Difficult
1h10min
25min
Makes 15 mini cakes
An Original Recipe By Chef Baptiste Blanc & L’école Gourmet Valrhona
Utensils:
- Cake tin (8cm)
- Immersion blender
- Thermometer
Made with the products below :
1. Jivara 40% & grilled corn whipped ganache
Ingredients :
- 100g Whole milk
- 30g Unsalted grilled corn
- 20g Caster sugar
- 125g JIVARA 40% chocolate
- 230g Whipping cream
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Leave to sit for: 12 hours
Steps:
- Bring the milk to the boil. Add the coarsely ground, unsalted grilled corn, cover with a lid and infuse for 15 minutes.
- Strain through a sieve. Once you have filtered the liquid, add some milk to make up for any you have lost so it weighs 100g again.
- Add the sugar and heat the mixture again. Gradually combine the hot mixture with the partially melted JIVARA 40% chocolate, taking care to form a smooth emulsion.
- Immediately mix to make a perfect emulsion.
- Add the cold whipping cream. Mix again.
- Leave to set in the refrigerator, preferably for 12 hours.
2. Caraïbe 66% & avocado soft sponge cake
Ingredients :
- 300g CARAÏBE 66% chocolate
- 265g Ripe avocado
- 350g Eggs
- 140g Brown sugar
- 180g Flour
- 10.5g Baking powder
- 3g Salt
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Leave to sit for: 30 minutes at room temperature.
Steps:
- Melt 210g of CARAÏBE 66% chocolate. Chop the remaining 90g of CARAÏBE 66% chocolate into pieces.
- Use a hand blender to blend the avocado until creamy.
- Whisk together the eggs and sugar until a ribbon forms*.
- Sift together the flour and baking powder.
- Add the blended avocado to the beaten eggs. Then add the CARAÏBE 66% chocolate melted at 113°F (45°C)
- Incorporate the flour and baking powder. Add the CARAÏBE 66% chocolate pieces.
- Leave to cool at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator.
* A “ribbon” texture is semi-liquid. To find out if your mixture has got the right consistency, pickup a little bit with the end of your spatula. If it looks like a ribbon - in other words, it falls backdown slowly, making folds on the surface of your preparation - you have got the right texture.
3. Grilled corn flour crisp
Ingredients :
- 125g Grilled corn flour
- 100g Butter
- 50g Brown sugar
- 1g Salt
- 60g CARAÏBE 66%chocolate
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Steps:
- Knead all the ingredients using the paddle attachment in a stand mixer.
- Spread out (approx. 3mm).
- Cook on a sheet of baking paper at 284°F (140°C) for approx. 15 minutes.
- Store in a dry place. Break the crisp into fairly large pieces.
- Melt the CARAÏBE 66% chocolate at 113°F (45°C) and use it to coat the crisp pieces. Use immediately.
Assembly and finishing of the avocado chocolate cake
- Make the whipped ganache and set it aside in the refrigerator.
- Make the toasted cornflour crisp.
- Make the CARAÏBE 66% chocolate avocado cake mix.
- Put 80g of the chocolate avocado cake batter into individual cake tins lined with butter and flour.
- Bake at 338°F (170°C) for approx. 20 to 25 minutes (until the blade of a knife comes out dry - be mindful of the chocolate chips as they can be misleading). Take the cakes out of their tins as soon as they are out of the oven, let them cool and set them aside.
- Once they have cooled, put the cakes back in their tins.
- Add the melted CARAÏBE 66% chocolate to the cornflour crisp. Place 20g of crisp around the edges of the chocolate cakes and use a soup spoon to give each one a curved lip (see photo).
- Set aside.
- Beat the JIVARA 40% and grilled corn whipped ganache and make a scoop of approx. 40g in the middle of the cake.
- Add a few pieces of crisp to finish decorating the cake.
- Store in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Enjoy.
Does the avocado flavor come through strongly?
Not really. Avocado adds moisture and creaminess, while the chocolate remains the main flavor.
Can I substitute avocado?
Yes. Unsweetened applesauce or banana purée can work as a replacement, though texture and taste will shift slightly.
Can this recipe be made ahead of time?
Yes. The ganache needs to chill overnight, and the cakes stay fresh for 2–3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Which chocolate can I use if I don’t have Caraïbe 66%?
Try Guanaja 70% for deeper bitterness or Manjari 64% for a fruity twist.
How do I keep the corn crisp crunchy?
Spread it thin (about 3mm), bake low and slow, and store in a dry container. Add the chocolate coating just before assembling.
Is this recipe gluten-free friendly?
It can be if you swap wheat flour with rice flour or almond flour. Adjust liquid slightly if the batter feels too dense.
Is this recipe too complex for beginners?
Not at all. It’s multi-step but very doable at home if you prepare the ganache the day before and stay organized.
