Recipe: A magnificent mocha cake
Yes another chocolate cake, but this is lighter than the most recent one and topped with the most decadent coffee mousse, so we can call this a mocha mousse cake. It’s rich and full of flavour and a chocolate and coffee lovers’ dream. The chocolate cake is full of deep chocolate flavour, almost brownie-like in texture, and so easy to make. Layered with the creamiest chocolate mousse and topped with coffee mousse, it’s just delicious. I think it may get made quite regularly in my house! You can email Mercy Fenton at mercy@wickeddesserts.ie
114gr cream flour
207g sugar
42g cocoa powder
1 bread soda
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
120ml milk
60ml sunflower oil
¾ tsp vanilla
1 large egg
120ml strong black coffee
- Preheat the oven to 175C.
- Line the bottom and sides of an 8in spring form tin with parchment paper.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, bread soda and salt.
- In a large bowl, lightly whisk together the oil, egg, milk and vanilla.
- Stir in the dry ingredients then finally slowly add the hot coffee.
- Scrape into prepared tin and bake for 18-20 minutes, until just cooked.
- Let cool in the tin for about 30 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool fully. Chill in the fridge before cutting horizontally into three thin layers, and then prepare the mousse.
120ml cream, boiled
80g free range egg yolk
25g sugar
175g 55% chocolate drops
80g 70% chocolate drops
400 whipped cream
- Melt the chocolates together over a Bain Marie of water, until just melted.
- Whisk the sugar and yolks in a basin.
- Boil 120ml cream with the split vanilla pod, and stir it onto egg yolk mixture.
- Return to a clean saucepan and place on a low heat.
- Stir until it thickens, that is, visibly coats the back of a spoon, remove from heat, whisk for a minute or two to cool a little.
- Next whisk the custard on to the melted chocolate.
- Place in fridge to cool, checking every 5 or so minutes, keep stirring so it cools evenly.
- It needs to be cool but not chilled as it may split or become too firm.
- Once cooled, whisk the remaining cream to soft peaks.
- Using a whisk, add the cream to the chocolate base about ¼ at a time.
- Mousse should be smooth and thick.
- Assemble the cake
- Wash and dry the cake tin and use to build the cake. Place one layer of chocolate cake in the base.
- Spread with half the chocolate mousse.
- Repeat a layer of cake, then a layer of mousse, and finish with a layer of cake, chill while you prepare coffee mousse.
155gr white chocolate drops
132 ml pouring cream
2 tsp. instant coffee
310 ml cream for whipping to soft peaks
1 ¾ (4.4gr) leaves gelatin
- Soak the gelatin in cold water.
- Boil the cream and stir in the coffee, whisk to dissolve.
- Lift gelatin out of the water and squeeze away the excess water, add soaked gelatin to boiled cream and stir until dissolved.
- Pour the cream mixture onto white chocolate stir until smooth and melted.
- Allow to cool until nearly set in fridge.
- Remember to stir occasionally using spatula.
- Meanwhile whip cream to soft peaks.
- When chocolate mixture is nearly set fold in whipped cream.
- Fill into piping bag with a plain nozzle and pipe on chilled cake.
- At this stage, sprinkle with chocolate curls or decorations if using them.
- Allow to chill fully before removing from the tin and serving.
