To make this challenging multi-layered elegant dessert is quite the accomplishment, but it’s totally worth it in the end.
This is the amazing Banana Dulcey Entrement, a cake that was born from my love for Valrhona Dulcey. I managed to get my hands on a bag of Dulcey recently and I just can’t stop eating it – it’s delicious! I kept delaying the moment of actually using it in a dessert because I was a bit afraid of failure – it’s a pretty expensive chocolate and I just didn’t want to waste any. I kept thinking what to pair it with for a while and then I thought – let’s just give it a try, it can’t go that bad, right?! I decided to combine it with banana and a bit of dulce de leche just to emphasize the caramel taste and the cake turned out luscious!
This banana Dulcey entremet is a cake to impress! The layers look so beautiful and the taste is perfectly balanced so a slice is not enough for those of you with sweet cravings. Mind you, I had two slices at midnight the day I made it! Surely not the healthiest thing I’ve ever done, but sometimes I do feel the need of being spoilt and what better way than a slice of cake, especially when that cake is as tasty and creamy as this one?! 
You can easily replace Dulcey with caramelized white chocolate or plain , simple white chocolate, with caramel or milk chocolate, but keep in mind that Dulcey comes with a butter, toasty, slightly salty, mild caramel taste that is hard to replicate. I’m absolutely smitten by it! Valrhona is said to be one of the best chocolates in the world – now I can’t say I necessarily agree, easpecially for dark chocolate, but they surely made me fall in love with Dulcey!
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Banana Dulcey Entremet
- Total Time: 100 minutes
- Yield: Serves 10 1x
- Diet: Omnivore
Description
This stunning banana dulcey entremet is a showstopper. Layers of hazelnut dacquoise, banana sponge, and dulcey mousse create a beautiful and delicious dessert.
Ingredients
- 90 g (3 oz) powdered sugar
- 82 g (3 oz) hazelnut flour
- 30 g (1 oz) all-purpose flour
- 105 g (4 oz) egg whites
- 30 g (1 oz) white sugar
- 60 g (2 oz) whole hazelnuts (roasted and chopped)
- 130 g (5 oz) bananas (sliced)
- 1/2 tbsp dark rum
- 100 g (4 oz) dark brown sugar
- 40 g (1 oz) honey
- 125 g (4 oz) butter (clarified)
- 125 g (4 oz) whole eggs
- 135 g (5 oz) all-purpose flour
- 6 g (0 oz) baking powder
- 100 g (4 oz) banana (chopped)
- 150 g (5 oz) bananas (diced)
- 50 g (2 oz) light brown sugar
- 50 g (2 oz) butter
- 2 g (0 oz) pectin NH
- 80 g (3 oz) dulce de leche
- 170 g (6 oz) egg yolk
- 25 g (1 oz) white sugar
- 185 ml (3/4 cups) milk
- 8 g (0 oz) gelatin + 40ml (2 tbsp) cold water
- 390 g (14 oz) Dulcey Valrhona chocolate (melted)
- 450 ml (2 cups) heavy cream (whipped)
- 22 g (1 oz) gelatin sheets
- 125 ml (1/2 cups) water
- 225 g (8 oz) white sugar
- 225 g (8 oz) glucose
- 225 g (8 oz) milk chocolate (40%)
- 160 g (6 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 90 g (3 oz) neutral nappage
Instructions
Hazelnut Dacquoise
- Mix powdered sugar, hazelnut flour, and all-purpose flour in a bowl.
- Whip a meringue from egg whites and white sugar until stiff and glossy.
- Fold in the hazelnut flour mixture, spoon the dough into a pastry bag, and pipe a 22cm diameter circle onto baking paper.
- Top with chopped hazelnuts and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (177°C) for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly crisp.
- Cool, cut a 21cm diameter circle, wrap in foil, and set aside.
Banana sponge
- Caramelize banana slices: melt 30g sugar until golden brown, add bananas, cook briefly on each side, and add rum. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Mix brown sugar, honey, and butter for 2 minutes. Add eggs and mix for 1 minute. Stir in caramelized bananas.
- Stir in flour sifted with baking powder and salt. Fold in chopped bananas.
- Pour batter into a large pan to a 1cm thickness.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (177°C) for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool, cut an 18cm diameter circle, and place in an 18cm round cake ring lined with acetate sheets.
Banana Compote
- Combine brown sugar, butter, and pectin in a saucepan.
- Add bananas and cook for 2 minutes on low heat.
- Pour compote over banana sponge and freeze for a few hours.
- Spread dulce de leche over the compote and freeze again.
Dulcey Mousse
- Bloom gelatin in cold water.
- Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl.
- Heat milk in a saucepan and pour over egg yolks.
- Return to heat and cook until thickened to 82°C (180°F).
- Remove from heat, stir in bloomed gelatin, and strain over melted Dulcey chocolate. Mix until smooth and creamy. Cool to room temperature.
- Fold in heavy cream.
To assemble the cake
- Line a 21cm diameter cake ring with acetate sheets and place the dacquoise at the bottom.
- Pour ½ of the Dulcey mousse into the cake ring. Add the frozen insert, pressing slightly.
- Pour remaining mousse over the insert.
- Freeze for a few hours, preferably overnight.
Milk Chocolate Glaze
- Bloom gelatin sheets in cold water.
- Combine water, sugar, and glucose in a saucepan and bring to 217°F (103°C).
- Remove from heat, stir in bloomed gelatin, then condensed milk.
- Pour over chocolate and blend until smooth and creamy. Add neutral nappage and mix well.
- Cool to 30-35°C (86-95°F) before using.
To glaze the cake
- Remove cake from freezer, unmold, and remove foil.
- Place on a cooling rack and pour glaze evenly over the cake.
- Allow to drip, then transfer to a platter.
- Decorate as desired.
Notes
- To ensure even baking of the dacquoise, rotate the baking sheet halfway through the baking time.
- For a richer flavor, use high-quality Valrhona chocolate in the mousse and glaze.
- Store the assembled entremet in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 500
- Sugar: 75
- Sodium: 50
- Fat: 30
- Saturated Fat: 15
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 60
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 8
- Cholesterol: 100
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I substitute Dulcey chocolate with regular white chocolate?
Yes, you can replace Dulcey with regular white chocolate, but note that it won’t have the same buttery, toasty, and slightly salty flavor profile.
How can I enhance the caramel flavor in the Banana Dulcey Entremet?
In addition to using Dulcey chocolate, you can add more dulce de leche in the layers to emphasize the caramel taste.
What should I do if I can’t find Valrhona Dulcey chocolate?
If Valrhona Dulcey is unavailable, you can use caramelized white chocolate or plain white chocolate, but keep in mind that the unique flavor of Dulcey is difficult to replicate.
I tasted Valrhona Dulcey for the first time at a pastry shop on rue Saint-Honoré in Paris almost a decade ago, and I’ve been looking for excuses to bake with it ever since. This entremet is the one I finally built for it. The butter-toffee note of the Dulcey against banana and dulce de leche is exactly the pairing I didn’t know I was missing. It took me two afternoons to layer and set, and I ate a slice standing at the counter at eleven at night.
Hello, is there a difference between pure pectin and pectin nh, as I can find only one type of pectin in the UK shops?
There are some differences between pectin and pectin NH, but for this recipe you should be able to use either (as you are applying heat).
It is really 22 grams gelatin. The glaze needs to set quickly on the cake.
Hello! :-)
It’s really 22 gram gelatin sheets? or 2.2 gr gelatin sheets?
This looks amazing! After glazing do you bring it up to room temperature before serving? Or keep it refrigerated until serving?
After glazing you keep in the fridge for a few hours prior to serving.