Chocolate “Truffle” Mousse Cake

September 15, 2011

Chocolate “Truffle” Mousse Cake

A friend, a baby, and a Chocolate Mousse Cake.

Most of us cook, not only because we love food, but because we love people. We cook because it makes our family smile or warms the heart of a friend.

There is nothing better than watching your husband walk into a kitchen filled with the wafting aroma of braised meat or yeasty bread fresh out of the oven. He inhales the savory perfume and his face lights up like a child on Christmas morning. This is the face of a person who knows he is loved.

Cooking, to me, is a love language. A hobby (or art-form) in which you offer a piece of yourself to everyone who partakes. When I cook for someone, I’m expressing how I feel about them in a way I could never verbally convey. I’m offering them my time, my talent, my heart.

Certain dishes express this better than others–take cake for instance. No one makes a triple chocolate mousse cake just because they have a craving for it. It’s too much work for greedy impulse.

A person makes a chocolate mousse cake on a special occasion. They make it for a special person. And if they are lucky, they get to enjoy it together.

One of my sweet friends is having her first baby this month. Melissa is possibly the most generous and tender-hearted person I know. This Chocolate Mousse Cake was made in her honor with little fondant mushrooms and garden gnomes on top. Making this cake is one small way I could show her how special she is, and it will certainly make your loved one feel the same.

Chocolate Mousse Cake does not qualify as an “easy recipe” but it is definitely worth the time and effort! This was inspired by the famous Martha Stewart Triple Chocolate Mousse Cakes, yet I had to alter the recipe quite a bit for a large cake, and to make the milk chocolate mousse solid enough to sit out for a while. The bottom layer is a dark mocha cake, topped with two layers of mocha chocolate mousse whipped into airy perfection. Although it is RICH, the variation in the three layers of chocolate make it easy to eat… very easy to eat. You may not be able to stop after one piece!

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Yield: 12 slices

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 Tb. instant coffee granules
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 yolk
¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup veg. oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Mousse:
5 cups heavy cream
13 egg yolks, divided
12 Tb. granulated sugar, divided
5 Tb. corn syrup, divided
4 Tb. water, divided
2 Tb. instant coffee granules
11 oz. dark (bittersweet) chocolate chips, melted
11 oz. milk chocolate chips, melted
2 pinches salt
3 tsp. vanilla extract, divided

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a spring form pan with parchment paper. Clamp the ring into place and trim the paper around the edges. Spray the sides of the pan with unstuck cooking spray.

In a large bowl whisk the first 7 dry ingredients together.

Whisk the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla together separately. Then slowly add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, whisking until smooth. You can use an electric mixer if you like.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bale for approximately 30 minutes—until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan. Then trim the top with a serrated knife for a flat surface.

Fit a sheet of parchment paper around the cake to form a large collar. Place the spring form rim back place to hold the collar.

For the Mousse: Pour the cream into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip until firm peaks form. Place in an air-tight container and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Wash and dry the bowl, then place 6 egg yolks in the mixer bowl and whip until a light and frothy—5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add 6 Tb. sugar, 3 Tb. corn syrup, 3 Tb. of water, 1 Tb. coffee granules, 2 tsp. of vanilla and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Boil to a boil for about one minute, then remove from heat.

With the mixer running, carefully pour the hot sugar mixture into the egg yolks. Increase the speed and whip another 3-5 minutes until thick.

Then slowly pour the melted dark chocolate into the mixture. Scrape the bowl.

With a spatula, gently fold HALF the cold whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.

Once combined, carefully spoon the chocolate mousse onto the center of the cake layer. Spread evenly and refrigerate.

Repeat steps 6-13 with the remaining ingredients. Take note that the milk chocolate mousse has 1 extra egg yolk and less corn syrup, water, and vanilla. Milk chocolate contains more moisture so the mousse needs to be adapted so it isn’t too loose to stand up.

Spoon the milk chocolate mouse over the dark chocolate. Spread evenly. Refrigerate for a minimum 4 hours or over night to set.

Once set, carefully remove the paper collar. Keep chilled until ready to serve.