Chocolate Almond Mousse Cake Food

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE-ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Whipped Creme Fraiche: Whisk cream with vanilla and salt until thickened and silky but not yet forming peaks. Add sugar and creme fraiche; whisk to soft peaks, 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 8 hours; stir before using.
• Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter with 3/4 cup granulated sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time. Beat in chocolate and vanilla. Add almond flour and salt; beat to combine. In a separate bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low until frothy. Increase speed to medium-high and beat to soft peaks, about 1 minute. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, beating until stiff but not dry peaks form, about 1 minute more. Stir one-third of egg-white mixture into batter until no streaks remain. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture just to combine (do not overmix). Transfer to prepared pan; gently smooth top with an offset spatula.
• Bake until puffed slightly and set along edges but still slightly wobbly in center, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely, about 2 hours. Remove sides of pan. Using a spatula, gently lift cake from pan; slide onto a cake plate. Lightly dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut into wedges; serve with creme fraiche and raspberries.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and extracts; mix well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. , Pour into a greased 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. , For frosting, cream butter, sugar and extracts in a small bowl until smooth. Add milk until frosting reaches desired spreading consistency. Spread over cake. Decorate with almonds.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 15x10x1 inch pan with cooking spray. Line bottom with waxed paper, spray paper. Prepare cake mix as directed on box using water, oil and eggs. Pour batter into pan.
• Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool cake in pan on cooling rack 10 minutes. Invert cake onto cooling rack; remove pan and paper. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt chocolate and 1/2 cup whipping cream in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in almond extract. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Fold cooled chocolate mixture into whipped cream.
• Trim edges of cake. Cut cake lengthwise into 2 long layers. Place 1 layer on serving platter. Spread with 1/3 of mousse. Repeat with remaining cake layer and 1/3 of mousse. Place remaining 1/3 of mousse in decorating bag fitted with star tip. Pipe border around bottom and top of cake. Decorate top of cake with mousse rosettes. Sprinkle almonds over top. Store in refrigerator. (If you have a lot of mousse left over, you can ice the sides of the cake)

ALMOST-FAMOUS CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Prepare the cake mix as the label directs for a 9-by-13-inch cake. Bake; cool slightly in the pan, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.
• Clean out the cake pan and line it with plastic wrap. Cut the cake in half lengthwise, then in thirds crosswise to make 6 rectangles. Using a serrated knife, slice each rectangle in half to make two layers. Arrange half of the pieces snugly in the cake pan. Crumble the remaining pieces and press tightly into 6 small balls; arrange 1 cake ball in the center of each cake rectangle in the pan.
• Make the mousse: Heat the chocolate, butter, coffee and 1/4 cup water in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water), stirring, until melted. Remove the bowl from the pan; stir until cool. Reserve the simmering water. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
• Whisk the egg yolks, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a separate large heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water and whisk until pale yellow, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chocolate-coffee mixture and the vanilla and whisk until combined, about 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan and set in the bowl of ice water; whisk until slightly cool but not thick, about 4 minutes.
• Beat the egg whites and salt in a bowl with a mixer until foamy. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until almost stiff; gently fold into the chocolate-yolk mixture to make a dark chocolate mousse. Spread 5 cups over the cake and cake balls. Freeze until firm on top, about 30 minutes.
• Beat the heavy cream and the remaining 4 tablespoons sugar until soft peaks form; fold into the remaining mousse. Remove the cake from the freezer; spread with the light chocolate mousse, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Make the chocolate shell: Stir the chocolate, heavy cream and 4 tablespoons corn syrup in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) until melted. A spoonful at a time, spread half of the shell mixture over the frozen mousse. Return to the freezer.
• Make the chocolate sauce: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon corn syrup and the butter to the remaining chocolate shell mixture. Microwave 30 seconds, then stir until glossy.
• To serve the cake, beat the heavy cream with a mixer until foamy. Add the sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Remove the cake from the freezer; invert onto a baking sheet and unmold, then invert again onto a platter, chocolate shell-side up.
• Cut the cake in half lengthwise using a warm knife, then cut into thirds crosswise to make 6 rectangles; cut each rectangle in half diagonally to make 2 triangles. Top each triangle with whipped cream, ice cream and the prepared chocolate sauce.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND CAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Generously grease and lightly flour shaped (12-cup) Bundt® pan and bottom of Bundt® Tunnel Insert, or spray with baking spray with flour. Spoon almonds into bottom of pan.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour over almonds in pan. Place tunnel insert on center of Bundt pan.
• Bake 38 to 44 minutes or until toothpick inserted toward center comes out clean. Using sharp or serrated knife, immediately cut off excess cake across top of Bundt and tunnel insert pans. Carefully loosen tunnel insert; remove. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack, placing cake tunnel side down. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Make pudding mix as directed on box for pudding--except use 1 1/2 cups milk. When pudding is boiling, remove from heat. Stir in chopped white chocolate baking bars until melted. Stir in almond extract. Refrigerate about 15 minutes or until mousse is set. When cake is cool, turn cake over and spoon mousse into tunnel. Place cake filled side down on serving plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Stored covered in refrigerator.

BLACK FOREST CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE-ALMOND MOUSSE FROSTING

Steps:

• MIX cake according to package directions (two or three layers may be used); BLEND in 1 teaspoon almond extract; FOLD in 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate bits or chips; BAKE cake according to package directions.
• COOL cakes completely in pans on wire rack.
• COMBINE 20-21 oz cherry pie filling, 1/4 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 1/4 teaspoon rum extract, and 1/4 teaspoon Angostura bitters.
• WARM mixture in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it gently bubbles and thickens, stirring occasionally (about 7 minutes); ALLOW mixture to cool (If you are making a three-layer cake, this recipe for the filling should be doubled).
• TURN one cake onto cake plate, flat-side up; SPREAD cherry mixture evenly; TURN other cake round carefully onto plate or hand; PLACE flat suface over cherry filling; REPEAT, if a third layer is used.
• MELT 12 ounces chocolate chips in double boiler at medium temperature with 1 cup whipping cream; COOL.
• BEAT remaining one cup whipping cream with an electric mixer on low speed until soft peaks form tips curl); ADD 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and chocolate chip/whipping cream mixture; CONTINUE beating on low speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight).
• FROST completely cooled cake layers one at a time, decorating outermost surface in swirls with a spoon.
• GARNISH with 1 oz semisweet chocolate shavings (create shavings or curls using a swivel vegetable peeler or a cheese grater with a semisweet chocolate bar; pitted maraschino or sour cherries and/or sliced almonds may be added as additional garnish, if desired).
• SLICE, serve and enjoy!