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!