Emma's latest chocolate cake!
This is the recipe for Emma's latest chocolate cake!
Chocolate Caramel Mousse Cake
This recipe is based on one from one of my favourite cookbooks called Caprial’s Desserts.
This was a project for me. I made this cake for dessert on Christmas Eve last year. Please let me know if you have any questions about the directions. Enjoy!
Chocolate cake
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
½ cup cocoa
½ cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 cup boiling water
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line two 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat the first six ingredients one at a time in the order that they appear.
In a separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients, and then add them to the first six ingredients.
Gently fold the boiling water into the batter until the batter is a nice thick chocolaty mixture.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cakes. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before releasing them from their pans. Allow the cakes to cool completely before splitting them in two.
Cake is always better the second day so I like to make this one day ahead.
Chocolate Mousse Filling
12 ounces semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened) chopped into roughly uniform pieces.
6 large egg yolks at room temperature
¼ cup water
2 cups whipping cream
½ cup sour cream
Method:
Put the chocolate into a ceramic bowl over a pan of water. (Make sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and bring the water to a simmer, not a boil. Stir the chocolate often while it melts. When the chocolate is mostly melted remove the pan from the heat and leave the bowl sitting on top of the pan until you are ready to use it.
Place the egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until they become light in colour and very thick (the ribbon stage) about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. With the mixer on medium speed, slowly add the hot sugar mixture in a steady stream to the egg yolks, once added increase the speed to medium high and beat, until the mixture has doubled in volume, about 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and gently fold in about ½ the melted chocolate and then fold in the remaining chocolate.. Set aside.
In a clean bowl of the stand mixer fitted with a clean whisk attachment beat the whipping cream with the sour cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Gently fold the cream mixture into the chocolate mixture. Refrigerate until chilled, at least two hours, but overnight is preferred.
Ganache
8 ounces whipping cream
1 ounce unsalted butter
1 ounce berry sugar
12 ounces semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened) chopped into small uniform pieces.
Method
Place the chocolate into a medium ceramic or glass bowl and set aside.
Heat the whipping cream, butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium high heat. When the mixture is hot, stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture just to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and pour over the chocolate and allow it to stand for 5 minutes. Gently whisk the mixture until it becomes a smooth unified rich chocolate mixture. (If you’ve never made ganache before don’t panic when it looks like a dogs breakfast, continue to whisk and it will start to look beautiful in the centre and continue until it’s unified.) Allow to cool to room temperature.
Caramel:
2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
½ cup whipping cream
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
8 ounces bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate, melted. Not unsweetened chocolate.
Method:
You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe. You can use Mackintosh’s toffee instead if you like.
Lightly grease a jelly roll pan and set aside.
Place the sugar, cream, corn syrup and cream of tartar in a heavy 3 quart saucepan, and mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Add the butter and salt continue cooking until it registers 238 degrees on a candy thermometer or reaches the soft ball stage. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Mix well. Pour the caramel onto the prepared jelly roll pan and let cool completely.
Tear the cooled caramel into rough pieces. Using a pastry brush, paint the back of the pieces with the melted chocolate. Place on a sheet of parchment paper to cool. The caramels will keep for 3 days in an airtight container, if people don’t eat them!
Assembling the cake.
Slice each of the cake layers in half so that you have four layers.
Trim the edges to ensue that the cake will be level when it is assembled.
Coarsely chop enough of the caramel to make two cups worth of pieces. Reserve the rest to garnish the cake.
Place one layer on a large cake plate and cover with about 1/3rd of the mousse and then sprinkle the layer with about 1/3rd of the chopped caramel
Place the next cake layer on top and spread about 1/3rd of the mousse on top of it and sprinkle 1/3rd of the chopped caramel. Cover with the last cake layer and leave that plain.
Wrap the partially assembled cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Prepare the ganache. Allow it to cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate approximately 8 fluid ounces of the ganache for at least1 hour. Keep the rest of the ganache at room temperature.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and unwrap. Ice the cake evenly with the room temperature ganache and then put the cake back in the refrigerator to chill for one hour.
Transfer the chilled ganache to a clean piping bag fitted with a large star attachment.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and pipe a circle of 12 evenly spaced stars along the outside edge of the top of the cake. Place a reserved pieces of caramel into each star for a garnish. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve!
Chocolate Caramel Mousse Cake
This recipe is based on one from one of my favourite cookbooks called Caprial’s Desserts.
This was a project for me. I made this cake for dessert on Christmas Eve last year. Please let me know if you have any questions about the directions. Enjoy!
Chocolate cake
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
½ cup cocoa
½ cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 cup boiling water
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line two 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat the first six ingredients one at a time in the order that they appear.
In a separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients, and then add them to the first six ingredients.
Gently fold the boiling water into the batter until the batter is a nice thick chocolaty mixture.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cakes. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before releasing them from their pans. Allow the cakes to cool completely before splitting them in two.
Cake is always better the second day so I like to make this one day ahead.
Chocolate Mousse Filling
12 ounces semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened) chopped into roughly uniform pieces.
6 large egg yolks at room temperature
¼ cup water
2 cups whipping cream
½ cup sour cream
Method:
Put the chocolate into a ceramic bowl over a pan of water. (Make sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and bring the water to a simmer, not a boil. Stir the chocolate often while it melts. When the chocolate is mostly melted remove the pan from the heat and leave the bowl sitting on top of the pan until you are ready to use it.
Place the egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until they become light in colour and very thick (the ribbon stage) about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. With the mixer on medium speed, slowly add the hot sugar mixture in a steady stream to the egg yolks, once added increase the speed to medium high and beat, until the mixture has doubled in volume, about 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and gently fold in about ½ the melted chocolate and then fold in the remaining chocolate.. Set aside.
In a clean bowl of the stand mixer fitted with a clean whisk attachment beat the whipping cream with the sour cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Gently fold the cream mixture into the chocolate mixture. Refrigerate until chilled, at least two hours, but overnight is preferred.
Ganache
8 ounces whipping cream
1 ounce unsalted butter
1 ounce berry sugar
12 ounces semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened) chopped into small uniform pieces.
Method
Place the chocolate into a medium ceramic or glass bowl and set aside.
Heat the whipping cream, butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium high heat. When the mixture is hot, stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture just to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and pour over the chocolate and allow it to stand for 5 minutes. Gently whisk the mixture until it becomes a smooth unified rich chocolate mixture. (If you’ve never made ganache before don’t panic when it looks like a dogs breakfast, continue to whisk and it will start to look beautiful in the centre and continue until it’s unified.) Allow to cool to room temperature.
Caramel:
2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
½ cup whipping cream
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
8 ounces bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate, melted. Not unsweetened chocolate.
Method:
You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe. You can use Mackintosh’s toffee instead if you like.
Lightly grease a jelly roll pan and set aside.
Place the sugar, cream, corn syrup and cream of tartar in a heavy 3 quart saucepan, and mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Add the butter and salt continue cooking until it registers 238 degrees on a candy thermometer or reaches the soft ball stage. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Mix well. Pour the caramel onto the prepared jelly roll pan and let cool completely.
Tear the cooled caramel into rough pieces. Using a pastry brush, paint the back of the pieces with the melted chocolate. Place on a sheet of parchment paper to cool. The caramels will keep for 3 days in an airtight container, if people don’t eat them!
Assembling the cake.
Slice each of the cake layers in half so that you have four layers.
Trim the edges to ensue that the cake will be level when it is assembled.
Coarsely chop enough of the caramel to make two cups worth of pieces. Reserve the rest to garnish the cake.
Place one layer on a large cake plate and cover with about 1/3rd of the mousse and then sprinkle the layer with about 1/3rd of the chopped caramel
Place the next cake layer on top and spread about 1/3rd of the mousse on top of it and sprinkle 1/3rd of the chopped caramel. Cover with the last cake layer and leave that plain.
Wrap the partially assembled cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Prepare the ganache. Allow it to cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate approximately 8 fluid ounces of the ganache for at least1 hour. Keep the rest of the ganache at room temperature.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and unwrap. Ice the cake evenly with the room temperature ganache and then put the cake back in the refrigerator to chill for one hour.
Transfer the chilled ganache to a clean piping bag fitted with a large star attachment.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and pipe a circle of 12 evenly spaced stars along the outside edge of the top of the cake. Place a reserved pieces of caramel into each star for a garnish. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve!