Last updated on February 17th, 2019
Orange liqueur-dipped cookies surrounding a soft mound of chocolate and almond flavored mousse? YES, PLEASE. Here’s the video and printable recipe for this Chocolate Malakoff:
Thanks for watching! And now, a few notes to note:
“Malakoff” is a Russian name. From what I’ve read, Chocolate Malakoff and its cousin Charlotte Malakoff both originated in the Russian court, back when French chefs were employed by the royal family.
You could “healthify” this dessert, just a little, by omitting the cookies. The mousse is delicious all on its own.
A charlotte mold is useful for all kinds of savory souffles and sweet desserts. I purchased my French-made, 8-cup mold from this online source.
xKevin
Here’s the printable:
A molded French dessert of cookies and chocolate-almond mousse. Elegant to serve, and devilishly-delicious to eat.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup orange liqueur
- 2/3 cup water
- Approximately 24 Lady Fingers or Margherite cookies (see note below)
- 1 generous cup (about 6 ounces) slivered almonds
- 1 cup super-fine sugar
- 2 sticks (one cup) butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted in 1/4 cup strong, hot coffee
- 1/3 cup orange liqueur
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preliminary work -- Place a cut out round of wax paper in the bottom of an 8-cup capacity charlotte mold.
- Making the fortress -- Pour the orange liqueur and water into a pie plate. Briefly dip the cookies in the liquid, and then let them drain on a wire rack. Line the charlotte mold with the dipped and drained cookies, making sure their flat side faces the wall of the mold. Reserve leftover cookies.
- Making the mousse -- Put the almonds and sugar in a food processor, and process until a fine powder is achieved -- about 1 minute. Then add the butter and process until the mixture turns pale and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate mixture, the liqueur, and the almond extract, and process until thoroughly combined -- 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Beat the cream to soft peaks, and then fold the cream into the chocolate-almond mixture to create the mousse.
- Assembling and chilling the dessert -- Scoop 1/3 of the mousse into the cookie-lined mold. Place 2 of the reserved cookies on top of the mousse. Continue layering the mousse and cookies, ending with a layer of mousse. Smooth the top with an offset spatula, then cover with a sheet of wax paper. Top with a plate and heavy can (or some other weighty object). Chill for 6 hours or overnight.
- Serving -- Unmold the dessert, and decorate the top with confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, or piped, stiffly-beaten cream.
Although Lady Finger cookies are traditional for this dessert, I think Margherite cookies (sold by Stella d'Oro in the United States) hold up better against the soft mousse. They are also less likely to break when the dessert is unmolded.
Dianne says
Hi Kevin,
Although I really don’t need to have my mind on desserts, (post-holiday resolutions) this does look very tempting!
A suggestion: Since you’re doing French foods this month, how about doing a video on your Creme Brulee?