Mirror Glaze Mousse Cake

Ingredients

1 packagebutter cookiesWhole grain. German butter cookies are plain, crisp butter biscuits, often crushed for cake bases or layered in sheet cakes. In the US use petit beurre style butter cookies; for crumb crusts, graham crackers or vanilla wafers. In the UK use rich tea biscuits or petit beurre; for bases, digestive biscuits.
3 tbsp40 gunsalted butterMelted. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.

13 ½ oz380 graspberriesFrozen or fresh
¼ cup50 ggranulated sugarYou can use less if you like.
2 tsp5 gagar-based gelling powderBest weighed. A plant-based gelling powder made with agar; it has to be boiled briefly to set. In the US and the UK use agar agar powder, using the amount on its package because strengths vary.

2 sheetsgelatinGerman recipes usually mean gelatin sheets of about 1.7 g each. In the US use unflavored powdered gelatin, about ½ tsp (1.7 g) per sheet, bloomed in cold water; in the UK, leaf gelatine, weighed (about 1.7 g per German sheet), or powdered gelatine.
10 ½ oz300 gwhite couverture chocolateCouverture chocolate has a high cocoa butter content and melts smoothly for coating and glazing. In the US use good-quality baking chocolate bars or couverture wafers (not chocolate chips); in the UK, couverture chocolate or a good-quality cooking chocolate bar.
10 ½ oz300 graspberriesFrozen or fresh
2 ½ cups600 mlheavy creamGerman cream for whipping has about 30 to 32 percent fat. In the US use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream; in the UK, whipping cream (double cream also works but whips faster, so watch it).

8 sheetsgelatin
1 ½ tbsp30 gglucose syrupA clear, thick syrup that keeps sugar from crystallizing. In the US use light corn syrup; in the UK, liquid glucose.
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp180 ggranulated sugar
7 tbsp100 mlwater
⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp120 gsweetened condensed milkIt must be sweetened! In Germany, condensed milk is unsweetened evaporated milk unless the recipe says sweetened, as it does here. In the US use sweetened condensed milk; in the UK, condensed milk.
6 ¼ oz180 gwhite couverture chocolate

Finely grind the cookies, mix them with the butter and press the crumbs into the bottom of a pan that is smaller than the base of the silicone mold.

Cook the raspberries over gentle heat until they break down, add the sugar and cook until the sugar has dissolved. If needed, add a small splash of water.
Stir the agar-based gelling powder into the mixture and boil it for about 2 minutes, stirring all the time.
Pour the hot mixture over the base and let it cool in the fridge first, then freeze it until it is solid all the way through!
Take the fruit center and base out of the pan and keep them in the freezer until the mousse is ready.

Soak the gelatin in water. Put the sheets into the water one at a time so they soften evenly.
Gently cook the raspberries over medium heat until they break down, adding a splash of water if needed, then take them off the heat.
Add the couverture chocolate to the hot raspberries and stir it in thoroughly.
While the mixture is still warm, squeeze out the gelatin and add it.
As soon as the raspberry mixture is barely lukewarm, whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold it in.
Spread the mousse into the silicone mold, making sure you push it into the corners and leave a hollow in the middle.
Set the fruit center and base into the hollow and press it in so it sits flush and the insert and the silicone mold form a smooth, level surface.
Now freeze the cake for at least 5 hours. It has to be frozen all the way through so you can peel it out of the silicone mold without any trouble.

Soak the gelatin in water. Put the sheets into the water one at a time so they soften evenly.
Bring the glucose syrup, water and sugar to a boil for a moment, then stir in the sweetened condensed milk. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool a little.
After a few minutes of cooling, stir in the couverture chocolate.
Squeeze out the gelatin and add it to the glaze while it is still warm, but not hot!
This is the best moment to color the glaze if you like, ideally with gel or paste food coloring.
Pour the glaze through a fine sieve and let it cool to about 100°F (38°C). It's best to cover it with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface.
To glaze, take the cake out of the mold and set it on a wire rack.
Important: the cake must still be completely frozen, all the way through, when you glaze it! So keep it in the freezer right up until glazing.
Pour the glaze over the cake in one big pour! Don't pour it slowly, bit by bit, but as quickly as you can.
Once the glaze is on, let the cake drip for a few minutes, then scrape the excess off the bottom edge and move the cake to a serving plate.
Let the cake thaw in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.

From German Pastry Chef. Full recipe with photos: germanpastrychef.com/recipes/mirror-glaze-mousse-cake/