Nutella Brownie Mousse Cake with Milk Chocolate Mirror Glaze

A rich cocoa brownie smeared with creamy Nutella is surrounded by a pillowy milk chocolate and Nutella mousse. If that wasn’t enough, it’s all encased in a lovely milk chocolate mirror glaze and finished with an edible gold splatter.

Ingredients:

For Brownie:

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 56g) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (70g) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (35g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/4 cup (85g) Nutella

For Nutella Mousse:

• 2 sheets leaf gelatin or 2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups (355g) heavy whipping cream, divided
• 6 ounces (170g) milk chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup (85g) nutella
• pinch fine sea salt

For Milk Chocolate Mirror Glaze:

• 6 sheets leaf gelatin
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup (200g) light corn syrup or glucose syrup
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1/2 cup (150g) sweetened condensed milk
• 7 ounces (200g) milk chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions

For Brownie:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper that has been gently greased.
2. Melt the butter and vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat or in the microwave. Pour into a mixing dish with the sugar and whisk until the mixture resembles a paste. One at a time, whisk in the eggs until fully combined before adding the next. Blend in the vanilla extract.
3. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir until almost all of the dry ingredients are mixed and just a few streaks of dry ingredients remain in the bowl with the butter mixture. Stir in the milk until it is completely smooth.
4. Pour onto the baking pan that has been prepared. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out largely clean with a few wet crumbs. Allow to cool entirely in the pan on a wire rack.
5. When the brownie is cool enough to handle, take it out of the pan using the parchment paper as handles. Make a 6-inch round out of the dough (about 1-inch smaller than the size of your final cake). Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes or overnight after spreading a thin layer of Nutella on top.

For Mousse/Assembly:

1. To soften gelatin sheets, cut them into 1-inch strips and soak them in lukewarm water for at least 5 minutes. To soften powdered gelatin, combine 2 teaspoons with 2 tablespoons cold water.
2. Melt the chocolate and nutella in a double boiler or in the microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds at a time.
3. In a small saucepan, simmer 1/2 cup cream over medium heat until it just begins to boil around the rims. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin until thoroughly melted (if using leaf gelatin, squeeze out as much water as possible first). Pour the chocolate and Nutella over the top. Gently whisk until a smooth and glossy emulsion forms, starting in the middle and moving in tiny concentric circles, then gradually whisk in bigger circles until all the cream is completely mixed and the mixture is smooth. Add a sprinkle of salt to taste.
4. Beat the remaining 1 cup cream in a clean basin or the bowl of a stand mixer until soft peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold the rest of the chocolate mixture into the cream until it is totally combined.
5. To assemble, insert the frozen brownie round, Nutella side up, in the bottom of an 8-by-2-inch deep silicone cake pan. Mousse should be poured on top of the brownie. To eliminate any air bubbles and smooth out the top surface, place the silicone cake pan on a hard, flat surface and firmly smack it on the counter a few times. If required, spread the mousse into as smooth and level a surface as possible with an offset spatula.
6. Place the entire cake in the freezer for at least 6 hours, or overnight if possible, until it is totally hard. Remove the silicone pan from the oven. If required, use an offset spatula to smooth out any rough places. Place on a cake board or other solid surface, brownie side down, and freeze until ready to glaze.

For Mirror Glaze:

(Mirror glaze may be prepared up to 5 days ahead of time; keep refrigerated in an airtight container and reheat to desired temperature before using.) This glaze is enough to cover two 8-inch cakes.

1. To soften gelatin, cut it into 1-inch strips and soak it in lukewarm water for at least 5 minutes. Set aside milk chocolate in a heat-resistant dish.
2. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid is clear.
3. Remove from heat, then add gelatin and whisk until dissolved (squeeze out as much water as possible beforehand). Add the sweetened condensed milk and whisk to combine. Allow 30 seconds for the heated liquid to cool before pouring it over the chopped chocolate and stirring until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth (you can also use an immersion blender if you have one to expedite this process, just try not to mix air bubbles into the glaze if possible).
4. Allow glaze to cool, stirring periodically, until an instant-read thermometer registers 95 degrees F. The glaze must be at the proper temperature to make a thick enough coating on the outside of the cakes.
5. Remove your cake from the freezer after the glaze has reached around 94 degrees and lay it on a cookie sheet, raised off the sheet with something somewhat smaller in diameter than the cake itself so the glaze may drop off (I used the same 6-inch cake ring I used to cut out my brownie). If the glaze cools down too much, you may always reheat it (do so gently over a double boiler or in very short intervals in the microwave).
6. Pour a sufficient amount of glaze over the cake, making sure there are no bare places. Allow 5 to 10 minutes for the excess glaze to drip off, then carefully scrape the edges to remove any leftover droplets or built-up glaze. Sprinkle some chocolate sprinkles along the bottom border and splash with edible gold luster if desired. Transfer the cake to a cake stand or serving dish and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
7. Allow 15 minutes for the dish to come to room temperature before serving. Dip a big knife into hot water to warm it before slicing, then wipe the blade clean between each cut for precise slices. The glazed cake may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days if kept uncovered.

Note: To use powdered gelatin instead of leaf gelatin, use 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin for 1 sheet of leaf gelatin. Instead of softening the gelatin in cold water and then wringing it out, soften the gelatin by sprinkling it with a few tablespoons of cool water, then adding the entire combination to the boiling liquid to dissolve.

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