Julia Child once said the the most important ingredient you can bring to a recipe is a “love of cooking for its own sake.” Because if you love to cook, the preparation and time it takes to make something truly wonderful is a joy. This chocolate mousse requires a little planning, but it is one of the most decadent and elegant chocolate cakes. It would be a great finale for any holiday meal.
I have always felt that cooking for those that you love is such a wonderful gift. I created this cake for my husband’s birthday. He loves dark chocolate and chocolate mousse so this year I decided that I wanted to create a chocolate mousse cake. This recipe is inspired some of my favorite chocolate recipes by Ina Garten and Rebecca Rather. What can I say, some people and recipes are worth a little extra time in the kitchen.
Chocolate Mousse Cake
- Chocolate mousse
- 3 Round ten inch chocolate cake tiers
- Chocolate Glaze
- 1 (4oz) bar of good semi sweet chocolate, grated
- 1 (6oz) container of raspberries
- 1 small bunch of mint
Chocolate Mousse -makes about 6 cups (Adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris)
- 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 ounces good dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) butter, room temperature
- 8 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
- pinch kosher salt
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup cold heavy cream
Chocolate Cake -makes 3 ten inch tiers (adapted from Rebecca Rather’s The Pastry Queen)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup canola oil
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 4 cups flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze
- 12 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped
- ¾ cup light corn syrup
- 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
First make and chill the chocolate mousse. In a heat proof bowl or double broiler pan combine the semisweet and dark chocolate. Set it over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate just melts. Then remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 to 7 minutes till it become room temperature. Then whisk in the butter a tablespoon or two at time.
Next place the egg yolks and ½ cup of sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the yolks on highs peen for 4 minutes until the eggs are pale yellow and thick. Transfer the eggs to a large mixing bowl. Then whisk in the chocolate mixture.
Now place the egg whites, a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar in the clean mixer bowl and whip them using the whisk attachment on high speed until they are stiff, but not dry. Whisk half of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and the gently fold in the rest of the egg whites using a rubber spatula.
Lastly, without cleaning the bowl whisk the heavy cream with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar until it is firm. Fold the whip cream into the chocolate mixture. Chill the mousse in the fridge.
Second bake the chocolate cakes and let them cool completely. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of 3 ten inch cake pans with parchment paper rounds and grease with Baker’s Joy or grease and dust with flour.
In a medium sized sauce pan combine 2 sticks of butter, 2 cups of water and 1 cup of canola oil. Heat over medium heat until the butter has melted. Then take the pan off the heat and let it cool. Meanwhile, in the large bowl of your mixer stir together 4 cups of sugar, 1 cup of cocoa powder and 4 cups of flour.
Now pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and whisk on low speed till smooth. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Then add in 1 cup of buttermilk. Next mix in the baking soda, salt and vanilla until well combined.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 35 minutes. Let the cakes cool.
Third, pipe the mousse filling between the layers and place the cake in the freezer for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. Using a large pastry bag and large star tip pipe the chilled chocolate mousse between the two layers. Reserve about 1 cup of mousse to pipe the top of the finished cake. Keep the mousse remaining mousse in the fridge. Then place the piped cake in the freezer.
Fourth, prepare the chocolate glaze and grated chocolate for the sides of the cake. Place 12 ounces of chopped semisweet chocolate into a large mixing bowl. Then in a medium sized sauce pan combine the 1 ½ cups cream, 4 teaspoons vanilla and ¾ cup light corn syrup. Corn syrup can be sticky so grease the measuring cup with a little cooking spray. Heat the cream mixture of medium heat until it just comes to a boil. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Keep the glaze a room temperature to ensure that it will pour.
Finally, decorate the cake with the chocolate glaze and pipe the remaining mousse on the cake. Remove the cake from the freezer and place it on a small cardboard cake round. Then place the cake on a cookie rack that has parchment or wax paper under it. The rack makes it easier to neatly pour and spread the glaze. The parchment paper below keeps the work space clean and allows you to reuse any glaze that falls to frost the sides of the cake. Ladle or pour the glaze over the tops of the cake. Then using a separated spatula make an even and smooth layer of chocolate glaze on the tops and sides of the cake.
Then carefully press the grated chocolate onto the sides of the cake for a beautiful finish. Let the glaze set in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes and then pipe on the remaining chocolate mousse and add the raspberries and mint leaves.
Make sure that this cake is kept in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. Now the best part, eating and sharing this amazing cake. This recipe takes some planning ahead but its well worth it.
Want another idea for decorating this holiday cake? Then try a black and white design. Use chocolate sprinkles on the sides of the cake and top it with a ring of white chocolate snowflakes.
No matter how you decorate it, this chocolate mousse cake is sure to make any holiday gathering a celebration to remember.
