Chocolate mousse cake

The fudgy consistency of this cake and the silken texture of the tofu mousse are delicious combination.

Ingredients:

250 g good quality chocolate,
200 g butter,
1 tbsp coffee powder, dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water
6 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cup caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cup gluten-free flour mix (or normal flour)


Preheat oven to 180C. Spray 2 23 cm spring-form cake tins with baking spray and line with baker paper.

Melt chocolate and butter over a gentle heat until melted but not too hot. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Slow add egg whites in 4 lots. This process takes about 10 minutes but it is worth it. Add vanilla, coffee and flour on a very low speed then gradually beat in the chocolate mixture.

Carefully pour into the prepared tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cover tins with a damp tea towel to trap the steam and keep the crust soft. Cool in the tins.

For the mousse:

300 g chocolate,
640 g silken tofu (must be silken)
1/2 cup simple sugar syrup (or 50 ml maple syrup, or 50ml liquid honey, or 50 ml agave nectar )
1 leaf gelatin (optional)

Simple sugar syrup is made up of 2 parts of sugar and 1 part of water. Bring the water to boil, dissolve the sugar into the boiling water, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat once sugar is dissolved completely. Allow to cool before use.

To make the mousse, melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in microwave. Place silken tofu and sugar syrup in the blender or food processor. Blend until smooth add the melted chocolate and blend again. I also added 1 leaf gelatin dissolved in 2 tbsp of water.

To assemble, slice the top of the cakes to form even surface. Line the original spring-form with cling film, allowing a good overhang. Place one cake into the bottom, covet with a thick layer of mousse, add the second cake and finish with remaining mousse . Fold the cling film over or cover with a dinner plate and refrigerate for 4 hour or overnight.

To serve, remove from the tin, transfer to serving platter and smooth the sides of the cake with a palette knife. Decorate with fresh seasonal fruit or berries, ganache or topping of your choice.

Chocolate cakes with feijoa mousse

Last month of autumn and the end of feijoa season here in New Zealand now. I use to hate this fruit a couple years ago, but now I love them. It's such a wonderful fruit with interesting intense flavor. I think that feijoas is the most "kiwi fruit" then the kiwi fruit is. Every second Kiwi family has the own feijoa tree in the garden and I hope they like feijoas as I do :)

Chocolate Genoise (recipe from here)
6 whole eggs
180 grams sugar
80 grams cornstarch
80 grams flour
20 grams cocoa powder
20 grams butter, melted and cooled

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the eggs and the sugar. Place this bowl over a double boiler and continue whisking until the sugar has dissolved and the eggs feel hot to the touch. Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer and whip in high speed until the eggs triple in volume and they form a thick ribbon.

Sift the cornstarch, flour and cocoa powder together into a bowl. Add the sifted mixture to the whipped eggs in three batches folding each time slowly to avoid deflating the batter too much. Finally add the melted butter and fold so that the butter doesn't all fall to the bottom of the bowl.

Divide this batter into two half sheet pans that have been sprayed and lined with parchment paper. Spread the batter evenly and bake in a 190C oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cake cool. The cake can be wrapped in plastic and frozen.

Feijoa mousse:
8 small feijoas (4 large)
3 tbsp sugar
100 ml of water,

100 g Cream Cheese at room temperature
100 ml cream
4-5 tbsp sugar
1 tsp gelatin
1 egg white



I put feijoas in hot sugar syrup for about 10 minutes because they became very dark in the air. You can also add a few drops of green coloring in the syrup. So scoop out feijoa pulp and put it in hot sugar syrup. Wait for 10 minutes, then remove them from syrup and blend in a food processor until smooth.
Soak gelatin in a 2 spoons of water.
Beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of sugar until forming peaks.
Separately, whip the cream with a spoonful of sugar to the soft peaks.
Separately, whip feijoa with Cream cheese and remaining sugar until smooth.

Melt the gelatin in the micro for 10 sec. and pour it into a bowl with feijoa mix. Stir, add the whipped egg whites, stir, then quickly add the whipped cream and stir until combined.

To Assemble
80 ml cream
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp sugar
mint leaves,
1-2 tablespoons chopped pistachios

Line ring molds with acetate paper and place them on a sheetpan. Measure the circumference of the ring mold and cut a strip of cake accordingly. Place the strip of chocolate genoise around the ring mold and a disk on the bottom.  Pipe the feijoa mousse inside the ring mold almost to the top. Top with another disk of genoise.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Whip cream with cocoa and sugar until forming peaks. Decorate top of cake with cream, mint leaves and pistachios.

Enjoy!

Chocolate cakes with mango mousse and raspberries

 
Cake bases:
100 gr dark chocolate
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 eggs
50 gr. brown sugar
1 tablespoon starch
1 tablespoon self rising flour
pinch of cream of tartar and a pinch of salt.


Preheat oven to 180C. Lay a baking sheet with parchment. Melt the chocolate.

Beat egg yolk with sugar until white. Separately, whip whites with cream of tartar and a pinch of salt to soft peaks. Mix starch, flour and cocoa and add to the yolks and stir well, then add the melted chocolate. Then add beaten egg white and stir carefully.

Spread the mixture on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Cool the cake for 10 minutes, then cool completely on the rack.

Using mold rings cut 6 round bases. Put mold rings on the parchment, then place one cake base in each ring.


Mango mousse:
1 cup mango puree (from fresh or canned mangoes),
3 tbsp sugar (or more depending of mango sweetness),
1 tsp gelatin,
250 ml heavy cream,
pinch of cream of tartar,
1 tsp lime juice,
1 egg white.

about 150 gr fresh raspberries.

Soak gelatin in 2 tbsp of water and set aside.
Whip egg white with cream of tartar and 1 tbsp of sugar to soft peaks.
In a other bowl whip cream with remaining sugar until soft peaks.
Heat gelatin in microwave for 20 seconds and stir well until completely dissolved, then add gelatin to the mango puree. Add whipped egg white and lime juice, stir gentle, then add whipped cream and stir again.

To assemble:
Put raspberries on each chocolate cake then top them with mousse. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Decorate your cakes with raspberries and fresh mint.



Enjoy!

Chocolate cakes with almond mousse and cherries

Cake bases:
100 gr dark chocolate
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 eggs
50 gr. brown sugar
1 tablespoon starch
1 tablespoon self rising flour
pinch of cream of tartar and a pinch of salt.

Mousse:
10 fresh large cherries,
100 ml. milk
4 tbsp sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp starch
1 tsp gelatin powder
100 ml. heavy cream + 1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg white
1 tablespoon Cream fresh or sour cream,
2 tbsp amaretto or a few drops of almond essence.

Cakes:
Preheat oven to 180C. Lay a baking sheet with parchment. Melt the chocolate.

Beat egg yolk with sugar until white. Separately, whip whites with cream of tartar and a pinch of salt to soft peaks. Mix starch, flour and cocoa and add to the yolks and stir well, then add the melted chocolate. Then add beaten egg white and stir carefully.

Spread the mixture on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Cool the cake for 10 minutes, then cool completely on the rack.

Using mold rings cut 8 round bases, then cut each base in half with a very sharp bread knife. You should get 8 bases and 8 tops (or 10 depending on the diameter of your rings). Put mold rings on the parchment, then place one cake base in each ring.

Mousse:
Soak gelatin in 1 tablespoon of water. Whisk egg yolk with milk, add starch and sugar, put on a slow heat and cook stirring, until mixture is thick. Add liqueur or essence. Put mixture into a shallow dish and cover with cling film. Cool to room temperature.

Melt the gelatin 10 seconds in the microwave and stir well until completely dissolved. Add to the cooled mixture and stir thoroughly.

Cut cherries in small pieces.

Beat egg white with a pinch of salt and cream of tartar until soft peaks, add to the mixture. Whip cream with 1 tablespoon sugar to hard peaks, add to the mixture and stir carefully but quickly.

Add chopped cherries, mix gently and lay on prepared forms, leaving room for cake tops. Cover with the remaining cake tops and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Decorate your cakes with melted chocolate and chopped cherries, almond kernels and mint.





Enjoy!

Double melon mousse cakes

Beautiful refreshing dessert with a delicate taste and melon aroma. 

For 4-5 desserts depending on the diameter of the mold rings.

For the bases:
120 gr. Anzac biscuits (any oatmeal cookies)
30 gr. butter
1 tablespoon milk

For the mousse:
70 g Water-melon pulp
70 gr. melon pulp (I used rock melon)
6 gr. gelatin
150 gr. cream cheese at room temperature
100 ml. double cream
4 tbsp sugar
2 egg whites

Additional:
12-15 watermelon and melon balls and mint for decoration

1. Put biscuits in a plastic bag and crush with rolling pin (or in a blender). Melt the butter with a spoon of milk and mix with cookie crumbs to obtain a homogeneous mass. Put the mold rings on parchment paper. Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared rings and pat with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until needed.

2. Soak gelatin in cold water. Put the melon pulp and 1 Tbsp of sugar in a blender and grind well. Repeat with the watermelon pulp. Heat each part of the pulp in the microwave or on the stove almost to a boil. Divide gelatin on two parts and mix one part with  the watermelon mixture and other part with the melon mixture.  Stir well until completely dissolved.

3. Beat the cream cheese lightly, divide into the 2 parts and add to each of the masses. Beat egg whites with 1 tablespoon of sugar to soft peaks. Set aside. Then whip the cream with the remaining spoonful of sugar. Carefully, but quickly mix 1 part of whipped egg whites with Water-melon mass, repeat with the melon mass. Then mix 1 part of whipped cream with Water-melon mass, repeat with the melon mass.

4. Fill the mold rings with melon mouse. Carefully put the watermelon mousse on top of the melon mousse. Put them in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

5. Serve with melon balls and mint leaves.

Enjoy!