Recipe: Chocolate marsala mousse with gold leaf madeleines

Chocolate marsala mousse with gold leaf madeleines. Photo / Babiche Martens

Serves 4-6

200g 70 per cent cocoa chocolate, roughly chopped
3 eggs, separated
80g butter
1/4 cup marsala
3 tsp caster sugar

Madeleines
250g plain flour, plus extra to dust the moulds
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
200g caster sugar
80ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
120g butter, melted plus 1 Tbs extra for greasing the moulds
Icing sugar
Gold leaf - available from specialty food stores or art suppliers

1 To make the mousse; melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water. Once melted, remove from the heat then beat in the egg yolks, one at a time with the butter and marsala. Beat until smooth.

2 Whisk the egg whites until peaks form, sprinkle over the sugar and continue whisking until glossy. Fold into the chocolate mixture then put into the fridge.

3 To make the madeleines; preheat the oven to 200C. Lightly grease the moulds with the extra butter. Dust with flour.

4 Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until creamy, then slowly add the milk and vanilla.

5 Fold the dry into the egg mixture, while adding the melted butter so all ingredients gently combine. Three quarter fill the moulds with the mixture then bake for 10 minutes. Let cool before dusting with icing sugar.

6 Use a tablespoon dipped in hot water to scoop out the mousse into a quenelle or a ball as desired and top with flakes of gold leaf. Serve alongside the madeleines.