Chocolate Praliné Marble Cake

Pascal Hainigue is one of the most talented pastry chefs that I have met during my fascinating journey in the pastry labs of the world’s top pastry chefs. As in any field, over the years, close relationships are formed, sometimes colleagues become friends. In France, the separation between work and friendship is more distinct, and colleagues often remain just colleagues.

Fortunately, over the years, I have been able to gain the trust of the pastry chefs and chocolatiers, and some of them have become real friends. I remember the first time Carl Marletti invited Gali and me to spend time with him and his family in their vacances in Biarritz (this year again!), I will never forget the message in which Pierre Hermé defined us as Les amies (friends), and of course, our joint journey to Israel.

Hainigue is one of the pastry chefs whom I am most connected to, and unsurprisingly he comes from Alsace 🙂 I first met him when he worked at Le Burgundy hotel in Paris, then moved on to the luxurious Bristol hotel, and recently decided to return to his roots. About two months ago, the talented pastry chef returned to our favorite region as the pastry chef of the famous Michelin-starred restaurant, Auberge de l’Ill.

So when we arrive in Alsace in August, in addition to the Ferber family and all our friends, we will also meet Hainigue and his family, who are waiting for us in our beloved area. And before Hainigue left the Bristol Hotel, I managed to get from him the recipe for one of my favorite cakes, a marble cake with praliné and chocolate ganache, topped with crunchy chocolate pebbles.

By the way, I love making a nice amount of chocolate pebbles and keeping them for use in a variety of products – tart decorations, chocolate cakes, desserts, ice cream, and more.

Chocolate Praliné Marble Cake
20cm loaf pan (or shorter and higher pan)

Ingredients
Praliné Batter:
90g egg yolks
100g sugar
65g hazelnut praliné paste
60g creme fraiche
85g all-purpose flour, sifted
3g baking powder
30g butter, melted

Chocolate Batter:
80g egg yolks
110g sugar
60g creme fraiche
70g all-purpose flour
15g cocoa powder 
3g baking powder
35g butter, melted
50g chocolate chips

Chocolate Ganache:
100g heavy whipping cream
100g milk chocolate, chopped
100g dark chocolate 70%, chopped

Chocolate Pebbles (optional, recommended to prepare a day in advance):
150g dark chocolate 100%, chopped
150g light brown sugar

Halved roasted hazelnuts for garnish

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius, grease and line a baking pan with parchment paper, and prepare two pastry bags.
2. Praliné batter: beat egg yolks with sugar in a stand mixer (or with hand mixer) until thick and fluffy.
3. Fold praliné and creme fraiche into the whipped egg yolks until smooth.
4. Gradually add flour and baking powder, folding until the mixture is uniform.
5. Gradually fold in butter until it is fully incorporated into the mixture. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag.
6. Chocolate batter: beat egg yolks with sugar in a stand mixer (or with hand mixer) until thick and fluffy.
7. Fold creme fraiche into the whipped egg yolks until smooth.
8. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder, and fold into the mixture until uniform.
9. Gradually fold in butter until it is fully incorporated into the mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and transfer the batter to a pastry bag.
10. Cut the tips of each pastry bag and be careful that the mass does not spill (you can use a clip).
11. Pipe alternately from both mixtures stripes or dots along and across the mold. Yes, it requires a replacement of the pastry bag each time but it’s worth it. You can spread a fine line of soft butter on the center of the cake, this helps to keep the beautiful shape of the cake during baking. 
12. Bake for about 55-60 minutes, until the cake is firm but not too dry.
13. Chocolate ganache: In a small pot, heat the cream until almost boiling. Remove from heat and strain the cream into the bowl with the chocolates. Let the mixture sit for a minute before stirring. Using a spatula, slowly and gently begin to stir together the chocolate and cream. You should be stirring slowly and carefully for a few minutes until you have a glossy ganache with no air bubbles. Keep at room temperature.
14. Chocolate Pebbles (recommended to prepare a day in advance): Melt chocolate on a double boiler or in the microwave, remove from heat source and add sugar. Mix and pour onto a lined baking sheet. When the chocolate has completely hardened, break into large pieces and grind in a food processor into small pebbles.

Assembly
15. When the cake reaches room temperature, remove it from the baking pan.
16. When the ganache is stable enough and the cake is cool, spread the ganache onto the cake in the desired shape.
17. Sprinkle chocolate crunchy pebbles on the ganache, you can also add halved roasted hazelnuts.
18. Store the cake in an airtight container outside the refrigerator for about 5-7 days.

Bon-Appétit
Sharon