Apple Shaped Dessert

Step into a world of culinary illusion with this exquisite dessert inspired by Cedric Grolet - the apple-shaped dessert en trompe l'oeil. Imagine a velvety white chocolate mousse meticulously crafted into the shape of a ripe apple, concealing a deliciously gooey apple jelly center. This masterpiece is then enveloped in a delicate chocolate shell, finished with a glossy sheen that mirrors the luscious appearance of a real apple. Join me as we unravel the secrets behind this delectable creation that blurs the line between art and dessert. Get ready to be dazzled by the intricacy and innovation of this stunning apple-shaped treat.

Apple Shaped Dessert

Course: plated dessert
Cuisine: French
Keyword: trompe l'oeil
Difficulty: Advanced
Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Make 2 days ahead: 0 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 225kcal
Cost: $22
A stunning dessert

Equipment

  • 2 Five cavities apple silicone molds
  • 2 Half sphere silicone molds ½ ounce/15g 2x15 cavities for the inserts
  • 1 Food processor
  • 2 Baking trays
  • 1 Baking mat
  • 1 Stand mixer
  • 1 Immersion blender
  • 2 Small saucepans
  • 5 deli containers
  • 2 Bows
  • 1 Rubber spatula
  • 1 Dough scraper
  • 1 Sieve
  • 1 Small offset spatula
  • 2 Piping bags
  • 4 Bamboo skewers cut in 3 or 4 pieces

Ingredients

Apple Jelly Inserts

  • 300 g Apple juice
  • 50 g Manzana verde or limoncello
  • 2 g Gelatin 200 bloom
  • 30 g Crystalized ginger thinly chopped
  • 5 g Vanilla
  • 20 g Sugar
  • 6 g Apple pectin
  • 300 g Golden delicious or granny smith apples
  • 10 g Lemon juice*

White Chocolate Mousse

  • 180 g Milk
  • 360 g Heavy cream
  • 6 g Gelatin
  • 5 g Vanilla
  • 350 g White chocolate couverture chopped

Chocolate Shell Glaze

  • 250 g White chocolate chopped
  • 250 g Cocoa butter or coconut oil

Mirror Glaze

  • 14 g Gelatin 200 bloom
  • 100 g Water
  • 200 g Sugar
  • 200 g Corn syrup / glucose
  • 130 g Condensed milk
  • 220 g White chocolate chopped
  • 1.5 g Vanilla preferably into powder or paste
  • 2 g Ground turmeric

Instructions

Apple Jelly Inserts

  • Soak the gelatin in cold water to soften, then drain. Combine the sugar and pectin; set aside. In a saucepan, warm the apple juice, Manzana Verde, ginger, and vanilla. Add the sugar-pectin mixture. Bring to a boil and cook on low for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the bloomed gelatin. Transfer the apple mixture onto a small baking tray lined with plastic wrap. Let cool, then chill completely. Meanwhile, peel and slice the apples. Cut them into batonnet, then into cubes (brunoise). Toss the apple cubes in the lemon juice and refrigerate. In a food processor, pulse the chilled apple jelly. Add about 2 oz/60 g of the apple cubes; pulse a couple more times. Transfer the apple mixture to a bowl and add the remaining apple cubes. Fill a mini-sphere silicone mold and freeze overnight. Unmold the apple inserts and assemble them to create 12 one-ounce/30 g spheres. Keep them frozen until ready to use.

White Chocolate Mousse

  • Soak the gelatin in cold water to soften, then drain. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream to medium-soft peaks, then refrigerate. Meanwhile, gently melt the white chocolate over a bain-marie. Avoid overheating the chocolate; remove it from the heat as soon as it's melted. In a saucepan, bring the milk and vanilla to a quick boil. Remove from the heat and add the bloomed gelatin. Add the melted white chocolate and mix with an immersion blender. Let cool to 86ºF/30ºC. Then fold in the whipped cream. Use immediately. Save any leftover mousse for eventual touch-ups.

Montage

  • Fill each apple mold cavity a little more than half way full with the mousse. Add the frozen apple insert, and gently press down. The insert shall not touch the bottom of the mold. Fill molds with the remaining mousse ensuring that the insert completely surrounded by the filling. Freeze cakes overnight.

Chocolate Shell Glaze (Enrobage)

  • In a tall, narrow container, place the chopped white chocolate. In a small saucepan, melt the cocoa butter (cocoa butter can boil). As soon as it is melted and at about 60–70 degrees Celsius, pour it over the white chocolate. Let stand for a minute, then mix with an immersion blender without incorporating too much air, and sieve. Use the white chocolate glaze at 113ºF/45ºC. Place a baking tray in the freezer.

Mirror Glaze

  • Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for about 5 minutes or more; drain and set aside. Cook the water, sugar, and corn syrup to 218ºF/103ºC, and add the gelatin, condensed milk, vanilla, and turmeric (as food coloring) to create dots. Pour over the white chocolate, let sit to melt, and blend without adding too much air. Pass through a fine sieve, tap over the counter to remove any remaining air bubbles, and chill completely. Rewarm before using. Store the mirror glaze for up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator. Mirror glaze can be kept frozen for months.

Apple Stems

  • To make edible apple stems, pulse some dark chocolate with about 30% warm glucose or corn syrup in your food processor until it forms a workable paste, and shape like using play dough. For the leaves, use real apple leaves or make some out of green marzipan.

Unmolding Procedure

  • To ease unmolding, gently and without scratching out the mousse, run the tip of a small offset spatula around the edges of each aperture first. Remove the silicone part from its sturdy base and manage to pop each cake out. Arrange them on the frozen tray, and keep frozen until ready to glaze.

Glazing Apples

  • Carefully insert a piece of bamboo skewer (about an inch deep); keep frozen. Rewarm the chocolate enrobage to 113ºF/40–45ºC. Meanwhile, warm the mirror glaze to 88ºF (35-38ºC). Carefully immerse the frozen apple cake in the chocolate enrobage first. Rotate it in, then lift it up to drain. Once the chocolate shell sets, dip it into the mirror glaze. Let the glazed cake stand on a baking tray lined with a baking mat or parchment. Repeat with the remaining cakes. Remove the skewers carefully, and insert the stems and leaves (attach them with a dot of glucose/corn syrup or melted white chocolate).
    Let apple desserts thaw for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator before eating. The dessert should eaten within 24 hours. Bon appétit!

Nutrition

Serving: 100g | Calories: 225kcal
Print Recipe

15 thoughts on “Apple Shaped Dessert”

  1. Also one more quick question please.
    The video states Limoncello and the recepie asks for Manzana verde. Which one should be used?

    Looking forward to trying the recepie!
    Thank you!

  2. Christian Guerrero

    amazing content and recipe chef as always…..
    if i wanted to spray the red orange color you used for the pear dessert, would it work on this one, spraying last on top of the yellow , to make it look like Gala apples.

    thank you Chef

    1. Hello Christian,

      Thanks a lot for your kind thoughts 🤗 You could indeed do that. Both glazes may also be colored to the desired tones. For example, the chocolate shell could be red and the mirror glaze a yellowish tone.. 🍎

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