Need a dessert to shock and awe people? Here it is! It is a lot of work, but well worth the effort.
Black tie mousse cake
Layer one - flourless chocolate cake
Prep time ~ roughly 30 minutes, bake time roughly 40 minutes
Ingredients
Cake
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
5 large egg, room temp,separated
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350.
*Grease 10" springform pan with 1 Tbsp. of butter,
dust with flour.
*In metal bowl over double boiler,
melt remaining butter and chocolate,
remove from heat, let cool to roughly room temp.
*While chocolate mixture is cooling, use stand mixer
to beat yolks together with sugar and vanilla until thoroughly mixed
and pale yellow in color, should take at least 5 minutes.
In this step, you really can't beat the yolks too much,
but you can beat them too little.
*Fold chocolate mixture into yolk mixture a little at a time.
Can be done by hand, or on slowest speed of mixer. Be gentle,
the air incorporated into the yolks is part of what makes this cake rise.
When mixed, pour into something other than mixer bowl and set aside.
*Wash mixer bowl thouroughly, making sure to remove all traces of yolk, soap, and/or oils.
*Beat whites and salt together until stiff. Should take roughly 5 minutes,
they are stiff enough when they hold a peak, without falling over.
*Fold in chocolate/yolk mix.
Again, this can be done by hand, or lowest speed on mixer.
*Pour into springform pan.
*Bake for roughly 40 minutes until spongy when touched in middle.
*Remove from oven, cool completely. Proceed to next layer while cooling.
Second layer - Dark cream cheese mousse
~ roughly 20 minutes
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
4 tablespoons boiling water
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon sugar
*Melt chocolate and cream cheese together in metal bowl
over double boiler.
*Let cool to roughly room temp. while doing other steps.
*Soften gelatin with cold water for one minute then add
boiling water.
*Stir until dissolved and clear.
*Let this cool while you start whipping the heavy cream and sugar.
*Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
*Add cooled gelatin mixture.
*Add 1/4 of the cream to the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly.
*Fold this into the remaining cream, either by hand or on low speed in mixer.
Again with this layer, keeping as much air incorporated as possible in mixture.
*Once you have completed, spread onto cake and place in freezer.
Third layer - Italian custard mousse
~ roughly 30 minutes
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons flour, sifted
2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
3 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
*Beat egg yolks until pale, should take at least 5 minutes.
*Add sugar, flour and gelatin, beating until well mixed.
*Bring cream and vanilla to a boil, watching and stirring
constantly to prevent burning the cream.
*Once cream has come to a boil, take pan to mixer, and after turning
Mixer on lowest speed, pour cream into mixer in a tiny, steady stream,
being very careful not to add too much at a time, or the yolks will cook.
*Gradually add until all of the cream has been added and then pour
entire mixture through a strainer into the pan.
*Continue to cook until custard begins to thicken.
*Cool to room temp. and pour on top of chocolate mousse layer.
*Freeze
Fourth layer - Dark chocolate ganache
~ roughly 30 minutes
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter
18 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
(makes enough to cover cake AND pipe decor onto top, if desired)
*Bring butter and cream to a boil.
*Pour over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes.
*Stir until smooth.
*Let cool to slightly warmer than room temperature until
it starts to thicken.
*Remove cake from freezer and remove the collar.
*Pour some of the ganache over top of cake and spread it
evenly across top and sides.
*While the ganache is still wet, cover sides of cake with
chocolate chips (if desired).
*Refrigerate or freeze cake until serving.
*Let remaining ganache cool and pipe through decorating bag
onto cake if desired.
* You can also melt a small amount of white chocolate and drizzle
over the top of the cake with a fork if desired.
***Notes:
I find it easiest to start this cake 2 days before I wish to serve it,
baking the cake and doing the second layer the first day, the third
layer the next morning, and the ganache after the cake has frozen
as all three layers together. The ganache sets up quickly on a frozen
cake, so spread quickly!
I use chocolate chips as the semisweet chocolate in the recipe, and 8 ounces is roughly
one FULL cup.
***Full list of ingredients:
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
34 ounces semisweet chocolate
11 large eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar + 1 tsp.
4 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
4 tablespoons boiling water
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
6 tablespoons flour
6 cups heavy cream
