Easter Chocolate Mousse Cake Food

EASTER NEST TORTE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. , Spread into a greased 9-in. springform pan. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Remove sides and bottom of pan. Cool completely on a wire rack., From a large sheet of waxed paper, cut a 29x5-in. strip. Fold strip lengthwise in half. Place strip on a large sheet of waxed paper on a work surface. Spread melted chocolate evenly along one long edge of waxed paper strip; spread upward, making a wavy line to within 1/2 in. of other long edge. Let stand for 10-30 minutes until chocolate begins to set but is still pliable. , Carefully lift waxed paper strip and wrap chocolate strip around cake with straight edge on the bottom. Do not remove waxed paper. Refrigerate until chilled. Meanwhile, cover three baking sheets with waxed paper. Drizzle remaining melted chocolate from a spatula over waxed paper in both directions. Chill for 10 minutes. Peel off waxed paper; break chocolate into 2- to 3-in. "twigs"; set aside. , For filling, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. , In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand for 1 minute. Stir into custard until gelatin is dissolved. Add chopped chocolate; stir until smooth. Cover surface with plastic wrap; cool to room temperature., In a large bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form; fold into chocolate mixture. Carefully spoon over top of cake. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until set. Remove waxed paper strip from side of cake. Position chocolate "twigs" around top of cake to create a nest. Arrange candy eggs in center.

EASTER CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and sit the cake ring on top. Put the egg yolks in a large bowl. Whisk the egg whites with the sugar in a separate bowl, or a mixer, until stiff peaks form.
• Once stiff, use a large metal spoon to stir one-quarter of the whites into the yolks, then pour the mixture back into the remaining egg whites, and gently fold to combine. Sieve in the cocoa powder and gently fold again until just combined.
• Pour into the cake ring and level out with a spatula or spoon. Bake for 15-20 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the ring - the middle will sink.
• Once the cake has cooled, slide a knife around the inside of the ring to release the cake and lift the ring off. Trim the edge of the cake with scissors. Clean the ring and place it back around the sponge on a cake board, or on a cake stand.
• Boil the kettle. In a large clean bowl, or a freestanding mixer, whisk the egg whites and sugar until medium peaks form.
• Set a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and melt the chocolate to around 50C. In a separate bowl, whisk 50ml hot water with the cocoa powder, then add the yolks. Tip onto the melted chocolate, but don't stir it in yet.
• Briskly whisk one-quarter of the egg whites into the melted chocolate and egg yolk mixture - this ensures that the mousse has an even texture. Use a spatula to fold in the remaining egg whites until fully combined.
• Pour the mousse onto the sponge, then chill for at least 2 hrs or up to 24 hrs. Meanwhile, make the chocolate croustillant, white chocolate feathers and spun sugar nest, if using (see opposite).
• Melt half the chocolate in a bowl over gently simmering water. Once melted, stir in the remaining chocolate, then remove from the heat. Leave to cool for 5 mins. Using a palette knife, spread the chocolate across the acetate band in a thin, even layer to cover. Leave to set for 1-2 mins.
• Lift off the cake ring, then wrap the acetate around the cake so that the chocolate touches the mousse. Stick it tightly and hold for a second to make sure it stays in place - don't worry if it overlaps a little. Chill for 30 mins. Meanwhile, make the butterscotch sauce (see opposite).
• To assemble the cake, remove from the fridge and peel off the acetate carefully, breaking off any overlapping chocolate.
• Spoon half the lemon butterscotch sauce over the mousse, then top with the spun sugar nest and chocolate feathers, if using. Add the shards of broken chocolate croustillant and a decorative egg, if you like. Serve within 1 hr with the remaining sauce on the side.
• Melt 50g chopped white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Use a small palette knife to spread a thin layer of the chocolate on a piece of baking parchment in a feather shape. You can set the parchment on the inside of an upturned cake tin to set the chocolate feather in a curved shape, if you like. Once set, peel off the parchment and use a small knife to notch the edges to give them a feathery effect.
• Fill the sink with cold water and cover an area of your work surface (about 1m x 50cm) with baking parchment or cling film. Put 150g fondant icing and 20g liquid glucose in a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook until the fondant melts, then increase the heat and bubble until it turns to a deep caramel. Quickly cool down the pan by dipping the base in the cold water in the sink, but make sure no water splashes into the pan. This should stop the sugar from cooking and thicken the caramel slightly. Using 2 forks, pull strands of caramel from the pan, and flick them quickly from a height over your covered work surface to create multiple thin sugar threads. Keep going until you have a large mass - enough to make a nest. If the caramel starts to set, put it back on the heat to soften it a little. Use your hands to shape the sugar threads gently into a loose cylinder, then wrap into a nest shape. Will keep for a couple of days in a cool, dry container. If it comes into contact with any moisture or heat, it will dissolve.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C/gas 4. Mix the sugar and cocoa in a bowl. In a small saucepan, gently melt the butter with the chocolate and glucose over a gentle heat. Once melted, whisk in the sugar and cocoa powder mixture and 50ml cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 30 secs-1 min until slightly thickened.
• Spread a third of the mixture onto a piece of baking parchment on a baking sheet. Lay another piece of parchment on top and, using a rolling pin, roll out the croustillant as thin as possible. Set in the freezer for 5 mins until the top sheet of parchment peels off easily. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, or freeze for another day.
• Peel off the top layer of parchment and bake in the centre of the oven for 5 mins. When it is bubbling, it's cooked. Cool completely before breaking into large pieces.
• In a saucepan, combine the sugar, liquid glucose and 1 tbsp water. Set over a gentle heat until the sugar dissolves, but do not stir. Once dissolved, bring to the boil and cook until the sugar syrup turns into a caramel and is lightly golden. Warm the lemon zest and juice in the microwave on High for 1 min, then heat the whipping cream in a separate bowl in the microwave on High for 2 mins. Once the caramel is golden, pour in the lemon and cream. Boil for 30 secs, then set aside to cool. Chill in the fridge, covered with cling film, until needed

LAYERED CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• For the brownie: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in the milk, butter, vanilla and egg until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
• Unclasp the pan, remove the outer ring and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Line the ring with a 2 1/2-inch-wide parchment strip, making sure that it sits tightly and smoothly along the sides. Re-clasp the ring to the bottom of the pan with the cake in it.
• For the mousse: Roughly chop 4 tablespoons of the butter and put in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until melted, about 1 minute. Stir in 1/4 cup of the cocoa powder until smooth; set aside. Chop the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and put in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until melted, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup cocoa powder until smooth; set aside.
• Add 1/4 cup of the heavy cream to a small microwave-safe bowl and stir in the gelatin. Let sit for 5 minutes to bloom. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until the gelatin is dissolved, about 1 minute. Cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer the gelatin to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and add the sugar, vanilla and remaining 3 3/4 cups heavy cream. Whisk on medium speed until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Divide the whipped cream mixture between 2 large bowls. Fold one bowl of the cocoa powder-butter mixture into each batch of whipped cream mixture and stir until no streaks remain (one bowl will contain dark chocolate mousse and the other will contain light chocolate mousse).
• Spread the dark chocolate mousse on top of the brownie in the springform pan. Use an offset spatula to even out and smooth the top. Spread the light chocolate mousse on top of the dark chocolate mousse and use an offset spatula to even out and smooth the top. Refrigerate until the mousse is set, 3 hours and up to overnight.
• For the ganache: Bring the heavy cream and butter to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Put the semisweet chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and pour the hot cream over top. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth and shiny.
• Unclasp the springform pan and remove the parchment paper from the sides of the cake. Use a hot, dry offset spatula to smooth out the sides. Set a rack in a rimmed baking sheet and put the cake on top of the rack. Pour the ganache over the cake and let it drip down over the sides so the entire cake is covered. Swipe once across the top with a clean, large offset spatula to create a smooth top. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
• Hold a stencil or other tool with holes (such as a doily or a cooling rack) over the cake (do not lay it on the ganache; it will stick) and dust with more cocoa powder to create a decorative pattern. Serve immediately.

RICH RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• For the base, melt the chocolate with the butter and golden syrup in a bowl over barely simmer watering or on a low heat in the microwave.
• Put the biscuits in a bag and crush with a rolling pin until they reach a crumb consistency. Combine the two and spread over the base of a 23cm springform tin. Refrigerate for about an hour to set.
• For the mousse, melt the remaining plain chocolate and the milk chocolate together in the same way and allow to cool until lukewarm. Using an electric beater, whisk the eggs whites in one bowl to stiff peaks. Softly whip the whipping cream in another bowl until thickened but not as far as soft peaks.
• Stir the egg yolks into the chocolate, then beat the cream into the mixture - a balloon whisk is good for this. Work quickly if the chocolate looks like it might be becoming grainy. Gently fold in the eggs whites with a whisk, spread the mixture over the biscuit base and return to the fridge overnight.
• Release from the tin and decorate with concentric circles of raspberries and serve.