This dessert was directly inspired from Lady M Cake Boutique. I have only recently come to realize that the damn cakes there drill holes in your wallet more effectively than I could ever drill biology concepts into my own brain. Screw you AP Bio, I have baking. Which is a science. But much cooler than shit like genotypes or zygotes or the mitochondria. Anyways, for the cake, it is a charcoal-chocolate cake, black tea blanc manger, black tea Bavarian cream, black tea-white chocolate veil, Chantilly domes, and black chocolate disks. I used activated charcoal to dye the cake and disks black, while I used dark chocolate for both of those. Blanc manger is essentially milk jelly, thickened with cornstarch, which I opted to use for the layer above my cake, since I needed a darker, concentrated flavor of the tea in visibly two of the layers.

For the cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips; melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons activated charcoal powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter; melted
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Combine ingredients and pour into a lined sheet tray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Cool completely and cut out 1 5-inch circle.

For the blanc manger:
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons black tea leaves
3/4 teaspoons gelatin powder + 1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steep black tea into heavy cream for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Strain out the tea at this point. Whisk in the cornstarch, tempering it with 1/4th of the cream, then whisk in the sugar, gelatin, salt, and continue mixing on medium heat until the mixture is thickened. Pour into a lined 5 inch ring mold and freeze until set (at least 1 hour).

For the Bavarian cream:
For Bavarian cream:
3 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup black tea
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons gelatin powder + 1 tablespoon water

Bloom gelatin in water then melt into black tea. Bring to a simmer. Temper in egg yolks and the sugar. Mix together, whisking over high heat, for 2 minutes, then take off heat and strain. Allow the mixture to cool down at room temperature to room temperature. Whisk cream to stiff peaks. Fold together.

Assembly:
Line a 6 inch ring mold. Pour in the Bavarian cream, then press in the frozen disk of blanc manger, then the cake. Freeze solid. At that point, flip the cake upsidedown, so that the cake side is down, and then pull the ring mold up so that there is at least half an inch distance between the top of the mold and the cake. You’ll need that for pouring the veil.

For the Chantilly cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

Whip to stiff peaks. Either pour into mini silicone half sphere molds and freeze solid, or transfer into a piping bag.

For the veil:
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup black tea
3 tablespoons agar agar
1 packet gelatin powder + 2 tablespoons water

Melt agar and bloomed gelatin into the tea. Mix in the white chocolate. Strain, then pour over the cake. Freeze again until set.

For the disks:
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon activated charcoal powder

Temper chocolate over a double boiler, then combine with the charcoal and salt. Spread as thin as possible and allow the chocolate to set for at least 5 minutes in the fridge before pressing with a 1 inch round to cut out the circles. After cutting out the circles, allow the chocolate to set in the fridge for another 10 minutes, minimum.

For assembly:
Garnish the top of the veil with the domes of cream and disks of chocolate. Allow the cake to thaw completely before serving.