Namelaka: the Recipe for the Japanese Chocolate Cream

Namelaka is a sweet cream, halway between a mousse and a ganache, born in the early 1990s thanks to the intuition of a Japanese chef from the École du grand chocolat Valrhona. It is a preparation ready in just a few minutes and with just 4 ingredients (fresh cream, whole milk, white chocolate and gelatin sheets), ideal both for decorating desserts of all kinds and to be enjoyed as a spoonful delicacy at the end of a dinner among friends.

To bring it to the table, simply melt the chopped chocolate in a bain-marie, then incorporate the cream and gelatine, soaked, well squeezed and dissolved in warm milk, and then transfer everything to the fridge for at least 12 hours: the time needed for the cream to firm up to perfection, reaching a frothy, dense and velvety consistency (in the Japanese language the term namelaka literally means "very creamy). Once ready, you can distribute it in individual glass cups and then garnish the surface with chopped pistachios, berries and crumbled cocoa beans, or use it to fill delicious cream puffs, macarons, cupcakes, cakes and tarts.

Unlike the classic ganache, prepared with only liquid cream and chocolate, namelaka therefore also involves the use of milk and gelatin, which will give the preparation the right structure.

According to personal taste, you can replace the white chocolate with milk or dark chocolate, or, if you prefer, after the resting time in the fridge you can whip the cream obtained with an electric whisk: for an even airier result. Store in the fridge, covered with a sheet of cling film, for a maximum of 2-3 days.

Find out how to prepare namelaka following the step-by-step procedure and tips.

How to Prepare Namelaka

Leave the gelatin to soak in cold water for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, coarsley chop the white chocolate with a knife.

Let the chocolate melt in a bain-marie.

Then add the hot milk in which you have dissolved the gelatine, once you've squeezed it well.

Also add the cream and mix carefully.

Cover with a sheet of cling film.

Place in the fridge and let rest for at least 12 hours.

Once the time has passed, take the now hardened cream out of the fridge.

The namelaka is ready to be enjoyed or used as desired to fill desserts of all kinds.