Chocolate tourta with leftover Easter Tsoureki bread

Any leftover Tsoureki or other type of Easter bread like Challah or Brioche?? No worries! Here there is a delicious recipe which is very handy to use up any stale sweet bread you still have around, creating something different than the classic bread puddings

Adapted from a recipe of Fotis Chryssanthidis,
a very promising young Pastry Chef
from "BHMAgourmet" magazine of "TO BHMA" newspaper

Ingredients (for 8 people)

For the base:
8 medium slices of Tsoureki bread
finely chopped skinless hazelnuts (optional)

For the syrup:
100gr. of granulated sugar
100ml of water
30ml of Grand Marnier liqueur (or other)

For the chocolate cream:
450ml of cream (35% fat), beaten into a thick form
225gr. of chocolate (52%-55% of cocoa solids)

unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

Method:
In a saucepan warm the water with the sugar in medium heat. Two minutes after the syrup comes to the boil take the saucepan off the heat and leave aside to cool. When ready add the liqueur and stir.

Using the "bain-marie" method melt the chocolate, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until it gets at about 40-45°C (a confectionery thermometer will be needed). Transfer into another bowl, add the cream and gently stir with the spatula to blend the ingredients.

Lay some of the tsoureki bread at the bottom of a round springform cake tin of 20cm X 5cm making sure that the bottom is completely covered. Drizzle the tsoureki with some of the cold syrup and scatter some of the hazelnuts (if used).

Evenly spread half of the chocolate cream and smooth with the spatula. Continue with the rest of the tsoureki bread, drizzle with syrup, hazelnuts and finish with the rest of the chocolate cream.

Leave the tourta in the fridge for about 2-3 hours to set.

When ready, release the fastener on the outside of the pan and remove the rim. Carefully transfer onto a platter, dust the tourta all over with the cocoa so to completely coat and serve.