What would Easter be without chocolate and indulgence! I have made this decadent Chocolate Mousse Cake many times before and it’s my ultimate chocolate dessert. This time I made it with a beautiful local Wellington Chocolate Company chocolate which is fair trade and organic. I loved that I could go into their store and explain what I was making and have Rochelle recommend the perfect chocolate for the dish. You can make this a day ahead which is what I love about this recipe (I did mine the night before) or at least a minimum 2 hours before. The mousse needs time to set so that when you cut it it doesn’t flop onto the plate. This recipe will be sure to leave your guests with smiles on their faces and a dinner to remember! Happy Easter.
Prep time: 1 hour, plus cooling and setting
Cook time: 40-50 min
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
For the cake
150 g dark chocolate, I used Wellington Chocolate Company’s 70%
150 g unsalted butter, chopped
5 eggs, separated
150 g caster sugar
For the chocolate mousse
200 g dark chocolate, chopped
30 g unsalted butter
3 eggs, separated
300 ml cream, whipped
For the raspberry paint: (The raspberry “paint” is optional. You can just serve a wedge on a plate with a dollop of cream and i’m sure you’ll have no complaints!)
3/4 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2 Tbsn caster sugar
1 Tbsn water
1/2 tspn arrowroot (or cornflower mixed with a little cold water)
To serve
Extra chocolate to grate over cake
Whipped cream
½ punnet of raspberries or peeled orange segments if raspberries are not in season
Borage, editable flowers (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Grease and line a 24cm springform cake tin. Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of simmering water, making sure the water isn’t touching the base of the bowl. Stir until melted and smooth, then remove from the heat. Allow to cool to room temperature so that the chocolate doesn’t seize when the egg is added.
2. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of sea salt in a large dry bowl until soft peaks form. Tip in half the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until the mixture is glossy and stiff. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and increased in volume. Carefully stir into the melted chocolate, then fold gently through the egg whites with a large metal spoon. Scoop into the tin and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin. It will sink a little. I actually push the cake in even more by gently pressing on it so it gives more room for the mousse to fit in. Leave in the tin.
For the chocolate mousse
Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan as before, then remove from the heat and leave to cool. Whisk the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Beat the egg yolks into the cooled chocolate, one at a time. Fold in the cream and egg whites in two batches. Spread over the cooled cake, filling the cavity that’s been created. Cover and put in the oven and refrigerate until set – at least 2 hours or overnight.
Raspberry “paint”
Heat the berries, sugar and water in a small sauce pan on a medium/high heat until it starts to thicken and coat the back of a spoon. Remove and pass through a sieve to remove any seeds. Put back onto the heat and add the arrowroot or cornflower and cook for a further 1minute. You want it to be not as thick as jam, but not too runny or it won’t “paint” on. If you find that it’s too thick because you have cooked it too long, add a little more water. If it’s not thick enough, cook a little longer.
To serve
1. If you have made your cake ahead of time (and not needing setting time to the last second) pull the cake out when the guests arrive so that it can come to room temperature. Grate some chocolate over top.
2. Paint a line of ‘paint’ on each plate. I just use a regular 3cm wide paint brush that I keep just for this purpose. Or use a pastry brush.
3. To get a nice clean cut, warm a knife under warm water, dry, and then cut. I do this with each cut so that it gives nice clean slices. I don’t make the portions too big as it’s a very rich cake. Serve the wedge of cake on top of the raspberry line with whipped cream, a few berries on the side and some editable flowers for a fresh pop of colour.
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