No, in this recipe mousse is not something that hangs out in the woods
and goes by the name of Bullwinkle. Mousse is a very rich and creamy
desert or filling that used to be only found in fine French restaurants.
Most mousse is made with separated eggs and sugar beaten together, and
often with the addition of cream. To this is usually added chocolate or
some kind of fruit.
You will save yourself a lot of trouble if you use some kind of an
electric mixer or processor rather than beating the eggs by hand.
However, some sections call for whisking rather than power beating. This
recipe is done in a few different steps, and two different sections; the
cake, and the mousse.
Homemade Chocolate Mousse Cake
7 to 8 eggs, separated and at room temperature
1/2 cup of sifted unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup of boiling water
1 3/4 cup of sifted all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 3/4 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of oil
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
Put the cocoa in a small mixing bowl and stir in the boiling water
until the mixture is smooth. Let the mix cool for a half hour.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 160 degrees C (325 degrees F).
Sift the white flour with the salt, the baking soda and the sugar. Make
a little well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the oil,
the separated egg yolks, the vanilla extract and the cocoa. Use a wooden
spoon to beat them together until they are smooth.
Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites by sprinkling it over the top.
Beat them until nice stiff peaks have formed. Here’s where you need a
whisk. Use a whisk to gently fold the batter into the beaten egg whites.
Place them in a 25 c (10 inch) ungreased tube pan. Place the pan in the
oven and bake for 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool
on a wire rack for 1 1/2 hours.
Mousse Filling For the Chocolate Cake:
3 cups of heavy cream
1 1/2 cup of sifted sugar (sifted 10 times)
3/4 cup of sifted cocoa
2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin
In a small mixing bowl, blend together all the ingredients except the
gelatin. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for one hour to cool.
After cooled, use a mixer to blend the mixture until it is stiff. Return
it to the refrigerator.
Sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons of cold water to soften. Heat it
over hot water until it dissolves and then allow it to cool.
Cut a 2.5 c (1 inch) slice from top of cake crosswise. Cut out a 2.5 c
(1 inch) cavity in the middle of the cake ring.
Measure 2 1/2 cups of the mousse filling and stir in the dissolved
gelatin. Use this to fill the cavity. Put the top back on the cake.
Mix 1/2 cup of the remaining filling and 1 1/2 cups crumbs from the
cavity you dug out and from the top you cut off. Use this to fill the
center. Frost the chocolate mousse cake with remaining filling and place
in the refrigerator for awhile before serving.
