions.

    • THi Nava, the Mocha dream dessert freezes well as does the white chocolate mousse. The patterned roll cake can be frozen but as with any cak, it is never as nice defrosted as when fresh. The chocolate butterflies should be stored in the fridge rather than the freezer. With Fondant decorations it is important to let them dry out first. You can’t do this in a closed container. Just put a light covering over them to keep them dust free. Once they are dry, store in an airtight container with non stick baking paper between items.They should keep for a couple of months. The royal icing contains raw egg so it is important to use that icing fairly promptly. Ann recommends using it the same day.
      If you are using ganache, and you want it runny, the Bain Marie will be fine. If you want to use it like frosting, try warming half and then mixing it with the remainder and whipping to get a good consistency.

      • Thank you very much for answering my questions. I look forward to trying out these recipes.

  10. Hi Anne,

    How long in advance can I make this dessert? And how long is the shelf life? Thank you very much!

    • Hi Sky, You can actually freeze this entire dessert. It will keep for a couple of months.

      • Hi Anne,
        If the entire dessert is frozen after being cut into pieces, approximately how long does it take to defrost (or before it can be served)? Also, if I’m using something more similar to the Chantilly cream from your “Best Chocolate Cream Cake” recipe, can that be piped on and then the entire dessert frozen at that stage as well? Thanks! This dessert looks amazing, and I’ve been wanting to make this ever since you posted the video 🙂

  11. Hi Ann, this looks delicious and I’m excited to make it. Is almond meal the same thing as natural ground almonds?

  12. Me n my sister going to try out these

  13. Hi Ann,
    Is there a pritable copy of the recipe, rather than watching the video and taking notes?

    • Hi Phoebe, I am guessing you have viewed the blog above. All the ingredients are listed there. TThe method is provided in the video.

  14. The recipes are amazing and have always been fun and beautiful.

  15. Hi Ann…can you pls elaborate on the crispy base that you used for the choc dessert recipe…..and how to make it….
    thank you so much for ur recipes posts and detailed cakes n desserts….theyre just fab!
    Stay blessed!
    Dee
    India

    • Hi Deliz, Ann elaborates on the making of the base in the video. Is there a specific part of the base recipe you would appreciate clarification on?

  16. Hi Ann, I am so happy i found you.. i want to try this for my grands….. they are so excited..
    they can’t wait for this.. as i told them i will make different ones until.we are perfect at it then we will invite guests.. lol
    I love to see u doing it… it seems so easy.. subhanaAllah.

  17. Aslamualykum Ann
    I wanted to ask daquoise is it necessary to add tartar if I don’t want to add a coffee touch mascarpone cream is the white cream on top right???

    • Hi Maryam, The tartar is used to stabilize the egg whites and is best used. You could leave it out if you prefer. You can leave off the coffee bean if you prefer. The mascarpone cream is used to decorate the top. Mascarpone is actually a cheese made from cream.

  18. I want to make your 3d cars cake, but my customer would like one smaller More just for her son. If I purchased your template would I be able to shrink and make it smaller without losing the detail. Thanks for any help cheri

    • Hi Cheri, you can shrink the template – most printers allow you to scale. But the smaller it gets the harder it will be to make the fondant details

    • Yes Cheri, you should be able to download it and then on your printing preferences, adjust the size to the % that you require.

  19. Hi,
    I just wanted to thank you for the recipe. I had a lot of friends over today and made this for dessert, everyone loved it and I got a lot of compliments. my older daughters were just searching the fridge and freezer to see if there was just a little bit more that I might have hidden…
    It was perfect for me because it didn’t have to have any wheat in it and I substituted any dairy for coconut cream and the milk chocolate with dark chocolate (I have food allergies).
    thanks a lot!

    • Hi Sara, Awesome job. So glad you could adjust the recipe around you allergies and your friends thoroughly enjoyed it.

  20. Hi, can you please write the method in the website? Because I’m planning to make this in school and it will be easier to read the instruction rather than watching it. thank you 🙂

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