Adapted from Chef Chantel’s Mousse Cake
Ingredients
Cake
125ml Boiling Water
125ml Cold Water
50g Cocoa Powder
125ml Oil
1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
4 Eggs
300g Caster Sugar
250g Cake Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
Mousse Icing
45g Butter
115g Dark Chocolate (54.6%+)
2 Egg Yolks
3 Egg Whites
Chocolate Collar
250g Dark Chocolate
Acetate sheets or parchment paper
Cellotape
Instructions
Cake
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Prepare two 20cm cake tins by spraying the tin with baking spray, lining the bottoms with baking paper circles cut out to fit the bottoms then spray tops.
Pour the boiling water onto the cocoa and stir to dissolve, set aside.
Pour sugar into a large mixing bowl and sift in the flour, baking powder and salt.
Mix together the cold water with the cocoa mix, add oil, vanilla essence and lastly the egg yolks.
In a large clean stainless steel or glass bowl whisk the four egg whites until they are fluffy and hold a stiff peak.
Make an indent in the middle of the flour mix and pour in the liquid mixture. Incorporate the dry ingredients with the liquid mix with a large large balloon whisk until just combined. Use a large metal spoon and gently fold in 1/3 of the egg whites. Mix until fully incorporated. Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites.
Divide between the cake tins and bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Icing (if you like a lot of icing I would double the recipe)
Melt the butter and chocolate together over a double boiler, over medium heat
Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in one egg yolk until combined, add the remaining yolk.
Whisk the egg whites in a mixer until stiff peak and gently fold into the chocolate mixture (using the same method as the cake).
Allow to set in the fridge for an hour before assembling the cake.
Chocolate Collar (optional)
Once you have layered the cake with the chocolate mousse. Allow to rest in the fridge for an hour, this will help the mousse to set and to make sure the collar is neat when placing around the cake.
Measure the circumference of your cake and the height. You'll about 2-5cm wider and it's up to you if you want an exact height or higher for effect. Cut the acetate/parchment paper to match. Tape either end of the paper to your work surface.
Over a double boiler melt 200g of the chocolate, once melted remove from heat and stir in the remaining chocolate. Spread evenly in a thin layer (2mm) on the acetate sheet/parchment paper, and gently wrap around the cake, chocolate facing inward. Use cellotape to stick the sheet on the outside and allow to set completely in the fridge. Once set gently remove the acetate/parchment and garnish as desired.