Difficulty: 2/5
Prepare the cakes and mousse in advance; garnish just before serving.
First, make the chocolate mousse and chill it. Preheat the oven to 180°C (th. 2/3).
Lightly butter the madeleine molds. In a saucepan, combine the dark chocolate and butter pieces. Melt over low heat, stirring until smooth and homogeneous.
In a bowl, sift together the cocoa, sugar, flour, and pinch of salt.
In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs and egg yolks. Add the vanilla extract and stir well. Gradually incorporate the chocolate-butter mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Then fold in the beaten eggs.
Place the saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly to gently thicken the batter.
Fill the molds halfway with batter, ensuring the grooves are filled and smoothing the tops with a spatula. Bake for 12 minutes.
Unmold onto parchment paper and cool completely. The madeleines should be crisp on the outside and soft inside.
Prepare the simple glaze, keeping it warm and thick. For half the madeleines, spread chocolate mousse on the smooth side, using more on the wider end.
For the remaining madeleines, coat the fluted side with glaze, respecting the shell pattern. Assemble by pressing the narrow end of a glazed madeleine into the mousse-topped one, leaving them slightly ajar like an open shell.
Source: Chocolate: A Devouring Passion by Martine Jolly, Robert Laffont.
