Rich, flour-free chocolate mousse cake covered with a thick blanket of, yes, rich chocolate mousse. This is a no-holds-barred onslaught of chocolate deliciousness.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Mousse Cake
- 2 oz (50 g) butter, plus extra for greasing
- 7 oz (200 g) dark chocolate (55–70% cocoa solids), chopped or in pieces or drops
- 5 eggs
- 5 oz (150 g) caster sugar
- Pinch of salt
For the Chocolate Mousse Coating
- 3½ oz (100 g) dark chocolate (55–70% cocoa solids)
- 2 eggs
- 2 oz (50 g) butter
Equipment
- 2 x 18 cm (7 in) cake tins with 3 cm (1¼in) sides
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4. Line the base of the two cake tins with baking parchment and grease the sides with butter.
- To make the mousse cake, place the chocolate and butter in a bowl sitting over a saucepan with a few centimetres of water. Bring the water up to the boil, then take off the heat and allow the chocolate to melt slowly.
- Separate the eggs. Place the yolks in a bowl with the sugar and whisk for a few minutes until pale and light. Beat the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk the egg whites with the pinch of salt in another bowl until they form stiff peaks, then fold into the chocolate mixture.
- Divide the mousse between the two tins and bake in the oven for 30–35 minutes. A skewer inserted into the centre should just come out clean, but remember the mixture should remain moist – it’s not a sponge. Take out of the oven and allow to sit for 30 minutes before taking out of the tins.
- Next, make the mousse coating. Place the chocolate in a bowl sitting over a saucepan with a few centimetres of water. Bring the water up to the boil, then take off the heat and allow the chocolate to melt slowly.
- Separate the eggs and beat the yolks into the warm chocolate, then beat in the butter. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold a quarter into the chocolate mixture, followed by the remainder, which should be folded in gently.
- Place in the fridge for 1–2 hours until stiff enough to ‘ice’ the cake without it falling off. When ready to ice, put one cooled cake upside down on a plate or cake stand. Spread a couple of heaped tablespoons of the mousse over the top as though generously buttering a slice of bread. Cover with the second cake, then ice the top and sides of the cakes.
