Triple chocolate mousse cake
Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake
Bottom layer
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used 4 unsweetened and 3 semi-sweet), chopped fine
¾ tsp instant coffee
1 ½ tsp vanilla
4 large eggs separated
Pinch salt
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
Preheat oven to 325 with rack in middle.
Grease 9 ½ inch springform pan
Melt butter, chocolate, and instant coffee. I do this in a glass bowl in the microwave, heating briefly and stirring repeatedly until all lumps are gone. Don’t burn it.
Let chocolate mixture cool 5 min.
Whisk in vanilla and egg yolks.
In stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt 30 sec, till frothy.
Add half of brown sugar, beat 15 sec more. Add remaining brown sugar, beat until soft peaks form, about another minute.
With whisk, mix 1/3 of egg whites into chocolate mixture. Fold in rest of egg whites with rubber spatula until no white streaks remain. Scrape batter into springform pan and smooth top.
Bake until cake is firm at edges and center has set but is still soft (center should spring back after pressing with a finger), 13-18 min. Put cake on wire rack to cool completely, at least 1 hour. Don’t take cake out of pan.
Middle layer
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
5 Tbsp hot water
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate (as above, can mix unsweetened and semi-sweet), chopped fine (I used the food processor)
1 ½ Cups heavy cream
1 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Combine cocoa and hot water in small bowl or cup.
Melt chocolate as above, in microwave. Let cool 5 min.
In stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat cream, sugar, and salt at medium speed 30 sec, then high speed until soft peaks form, 15-60 more sec.
Whisk cocoa mixture into melted chocolate till smooth.
Whisk 1/3 of whipped cream into chocolate mixture, then fold in rest of whipped cream with rubber spatula until no white streaks remain.
Spoon mousse into springform pan on top of cooled cake. Tap to knock out air bubbles, smooth top. Wipe inside of pan with damp cloth to remove drips.
Refrigerate to set, at least 15 min, while making top layer.
Top layer
¾ tsp gelatin powder
1 Tbsp water
6 ounces white chocolate chips
1 ½ Cups heavy cream
Sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl, let stand 5 min.
Put white chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat ½ Cup cream to simmer in saucepan. Remove from heat, add gelatin mixture, and stir to dissolve. Pour cream mixture over white chocolate chips and whisk until smooth. Cool to room temp 5 to 8 min with occasional stirring.
In stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip other cup of cream at medium speed 30 sec, then on high until soft peaks form, 15-60 sec. Whisk 1/3 of cream into white chocolate mixture. Then fold rest of whipped cream into chocolate mixture with rubber spatula until no white streaks remain.
Spoon white chocolate mousse over middle layer in pan. Smooth top. Return cake to fridge and chill at least 2 ½ hours until set.
Garnish with curls of chocolate on top. Run thin knife between side of pan and cake to free edge; remove side. Cut into slices (it helps to run hot water over knife between slices).
Recipe quoted (or closely paraphrased) from Cook’s Illustrated, Nov/Dec 2009.