French🍰 Sweets & drinks

Mont Blanc Cake

Name: Mont Blanc Cake
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: ~4 egg whites; ~½ tsp lime juice; ~½ cup sugar; ~1 tsp lime zest; ~¼ cups powdered sugar; ~2 tbsp melted cocoa butter or coconut oil; ~200 g pâte sucrée (sweetened shortcrust dough); ~1½ cups heavy cream; ~1 tbsp softened gelatin; ~1 tsp vanilla; ~150 g black currant; ~100 g softened butter; ~1 cup almond meal; ~3 eggs; ~2 tbsp rum; ~150 g chestnut paste; ~100 g chestnut spread; ~1 tbsp whiskey or rum; ~300 g chestnut ganache; ~200 g marron glacé pieces

An elegant and refined French dessert inspired by Mont Blanc, Europe's highest peak. This sophisticated cake features crispy meringue "mountains," a sablé crust, almond cream, chestnut filling, black currant soft purée, chestnut ganache, and marron glacé pieces. Each component combines to balance sweetness, acidity, and aromatic depth.

Adapted from a video by Bruno Albouze

Mont Blanc Cake – Bruno Albouze

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

egg whites~4est.
lime juice~½ tspest.
sugar~½ cupest.
lime zest~1 tspest.
powdered sugar~¼ cupsest.
melted cocoa butter or coconut oil~2 tbspest.
pâte sucrée (sweetened shortcrust dough)~200 gest.
heavy cream~1½ cupsest.
softened gelatin~1 tbspest.
vanilla~1 tspest.
black currant

Steps

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1
Prepare the French meringue: whip room-temperature egg whites with lime juice and part of the sugar until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar, then gently fold in lime zest and sifted powdered sugar. Pipe the meringue into narrow, tall peaks.
2
Bake the meringue peaks in the oven at 220°F (100°C) for one hour. Store in sealed containers or bags. Once incorporated into the cake, brush the meringue with a thin film of melted cocoa butter or coconut oil to maintain crispness.
3
Prepare the sablé shells: roll out the sweetened shortcrust dough into a 3 mm sheet and cut into discs roughly one inch larger than the tart rings you'll use. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes, then reshape and thin each disc and place in the freezer until ready to bake.
4
Make the chestnut ganache: mix the first portion of heavy cream while hot, add softened gelatin, lime zest, and vanilla, then fold in the remaining cold heavy cream. Refrigerate overnight, then whip to medium peaks before using.
5
Prepare the black currant soft purée: make a black currant paste using half the usual sugar content to provide acidity and balance the sweetness. Mold into hemispheres, freeze overnight, and demold when ready to assemble.
6
Make the almond cream: combine softened butter, almond meal, and sugar, then add eggs and rum. Blind bake the tartlet shells, fill with almond cream, and bake for 30 minutes.
7
Begin assembly: coat each baked tartlet with a layer of chestnut paste and chestnut spread. Top with the frozen black currant purée hemisphere and add more chestnut filling.
8
Top each tartlet with a generous dollop of whipped chestnut ganache and smooth it. Crown with a meringue peak.
9
Generously wrap the entire assembled cake with marron glacé pieces (candied chestnuts), creating a textured, chestnut-covered exterior. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Mont Blanc Cake

Ingredients

Steps

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