Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake
I love chocolate mousse- it is light and airy yet rich, almost buttery from heavy cream. I have also been known to dog a piece of chocolate cake or two. This triple chocolate mousse cake seemed like a perfect marriage of the two.
Triple chocolate mousse cake and ice wine
I have avoided making this cake for a least one year. My co-worker friend made it for her anniversary (or maybe hubby’s birthday) and brought in a couple of pieces for me. I died. She made it again for their housewarming. This time Manchild, my beloved, (a moniker he came up with in high school) had a chance to taste. He is not a fatty about desserts but he loved it.
She warned me, it was rather labor intensive. I prefer lazy desserts… brownies and blondies are one pot wonders. Cakes are pretty simple too. But cookies…ehhh. Pies….uhhhh. Too much work.
Cake with cocoa
But I had to make this mousse cake.
Last month was our anniversary. I thought this was a special enough occasion to make it.
Cake and ice wine
It did take a couple of hours, but it was more than worth it. It was rich, intense, smooth and delicious.
Next time I will smooth out the edges with a large knife or offset spatula, to get those purty pics. But this was very tasty as is. We enjoyed it very much!
| Print |
- Base layer-
- 6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
- 7 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
- ¾ tsp instant espresso powder
- 4 large eggs, room tempature and separated
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch table salt
- ⅓ packed (2⅓ oz) light brown sugar, crumbled to remove lumps
- Middle layer-
- 5 Tbsp hot water
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
- 7 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
- 1½ cups heavy cream, chilled
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp table salt
- Top layer-
- ¾ tsp powdered gelatin
- 1 Tbsp water
- 6 oz white chocolate, chopped fine
- 1½ cups heavy cream chilled
- Shaved chocolate or cocoa powder for serving (optional)
- For base layer
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch wide round springform pan. Melt butter, chocolate and espresso powder in a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla; set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at medium speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add half of the brown sugar and beat until combined, about 15 seconds. Add the remaining brown sugar and continue to beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute more. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture to lighten it. With a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining egg whites gently until no streaks remain. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the top.
- Bake until the cake has risen, is firm around the edges, and the center has just set but is still soft (center will spring back when pressed gently with finger), 13 to 18 minutes. Transfer cake to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. The cake will collapse when it cools. Do not remove cake from pan.
- For middle layer
- Combine hot water and cocoa powder in a small bowl; set aside. In a large heatproof bowl over simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool slightly 2 to 5 minutes.
- In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream, sugar and salt on medium speed until the mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 30-60 seconds. Whisk in the cocoa powder mixture into melted chocolate until smooth. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Pour the mousse into the springform pan over the cooled cake and tap gently on the counter 2 to 3 times to remove air bubbles. Gently smooth the top with a spatula. Wipe the inside edge of the pan to remove any drips. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes while preparing the top layer.
- For top layer
- In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand at least 5 minutes. Place white chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring ½ cup of the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, stir in gelatin mixture until completely dissolved. Pour cream mixture over white chocolate and whisk until chocolate is smooth. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes (mixture will thicken slightly).
- Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the remaining 1 cup of cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken. Increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 30-60 seconds. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the whipped cream to the white chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Spoon the white chocolate mousse into the pan over the middle layer. Smooth the top with an offset spatula. Return the cake to the refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2½ hours.
- Garnish the top of cake with chocolate curls or dust with cocoa powder.
Tags: cake, Chocolate, mousse
Posted in Baking 2 Comments »