I'm not supposed to be cooking this close to the holidays because that's a smorgasbord in and of itself. But. It's only once a year that a very special someone celebrates her birthday, so how could I let @ladyrebecca's birthday yesterday go by without cooking something up?
Now, I normally reserve my long-standing ginger dark chocolate torte for special birthdays and anniversaries. The recipe is bound to be kicking around on the blockchain somewhere, as it's been a go-to of mine for years. But this year, I thought I'd try something different. Now, in all fairness, I'm writing this before having tasted the result. So.
While I've dabbled with chocolate mousse in the past, I've never used it in a cake, so this year I thought I'd try my hand at a dark chocolate mousse triple-layer birthday cake. It went as follows.
Layer Numero Uno - Brownie Time
Even before we get going, you'll want to preheat the oven at 180C.
Now, this one's a bit tricky since it hardens quite a bit while in the fridge. It's the only bit I'm worried about, though hopefully sticking with the recipe, it will have turned out alright. The brownie cake batter is pretty basic. You will need:
- 3 medium-large eggs;
- 160g dark chocolate (70% and above, I went with 70% as it was the only one I found at the store, but given the sugar ratio, I think you can easily go for 80%-85%)
- 120(ish) g butter;
- vanilla extract;
- almond extract;
- a whopping 170 g sugar;
- 120-130 g flour;
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder;
Now that I think of it, since there's cocoa as well, better knock it back to 70%. Just to be safe. Right. Here's what you want to do.
I melted the butter and dark chocolate over boiling water (bain marie) until smooth. Then, I added the sugar and stirred until it seemed to be fairly melted to me. Set aside to cool. Local priest showed up at my door while I was waiting for this to cool. You have been warned.
You can handle the dry ingredients while you're waiting, if there's no priest. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder. Optional - I also added a little baking powder, as I do with most batters I bake, even though the recipe I was following didn't specify it. I did get a fuckload of batter, so you do you.
After about 5-7 minutes when the mixture should be suitably cool (left on window-sill), you can turn your attention to the rest of the cake. In a different bowl (or the same, if you melted the chocolate in a suitably roomy bowl), whisk in the eggs and add the extracts. Once all the wet ingredients are combined, top up with the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Then chuck it in the oven for 30 minutes or so. And hope for the best. Remember what I said.
After about 30 minutes, you should take it out of the oven and leave to cool. Pray you haven't burned it. Go see if the priest is still outside. Maybe he can help.
Layer Numero Dos - Dark Mousse
- packet of gelatine;
- cold water;
- 2 tablespoons sugar;
- 170 g dark chocolate;
- 350(ish) ml heavy cream;
The (ish) means I just stare at them until I assume it's fine.
In a heat-resistant glass/small bowl, mix the gelatine with cold water. Now, pour little bits until all the gelatin's been watered and has turned spongy. Leave aside for a sec.
In a small pot, combine 120 ml of cream with the sugar and bring to a soft boil. In another pot, boil some water. Stir the cream and sugar as you go so it doesn't just sit on the bottom of the pot.
Break the pieces of chocolate (or chop) and put in a heat-resistant bowl. Once the cream-sugar mix is boiling, pour over the chocolate to melt it. You can reheat the cream if it cools and no longer melts the chocolate. Right. What else.
Put the gelatin bowl/cup inside a larger pot, then pour the boiling water in the big pot (don't mix it with the gelatin, or the gelatin's fucked). You want to heat the gelatin bowl from without to turn it into liquid. Stir as the pot warms and the gelatin mix (hopefully) liquefies.
In yet another bowl, whisk at high-speed the remaining cream until holding soft peaks. Incorporate gradually into the melted chocolate mix, along with the gelatin. And voila, you should have something that looks like chocolate-y whipped cream, aka a mousse.
Warning: Licking the spoon may result in diabetes. It can also be extremely addictive.
Spread the mousse over the brownie layer and set to cool in the fridge for at least an hour.
Layer Numero Tres - Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 250(ish) ml heavy cream
- 240g dark chocolate
For this, basically you just repeat that step from the mousse layer - you bring the cream to a boil on the stove, then pour over the chocolate pieces and stir until it's a smooth, even mixture. Remember to break/chop the chocolate so it's easier.
Pour over the (hopefully) hardened mousse layer and leave to cool some more in the fridge. You can leave it overnight, but also as little as 30 minutes/1 hour for express serving.
Tip: You'll want to bring the cake out of the fridge a few minutes before serving, but remember that the mousse will soften if left at room temperature too long and won't hold form. Eat up, people.
Also, if you like, you can decorate with cocoa powder, ground nuts or sliced almonds (like I did). At least it looks delicious!
Later Edit: The first layer turned out just fine :) It actually is all as delicious as it sounds. Very pleased.
