Chocolate Mousse Cake (flourless)
Happy December! 2022 is already almost over, WHAT?! Is it just me or has this year flown by weirdly fast? Not gonna complain though, it’s been a great year! Things have been quiet on the blogging front (I know, I know) but boy have I got a banger of a recipe for you today :D Prepare to be amazed, my friends!
This dessert doesn’t need any introductions or raving on about. If you cannot already tell, yes, this chocolate mousse cake is every chocolate lover’s wet dream. It’s:
fudgey
chocolatey
indulgent
surprisingly light in texture yet rich
and finally, an absolute delight for your soul.
All of the goodness, and it’s incredibly simple to make. I’m not one to crave easy, quick desserts but it’s a handy bonus when the results are so exceptionally good.
Before we get on with today’s recipe, let’s clarify what a chocolate mousse cake actually is?
The easiest way for you to think of it is imagine a chocolate brownie had sex with a chocolate mousse and then made a baby. This cake is the beautiful baby. It’s fudgey and rich like a brownie, but not nearly as dense as one. Instead, it tastes light yet indulgent like a mousse. The best kind of procreation, in my opinion.
Now that that’s cleared up, here are some of my hot delicious tips to keep in mind to ensure you get the best results from this recipe. It’s kinda difficult to actually screw up this recipe but let’s get rid of any ifs and buts, shall we?
The biggest factor contributing to the lightness of the cake is whipping the eggs and sugar to ribbon stage consistency. This is a very crucial step that you cannot miss. Since there are no chemical leavening agents like baking powder or bi-carb in this recipe, the lightness depends solely on the aeration of eggs. So make sure you whip your eggs enough. In case of doubt, better to go over than under. You cannot over whip whole eggs so you’re fine.
Reiterating to tip 1, aeration is key. Both while whipping AND folding. Meaning, when folding in the cocoa powder, be gentle yet decisive so as to not over mix your cake batter and deflate the eggs.
Don’t skip the water bath. This is what gives the cake it’s fudgey texture. Water bath maintains a low and even heat for the cake to bake in, which allows the eggs to coagulate and set almost like a custard. Plus you get a very even top with no wonky cracks.
And that’s pretty much it. As long as you follow those, you should be good.
Okay, all that out of the way, let’s actually get on with the recipe because it would be a crime to keep you any longer from trying this out for yourself. Happy indulging! xx
Recipe adaptation: Skye Gyngell
Recipe
Serves: 8
Ingredients
For the chocolate mousse cake:
120g semi-dark chocolate (54.5% cocoa)
70g dark chocolate (65%-70% cocoa)
188g unsalted butter, cubed
3 large eggs, at room temperature
120g castor sugar
40g light or dark brown sugar
35g good quality cocoa powder
big pinch of salt
For the rum chantilly:
100g heavy cream
50g creme fraiche (or replace with heavy cream)
15g castor sugar
15g rum*
raspberries, to serve
Method
For the chocolate mousse cake:
Grease and line a 7” round cake tin with baking paper. Keep aside. Preheat oven to 180°C (deck oven) or 170°C (fan-forced).
Place the two types of chocolate in a large bowl along with the butter and place the bowl over a pot of simmering water to melt completely, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove the bowl from over the pot and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, add the eggs, castor sugar and dark brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment and whip on medium speed until ribbon stage consistency (approx. 12-16 mins)
With the mixer still running, stream in the cooled chocolate & butter mixer and mix until just combined.
Transfer the batter to a large bowl. Sieve the cocoa powder and salt into the batter and fold gently using a spatula until just combined. Be careful not to over mix and deflate the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Place the cake tin on a roasting pan lined with a thin tea towel. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan to create a bain marie.
Carefully lift the bain marie and place inside the oven. Bake the cake for 30-45 mins, checking at the 30 mins mark. The top of the cake should no longer look wet.
Immediately remove the cake from the bain marie and leave to cool down completely.
Once cool, remove the cake from the tin.
For the rum chantilly:
Whisk the heavy cream, creme fraiche, sugar and rum together to medium peaks.
Spoon generous dollops of cream on top of the cake and spread.
Garnish with fresh raspberries and dust icing sugar on top. Cut into slices to serve. Bon appetite!
Notes:
*- You can skip the rum if not using alcohol. Add vanilla extract instead to flavour the cream.