Chocolate & Chestnut Pine Cone

It's up to you.

9 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Preparing a stable dish

   Choose a flat dish that goes into the refrigerator and cover it with a strip of baking paper. Weigh 350 g of four quarters and crumble it by hand in a bowl, without leaving large blocks. The crumbs should be fine but not powdered.

2. Linking the heart to the chestnut

   Add the 250 g of chestnut cream. Mix with the spatula and press gently by hand until you get a dough that fits in a ball. Mentally divides the mass into three: the widest part will form the base, not a sharp and fragile top.

3. Shaping a low pine cone

   Put the preparation on the plate. Shapes an oval of 18 x 12 cm, about 10 cm high in the center. Round one end and tape the other slightly. Keep the underside flat: the pine cone will be lying down, as on the floor. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Prepare the chocolate glue

   Chop 150 g of dark chocolate. Heat the 100 g of liquid cream to small bubbles at the edge. Pour it over the chocolate, wait 1 minute and then stir from the center to the edges. Let thicken for 20 to 30 minutes: the ganache should stand on a spoon.

5. Choose the scales

   Spread the 140 g of cereal into petals on a plate. Keep the largest and most regular for the center rows and the small ones for the ends. Do not break the petals to make them identical: their natural edges bring realism.

6. Covering the Base

   Spread a thin layer of ganache over a third of the shape, starting at the tapered tip. Plant the small petals by their base in the preparation, inclined towards this end. Each petal should penetrate about 5 mm; it does not only fit on the ganache.

7. Overlaying the scales

   Continue in staggered rows, like roof tiles, gradually covering the rest of the ganache. The large scales occupy the belly, the small rounded tip. Leave their tips free but keep them close to the cake, without very high wings or hanging room.

8. Add shade and snow

   Powder very lightly the hollows with 10 g of cocoa through a colander. Then put the 10 g of icing sugar in the clean strainer and place a veil only on top, like a trace of snow. Keep the sides dark and textured.

9. Strengthen and reveal the heart

   Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, gently saw a slice at the end with a bread knife so as not to crush the petals. Place the slice in front: the pale chestnut centre should contrast with the dark scales. The decoration loses its crispness after several hours, so assemble it on the day of serving.