Coffee Nebula Cake
Chocolate Cake
Adapted form Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook
1 ¼ cup flour
½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 ¼ cup white sugar
1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg and 1 egg yolk
¾ cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup warm water
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees and butter and flour one 8-inch cake pan. In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and powder, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla. Stir until just combined. Pour warm water over the batter and stir again until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely in pan and then level the cake and slice it into two layers. Put aside. Can be frozen for up to a week in advance, just bring to room temperature when ready to assemble.
Milk and Dark Chocolate Mousses
Adapted from Francois Payard’s Simply Sensational Desserts
3 ½ heavy whipping cream
5 oz. high quality milk chocolate, chopped into chunks
5 oz. high quality dark chocolate, chopped into chunks
1. Whip 2 ½ cups heavy whipping cream to soft peaks. Divide between two bowls and refrigerate. Place the chocolates into two separate bowls.
2. Bring remaining cup of cream to a boil in a saucepan and divide hot cream among the two bowl of chocolate. Let stand for a minute or two and then whisk until smooth. Let the ganaches cool for ten minutes. Whip the milk chocolate into one bowl of whipped cream, and the dark chocolate into another. Refrigerate until use. Can be used immediately.
Coffee Syrup
¼ cup strongly brewed coffee
¼ cup white sugar
To assemble:
1. Place the bottom cake layer on a 9-inch cake cardboard and then place the cake and cardboard into a 10-inch spring form pan ring or a cake ring. Soak the cake with ½ of the coffee syrup. Using all the dark chocolate mousse, completely cover the cake all the way around. Freeze for ten minutes. Place the second cake layer on top of the dark chocolate mouse and working quickly, soak with the remaining ½ of the coffee syrup. Cover with all the milk chocolate mousse and run a knife around the edge of the cake to ensure all sides are covered. Freeze or refrigerate. Garnish, and store in the fridge.