Friday, May 13, 2016

This week's recipe: Chocolate Mousse Cake

We had the most marvellous chocolate cake this week and as there is a birthday in the family, Lynne is going to make this for Sunday. It is incredibly rich and decadent, not that difficult to make, just a layer of rich almond flour (gluten free) chocolate cake drenched in a little fruit liqueur or fruit syrup, a thick layer of dark chocolate mousse and some raspberries or chocolate curls to top it. Do make the day before in order for it to set, it will be very soft

Chocolate Mousse Cake
125g dark bitter chocolate – 100g butter – 100g caster sugar – 15ml rum or brandy - 15ml strong black coffee -100g ground almonds – 3 eggs, separated
Break up the chocolate into a glass bowl, add the butter, rum or brandy and the coffee and heat gently in the microwave or over a pan of hot water until melted. Take off the heat and stir in the ground almonds. Beat the egg yolks well, then stir them into the chocolate mix. Stiffly whip the egg whites and then fold them gently into the mixture. Take a 23 cm spring form cake tin with a removable base, line it with a disk of baking paper and lightly grease the sides with butter. Pour in the mixture, put the tin on a baking sheet and bake in a low oven, 150ÂșC for about 45 minutes. This cake is very fragile. Leave to cool in the tin.
Optional, but recommended: Just before you add the mousse topping, sprinkle over a small glass of Framboise liqueur or another fruit flavour you like. You can also use Frangelico or Amaretto. If you do not use alcohol, you can use a little fruit syrup.
The Mousse
300g plain dark chocolate, broken into pieces - 4 eggs, separated - 300ml whipping cream
For the mousse, melt the chocolate in the same way and allow to cool until lukewarm. Using an electric beater, whisk the eggs whites to stiff peaks. Then softly whip the cream in another bowl until thickened but not as far as soft peaks.
Stir the egg yolks into the chocolate, then fold the cream into the mixture. Gently fold in a quarter of the eggs whites, then the rest, and then spread the mixture over the cake base and keep in the fridge overnight. Release the sides of the spring form tin and using a pallet knife carefully smooth the sides of the mousse if untidy. Very carefully transfer to a pretty cake plate and sprinkle with a little dark cocoa powder and top with a few raspberries or chocolate curls
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus

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