Easter Canelé: dark chocolate mousse with caramel and peanut

The name of this recipe is most revealing, it hides no secret apart from its delicious flavor and its soft, sweet interior. But even though the Easter canelé with chocolate, caramel and peanut might seem to say it all in its title, nothing could be further from the truth. Read on and you'll know what I mean.

Shaped like one of the most iconic pastries of French patisserie, the Easter canelé hides a smooth dark chocolate mousse with an extra touch of caramel, beneath a thin, crunchy layer of intense chocolate. We'll accompany this little pleasure with a bit more caramel, which together with the toasted peanuts will make your eyes go watery the moment you taste it. Bet you didn't see that coming?

As you can see, this delight has everything to be the Easter showstopper dessert. But it will also bring you joy at any other time of year. And if you don't believe me, just make it. The recipe is very easy and the result is extraordinary. Perfect for the biggest chocoholics at home!

Let's get to the recipe, Easter is coming!

Ingredients

• 200 g dark chocolate 70%
• 4 egg whites
• 2 egg yolks
• 20 g sugar
• 120 ml whole milk

For the chocolate coating

• 200 g couverture dark chocolate 70%

For the caramel

• 100 g sugar
• 80 ml heavy cream (35% fat)
• 1 pinch fleur de sel

To decorate

• Toasted peanuts, finely chopped (or your favorite nut)
• Caramel (the one made in the recipe)

Preparation

1. Lightly grease the Le Creuset non-stick canelé mold with a little butter or brush with a mild oil and set aside.

Making the chocolate mousse

1. The first thing is to prepare the mousse. To do this, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.
2. While the chocolate is melting, whisk the egg whites and when they begin to foam, add the sugar gradually in a thin stream while continuing to whisk, until they look firm and glossy.
3. When the chocolate has melted, add the egg yolks and stir until incorporated. Do the same with the milk, which should be warm (do not add it cold). Stir until incorporated and you have a smooth cream.
4. The next step is to mix the egg whites with the melted chocolate cream. To do this, add 1/3 of the whipped egg whites to the chocolate cream and stir vigorously using a whisk until it looks homogeneous.
5. Fold the remaining 2/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate cream in several additions, little by little and with gentle, enveloping movements, using a spatula, until the mixture looks uniform. Chill the mousse in the fridge inside a piping bag.

Making the caramel

1. To prepare the caramel, heat part of the sugar in a frying pan or saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to melt, add the rest of the sugar and move the pan or saucepan with gentle circular motions so the sugar spreads evenly.
2. While the sugar is caramelizing, heat the cream in another saucepan over low-medium heat.
3. When the sugar takes on a golden color, carefully pour the cream in one go and stir vigorously so it mixes with the sugar.
4. Remove from the heat, add a pinch of fleur de sel and let the caramel cool.
5. When it has cooled, put it in a piping bag and set aside.

Preparing the canelés

1. Take the mousse out of the fridge, cut the tip off the bag and fill each cavity of the mold to about two-thirds full.
2. Cut the tip of the bag with the caramel a little (it should have a finer tip than the mousse bag) and fill the center of the mousse with a little caramel.
3. Place half a teaspoon of chopped peanuts on top of the mousse.
4. Finish filling the cavities with a layer of mousse, place a toothpick or a cake pop stick in the center and put the mold in the freezer overnight.
5. Melt the chocolate for the coating in a bain-marie while unmolding the canelés.
6. Dip the canelés in the chocolate, using the stick to help, and remove the stick as you have dipped them.
7. Place them on a tray and chill them in the fridge before serving.
8. Serve them with a little caramel on top and, if you like, sprinkle some of the chopped toasted peanuts.

NOTES

• You can skip inserting the stick, but it's very practical for unmolding the mousse from the canelé cavities. If you find they resist, don't pull to avoid the stick coming out without the mousse. To help, you can apply a little heat to the outer part of the mold (with a hair dryer or a cloth dampened with hot water).
• If you find the chocolate for coating the canelés becomes too thick when melting, you can add a little sunflower oil, cocoa butter or coconut oil to thin it and give it fluidity. If it becomes more fluid, you'll be able to coat them better and get a thin, crunchy layer.
• When coating the canelés, the couverture chocolate solidifies immediately due to the temperature contrast (the canelé is frozen).
• You can also unmold all the canelés, place them on a rack and pour the coating over all of them at once. To prevent them from sticking to the rack, before the chocolate crystallizes, slide a spatula under the base of the canelé to separate it.
• You can fill the canelés with mousse and caramel or not, whichever you prefer!
• And you can decorate or serve them with whatever you like.