Lately I've been trying my hand at (what I consider) more adventurous baking. Trying things that used to seem too involved or too complicated. I find that I actually enjoy recipes that are time consuming or have multi -step processes involved. This has opened up a whole new world of recipes for me. This cake here is a perfect example, it's actually very simple to make, it's just done in a few different steps and when spread out over the course of two days is actually very easy. The reward is a delicious light cake, each layer bringing a different flavor and texture to the party. Since it was just Dave and I that would be eating it, I scaled it down to my 7 inch springform pan which worked fairly well but I did have to make an impromptu cake ring out of parchment since my pan was not deep enough for all of the layers. I've provided the full recipe here which is designed to for a 9.5 inch pan. It's rich and decadent, the perfect end to a wonderful meal.
Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake
Printable Recipe
For the Bottom Layer:
Middle Layer:
Top Layer:
FOR THE BOTTOM LAYER:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees, butter bottom and sides of your springform pan and set aside. In a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt your butter, chocolate and espresso powder, stirring until just melted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool, about 5 -10 minutes.
Once cooled, whisk in your vanilla and egg yolks.
In the bowl of your stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat egg whites in they become frothy, with mixer running, slowly add in your brown sugar and salt. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Place 1/3 of your beaten egg whites into your chocolate mixture and whisk to combine, this will lighten your chocolate and make it easier to fold in the rest of your whites. Place the rest of your beaten egg whites into the chocolate and very gently fold until there are no visible white streaks. Place batter into your prepared pan and bake for 13-18 minutes until cake is set around the edges, the center should still be slightly soft. Cool completely before moving on to the second layer, cake will collapse as it cools down.
FOR THE MIDDLE LAYER:
Stir together your cocoa powder and hot water in a small bowl and set aside. In a large metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt your chocolate. Remove from the heat and cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the cream, sugar and salt at medium high speed until soft peaks form, this should take 1-2 minutes but be careful not to over-whip
Just as we did with the bottom layer, whisk in 1/3 of your whipped cream into the chocolate. Once combined, fold in your remaining cream until there are no remaining streaks. Place your mousse in your pan atop the bottom layer and smooth top. Gently tap on the counter to release any trapped air bubbles, refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
FOR THE TOP LAYER:
In a small cup, sprinkle your gelatin over cold water, let it sit. In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup cream to a slight simmer, remove from heat and stir in your gelatin and water until thoroughly combined. Pour cream over your white chocolate and stir until all of the chips are melted. Set aside to cool. Mixture should thicken slightly from the gelatin. In the bowl of your stand mixer, whip your remaining cream to soft peaks and repeating as we did before, whisk in 1/3 of cream and fold in the remaining cream. Spoon over your previous layer and smooth the top. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 - 3 hours.
Recipe from Cooks Illustrated
© 2012 - 2012 Mostly Sweet & Sometimes Salty - All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment