Grand Opening’s Chocolate & Olio Yin Yang Mini Cakes

The award-winning pastry chef, Melissa Chou, of SF’s Grand Opening Bakery, created this sensorially stunning recipe featuring our olios and Guittard chocolates, just in time for Love Day.

 

We are thrilled to share this exquisite recipe from Grand Opening Bakery, in collaboration with Guittard Chocolate. In characteristic style, the recipe is a multi-sensorial delight, as aesthetically inspired as it is mouthwateringly delicious. The cake is frosted with a yin yang of chocolate olio ganaches — mandarin white chocolate and cí cí chili spiced milk chocolate. *Note, Melissa recommends making the ganaches the night before you plan to assemble the cake.

“We’ve created a rich chocolate cake using Fruity Extra Virgin Olive Oil, topped with a yin yang of ganaches using Guittard chocolates - Soie Blanche with Mandarino Olio and Soleil d’Or milk chocolate with CiCi Chili Oil.” — Melissa Chou, owner of Grand Opening Bakery, two-time James Beard Finalist and “Best Pastry Chef,” according to SF Magazine.

Ingredients

Rich Chocolate Cake

  • 76g Fruity olive oil

  • 93g Coucher du soleil, 72% chocolate baking chips

  • Dash vanilla

  • 2 cold eggs

  • 20g cocoa rouge

  • 1T cornstarch

  • 1/8t + small pinch baking powder

  • Pinch salt

    Ganaches

White chocolate

  • 1 c cream

  • 8 oz Soire Blanche, white chocolate baking chips

  • 1 1/2 T il Mandarino oil

    Milk Chocolate

  • 1 c cream

  • 4oz Soleil d’Or, milk chocolate

  • 1oz coucher du soliel, 72% bittersweet chocolate

  • 1 1/2T Cící chili oil

    Steps

  • For the ganaches, *make the night before

  • Fill two metal bowls with the chocolate chips, fill the first with Soire Blanche chips and the second with the Soleil d’Or and coucher du soliel chips.

  • Boil the cream in a sauce pan over medium heat, uncovered

  • When the cream is boiling, pour half into each bowl and stir into the chips immediately, so the chips melt into the hot cream. Continue stirring, until the chips are melted and the chocolate and cream have melded into a smooth mixture.

  • Refrigerate until very cold, at least 8 hours.

    For the cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  • Combine the chocolate and the olive oil in a medium heat-proof bowl.

  • Add water to fill a sauce pan 1/3 full, heat over low heat until the water is simmering. To melt the chocolate, place the bowl of chocolate over the simmering water, resting the bowl in the top of the pan. Heat gently, stirring continuously until just melted.

  • Add in the vanilla and stir in the cold eggs one at a time. The batter will look broken, but stir firmly with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the batter is fully mixed and shiny.

  • Remove from heat and sift in the dry ingredients. Stir to combine.

  • Place four 4” tart rings on a sheet pan lined with parchment. Or, if you don’t have tart pans, use ramekins or a cupcake pan. Butter and flour whatever mold you are using.

  • Fill each tart ring or mold evenly, so each cake cooks consistently.

  • Bake at 350F for about 12 minutes, until puffy and set. A toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs.

  • Cool completely, then unmold.

to assemble

  • When ready to serve, whisk the ganache until it holds loose peaks. Gently fold in oil.

  • Using an offset spatula or butter knife, swipe each ganache over the top of the cakes. Optional: top with a small pinch of flaky salt.