Chocolate Mousse Cake

My sister was asking me if I could make her some rich dark chocolate cake, she loves dark chocolate like me, we made this chocolate mousse cake together during her visit, this cake got 4 layers of different textures - chocolate glaze, chocolate mousse, chocolate cake and crunchy chocolate nuts bottom. we like it very much because it tasted very rich and dark.

You can substitute dark chocolate with milk chocolate with this recipe, double the amount to make a  whole 8 inch cake.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Ingredients

Chocolate Mousse

200g dark chocolate (can substitute with milk chocolate)
200g whipping cream
200g whipped cream
4g leaf gelatin

Chocolate Glaze

90g whipping cream
70g water
90g sugar
45g cocoa powder
10g leaf gelatin

Chocolate Sponge Cake

2 egg
40g caster sugar
1.5 tablespoon milk
30g plain flour
7g cocoa powder
butter to grease
100g dark chocolate (optional)
50g chopped nuts of your choice (optional)

Utensils

6 half sphere moulds
8-inch rectangle brownie pan (large enough to cut out 6 smaller circles cake with the same diameter of the individual half-sphere mould will do)

Methods

For the Chocolate Sponge Cake

1. Line the brownie pan with greased parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).
2. Beat eggs and sugar with wire whisk in a metal bowl over a pan of hot water.
3. Beat the batter on high speed for about 7 minutes until white and fluffy with an electric mixer.
4. Add milk and fold together until combined.
5. Sift in flour and cocoa powder, whisk for about 3 minutes on low speed to incorporate.
6. Spread the batter in the brownie pan and drop the pan lightly on the counter to raise the air bubbles out of the batter.
7. Bake at 180C (350F) for 12 minutes till lightly brown. (cooking time may differ depend on the heat of the oven)
8. When it's done, drop the pan lightly to prevent shrinking. Remove the sponge cake from the pan by lifting the parchment paper and place it on a wire rack to cool.
9. When it's cool enough, remove the parchment paper and place the sponge cake on the parchment paper with the brown side up. Cut out 6 circles of cake slices with the same diameter of the individual half-sphere mould.
10. (Optional) Spread the slices with melted chocolate and chopped nuts, put into the fridge to set.

For the Chocolate Mousse

1. Soak the gelatin leaves in ice/cold water for later use.
2. Bring the whipping cream to boil. Pour into the melted chocolate, stir until well incorporated.
3. Take and squeeze out all water from the gelatin leaves, stir the gelatin leaves into the chocolate mixture until dissolved.
4. Fold in whipped cream until smooth.
5. Fill the moulds to 4/5 full of chocolate mousse. Place the cake slides onto the mousse, gentle press to let the mousse stick around the sides of the cakes. Fridge 7 hours or overnight to set.

For the Chocolate Glaze

1. Soak the gelatin leaves in ice/cold water for later use.
2. Mix whipping cream, water and sugar, bring them to boil.
3. Add cocoa powder and cook to 102 degree, stir constantly to avoid mixture sticking to saucepan. Remove the saucepan from heat.
4. Take and squeeze out all water from the gelatin leaves, stir the gelatin leaves into the chocolate mixture until dissolved.
5. Let cool to 35 degree.

Assemble

1. Gently un-mould the cakes.
2. Place the cakes on a wire rack and pour the glaze over. (I used an easier-to-clean-up method: carefully lift and put a cake on a spatula/turner, hold it over the glaze with one hand, use a spoon to pour the glaze over with another hand, gently shake away the excess glaze with the spatula/turner)

3. Put into the fridge for 3 hours to set, decorate and serve.