Bon Appetit Chocolate Mousse Cake Food

IRISH CREAM CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Whisk eggs and sugar in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) and whisk constantly until candy thermometer registers 60°F, about 5 minutes.
• Remove bowl from over water. Using electric mixer, beat egg mixture until cool and very thick, about 10 minutes.
• Place chocolate in top of another bowl over simmering water; stir until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water. Cool to lukewarm.
• Combine cream and Irish cream liqueur in medium bowl; beat to stiff peaks. Pour lukewarm melted chocolate over egg mixture and fold together. Fold in cream mixture. Cover and chill until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Cake
• 6 large eggs
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder or coffee powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Line bottom with parchment paper. Using electric mixer, beat eggs, sugar, espresso powder and salt in large bowl until mixture thickens and slowly dissolving ribbon forms when beaters are lifted, about 8 minutes. Sift 1/3 of flour over and gently fold into egg mixture. Repeat 2 more times (do not overmix or batter may deflate).
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on rack.
• Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Turn out cake. Remove pan bottom. Peel off parchment. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap cake in plastic and chill.)
• Syrup
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons water
• 5 tablespoons Irish whiskey
• Combine sugar and water in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Remove from heat. Mix in whiskey. Cool. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
• Assembly
• Using serrated knife, cut cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place bottom cake layer on platter. Brush with 3 tablespoons syrup. Spread 2 cups mousse over. Top with second cake layer. Brush with 3 tablespoons syrup. Spread 2 cups mousse over. Top with third cake layer, cut side down. Brush with 3 tablespoons syrup. Spread remaining mousse over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate cake while preparing chocolate bands.
• Chocolate Bands
• 2 14 1/2 x 3-inch waxed paper strips
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon solid vegetable shortening
• Line large basket sheet with foil and set aside. Place another large sheet of foil on work surface; top with waxed paper strips, spacing apart. Stir chopped semisweet chocolate and vegetable shortening in heavy, small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Pour half of melted chocolate down center of each waxed paper strip.
• Using metal icing spatula, spread chocolate to cover strips evenly and completely, allowing some chocolate to extend beyond edges of paper strips. Using fingertips, lift strips and place on clean foil-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate just until chocolate begins to set but is still very flexible, about 2 minutes.
• Remove chocolate bands from refrigerator. Using fingertips, lift 1 band from foil. With chocolate side next to cake, place band around side of cake; press gently to adhere (band will be taller than cake). Repeat with second chocolate band, pressing onto uncovered side of cake so that ends of chocolate bands just meet (if ends overlap, use scissors to trim any excess paper and chocolate). Refrigerate until chocolate sets, about 5 minutes. Gently peel off paper. Refrigerate cake.
• Chocolate Curls
• 12 1-ounce squares semisweet baking chocolate
• Powdered sugar
• Line baking sheet with foil. Unwrap 1 square of chocolate. Place chocolate on its paper wrapper in microwave. Cook on High just until chocolate begins to soften slightly, about 1 minute (time will vary depending on power of microwave). Turn chocolate square onto 1 side and hold in hand. Working over foil-lined sheet, pull vegetable peeler along sides of chocolate, allowing chocolate curls to fall gently onto foil. Form as many curls as possible. Repeat process with remaining chocolate squares. Place curls decoratively atop cake, mounding slightly. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate cake.) Sift powdered sugar over chocolate curls before serving cake.

DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE TANGERINE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• For Cake:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom with parchment. Butter parchment. Dust pan with flour. Melt butter and chocolate in heavy large saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth and melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs and ground nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with very moist crumbs attached, about 45 minutes. Cool completely on rack (cake will fall and crack).
• Release cake pan sides. Turn out cake onto work surface. Peel off parchment. Cut off outer 1/2-inch edge of cake. Clean cake pan. Reattach cake pan sides; brush sides of pan with vegetable oil. Set cake in center of pan (there will be space around cake that will be filled in with mousse). Refrigerate cake.
• For Mousse:
• Boil tangerine juice and sugar in heavy large saucepan until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over lemon juice in small bowl. Let stand 10 minutes to soften.
• Add gelatin mixture to tangerine juice mixture and stir to dissolve. Add 14 ounces white chocolate and whisk over low heat just until melted. Whisk in sour cream. Pour into large bowl. Chill mixture until cool and thickened but not set, whisking occasionally, about 1 hour 45 minutes.
• Beat chilled whipping cream to stiff peaks. Fold into white chocolate mixture. Pour mousse over cake in pan, covering top and sides completely. Refrigerate cake overnight.
• Using vegetable peeler, shave 9 ounces white chocolate into thin curls (if white chocolate is too hard to shave, place briefly in warm place to soften slightly). Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Place cake on platter. Sprinkle chocolate curls over top of cake. Press more chocolate curls around sides of cake, covering completely. Place cocoa powder in fine sieve. Dust cocoa very lightly over chocolate curls. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Garnish cake with raspberries and mint sprigs. Serve cold.

JULIA CHILD'S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Place the chocolate and 4 Tbsp strong coffee in a small sauce pan and place in a pan of hot water. Stir for a minute or so until melting begins.
• Place egg yolks in a bowl and beat, adding the sugar in a thin stream. Continue beating until the mixture is thick, pale and forms a ribbon. Beat in the rum. Set over a pan of almost simmering water and beat for an additional 5 minutes. Test with your finger to make sure the mixture is warmed through.
• Allow to cool. It should again form a ribbon and have the consistency of thick creamy mayonnaise.
• Stir the chocolate until smooth and gradually add the softened butter. When totally in corporate stir the mixture into the yolks and sugar.
• In a clean dry bowl beat the room temperature egg whites. Begin slowly and increase the speed until soft peaks are formed. Sprinkle with 2 TBSP of sugar and a pinch of salt. Continue beating until stiff peaks are formed.
• Fold 1/4 of the stiff egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Scoop the remaining egg whites on top and delicately fold them inches.
• Place into a mold or serving dishes and chill for several hours or overnight.
• Serve with whipped cream if desired.

THE ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• For the Cake:.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Wrap the outside of an 8-inch spring form pan with a double layer of tin foil to prevent seepage.
• Butter the inside of the pan and cut a circle out of parchment paper the size of the bottom of the pan. Place it in and butter it too.
• Combine the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water (don't let it touch the bottom of the pot, it will scorch the chocolate). Stir until the chocolate and butter are smooth and lump free. You can also microwave the mixture on 100% or high. Make sure you stop and stir the mixture every 15 seconds; remove the chocolate when all the lumps are gone.
• Put the eggs in a large mixer bowl over simmering water and stir constantly until warm to the touch, about 3 minutes; remove from the heat. If using an electric mixer, beat the eggs until triple in volume and form soft peaks when the beater is lifted, 5-8 minutes. To ensure maximum volume when using a hand mixer continue to beat the eggs over simmering water until hot to the touch, about 5 minutes, then removed from heat until cool.
• Fold half the eggs into the melted chocolate until partially incorporated. Add the remaining eggs and fold until just blended but no streaks remain.
• Pour at once into your prepared spring form pan and smooth the surface with an off-set spatula. Place the spring form pan into a larger pan and carefully pour boiling water into the larger pan until the water is about 2/3 of the way up the side of the spring form pan. Don't get any water on the chocolate! This method of a water bath is often referred to as a "bain marie".
• Bake the cake for 5 minutes. Then cover the spring form pan loosely with lightly buttered tin foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 45 minutes; then cover it again and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours.
• To remove the cake from the spring form pan: Run a small spatula around the edge of the spring form until the sides of the cake come loose. Place the cake on a round plate that the cake fits nicely on and invert the plate and open the spring form pan up and remove from the cake. Remove the bottom metal part of the spring form pan and the parchment. Cover it again with tin foil and leave for another 6 hours or over night. It needs to be really chilled to set.
• If you are making the Ganache, set the cake on a metal rack and put wax paper under the cake (tuck strips). Pour the tepid glaze over the center of the cake and allow the ganache to dribble down the sides of the cake.
• Using a metal off set spatula run it around the top of the cake to ensure that the g.
• Ganache won't be too thick on the top. Patch any bare spots at this point. If any air holes occur, use a pin to break them. Remove the strips of wax paper from under the cake and let this stand undisturbed for 2-3 hours at room temperature, or 30 minutes in the fridge.
• Bon Appetit!

FROZEN WHITE CHOCOLATE & RASPBERRY MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325.
• Butter a 9-inch spring form pan with 2-3/4 inch high sides.
• Mix cookie crumbs with melted butter and press mixture evenly over bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan.
• Bake 6 minutes and cool on rack.
• Bring 1/2-cup cream to boil in medium saucepan and reduce heat to low.
• Add white chocolate and stir until smooth.
• Pour mixture into large bowl mix in liqueur and vanilla.
• Cool completely.
• Bring sugar and water to a boil in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves; boil until it reaches 238 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
• Gradually beat in boiling syrup.
• Continue beating until stiff peaks form and meringue is cool.
• Fold egg whites into white chocolate mixture in 2 additions.
• Beat 1-1/2 cups cream in large bowl to soft peaks then fold into other mixture.
• Pour into prepared crust, cover tightly with foil and freeze for at least 5 hours.
• Remove cake from freezer and run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake.
• Release pan sides and cover the top with raspberries.
• Cut and serve.