Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe

Ingredients

Bottom Cake Layer

1 cup Natrel Lactose Free butter
8 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
8 egg yolks
¾ cup white sugar
4 egg whites

Middle Layer

3 tbsp cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
7 tbsp hot water
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups cold Natrel Lactose Free 35% Whipping Cream
2 tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt

Top Layer

1 tsp powdered gelatin
2 tbsp water
9 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups cold Natrel Lactose Free 35% Whipping Cream

Dark Chocolate Curls

8 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

	PREP TIME 3h	COOK TIME 30m	TOTAL TIME 3h30m
YIELD 12 to 16 servings

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly grease two 9-inch pans and place parchment paper circles on the bottom of each pan.
In a bowl set on a pot of simmering water, place the chopped chocolate and butter. Allow to melt, making sure to not get any water in the mixture.
Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine egg yolks and sugar. Beat on high speed until slightly thickened and lemon-coloured, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for another 2 minutes.
In another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Using a spatula, fold in the cooled chocolate and butter into the egg yolk mixture. Take a quarter of the egg whites and stir into the chocolate/egg yolk mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites, making sure the mixture is streak-free.
Divide the batter equally into the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Once the cakes are cooled to room temperature, invert them onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the cakes with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.
Cover the bottom of the springform pan with a circle of parchment paper. Cut a 4-inch strip of parchment paper and line the sides of the pan with it, making sure it goes over the top of the pan by at least ½ an inch. Once the cake layers have chilled, place one cake layer in the bottom of the springform pan.
Whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water in a small bowl and set aside.
In a bowl set on a pot of simmering water, place the chopped chocolate and allow it to melt, making sure to not get any water in it. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the whipping cream and the sugar until stiff peaks form.
Add cocoa powder mixture to the melted chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk a quarter of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.
Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, making sure the resulting mixture is streak-free.
Pour the whipped chocolate on the cake layer and bang the pan onto the counter to remove any large air bubbles.
Cover the dark chocolate mousse with the other layer of chilled cake.
Refrigerate the cake while preparing the top layer.
In a small measuring cup, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let rest for 5 minutes.
Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside.
Place ¾ cup of whipping cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the cream is boiling, remove from the heat and incorporate the gelatin, stirring to dissolve.
Pour cream over the white chocolate and stir until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the remaining whipping cream until soft peaks form. Stir a quarter of the whipped cream into the chocolate, then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream, making sure that no streaks remain.
Pour the white chocolate mixture over the second cake layer and smooth with an offset spatula.
Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. The cake will taste even better if you chill it overnight.
Decorate with dark chocolate curls.