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, 150ºC 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
No comments:
Post a Comment