Sour Cherry Chocolate Mousse Cake Food

SOUR CHERRY CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Make sour cherry jam:
• In a small saucepan stir together the cherry jam, balsamic vinegar, and calvados. Simmer over low heat until the liquid reduces and thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand until cooled completely.
• Make shortbread base:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Invert bottom of springform pan (to make it easier to slide shortbread base off bottom), then lock on side of pan and line bottom with a round of parchment paper.
• Pulse hazelnuts with sugar in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped. Add flour, butter, cocoa, and salt and pulse just until a dough forms.
• Press dough evenly onto bottom of springform pan with your fingers. Prick all over with a fork, then bake until just dry to the touch, about 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer base in pan to a rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Remove side of pan and carefully slide out parchment from under shortbread, then reattach side of pan around shortbread base.
• Make mousse while shortbread cools:
• Sprinkle gelatin over water in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Heat gelatin mixture over low heat, stirring, just until gelatin is melted, about 2 minutes. Whisk in chocolate hazelnut spread until combined and remove from heat.
• Whisk together mascarpone and chocolate hazelnut mixture in a large bowl. Beat together cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in another large bowl with an electric mixer at low speed until just combined, then increase speed to high and beat until cream just holds soft peaks. Whisk one third of whipped cream into mascarpone mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whipped cream until well combined.
• Use a spoon or rubber spatula to spread the jam mixture evenly on top of shortbread, then spoon the mousse layer on top of the jam, gently smoothing top. Chill, covered, at least 3 hours.
• Make ganache and glaze cake:
• Bring cream to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan and remove from heat. Add chocolate and let stand 1 minute, then gently whisk until completely melted and smooth. Transfer ganache to a small bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 20 minutes.
• Run a warm thin knife around inside of springform pan, then remove side. Slide cake off bottom of pan and transfer to a serving plate. Pour ganache onto top of cake and spread, allowing excess ganache to drip down sides.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CANDY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
• Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the melted butter, buttermilk, egg, vanilla and 1/2 cup water together in another bowl until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking until just combined. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through cooking, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Discard the parchment paper and flip the cakes right side up again. Let the cakes cool completely.
• Make the cherry filling: Quarter the cherries and transfer them to a medium bowl with the 2 tablespoons reserved syrup. Combine the gelatin with 1 tablespoon cold water in a small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Heat the gelatin in the microwave until it melts completely, about 10 seconds, stirring to dissolve. Combine the gelatin, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, salt and almond extract in a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape the cream cheese mixture into the bowl containing the cherries and stir to combine. Refrigerate, checking every 5 minutes, until the filling is just set enough to spread, 5 to 15 minutes. (Do not let the filling firm up too much.)
• Place one cake on a cake stand and pile the cherry filling in the center, spreading it in a thick layer almost to the edge. Top with the remaining cake, aligning the layers directly on top of each other so the cake does not lean. Refrigerate the assembled cake for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache: Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan then remove from the heat. Add the chocolate, shaking the pan gently to submerge it. Allow the pan to stand, off the heat, for 3 minutes to melt the chocolate. Whisk the ganache until smooth, then refrigerate until it is just thick enough to spread (like mayonnaise), about 15 minutes. (Do not let the ganache harden too much.)
• 15 to 20 minutes. (Do not let the ganache harden too much.)
• Stir the ganache again and scoop it on top of the cake, spreading it over the top and sides. Refrigerate the cake until the ganache is set, at least 2 hours or overnight.

MADELEINE WREATH WITH SOUR CHERRY MOUSSE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray four madeleine molds with cooking spray and then dust with flour.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the eggs until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in the granulated sugar and lightly mix to combine. Slowly beat in the lemon zest, vanilla and salt. Then, with the mixer running on very low speed, slowly add in the flour, a little at a time, until incorporated. Still running on a low speed, drizzle in the melted butter. Add the food coloring and mix until fully incorporated and there are no streaks, adding more coloring as needed.
• Use a tablespoon measure to spoon the batter into the madeleine molds, about 40 in total. Use a small offset spatula to smooth the batter so that it fills each mold. Bake until cooked through and spongy, 14 to 16 minutes, checking throughout to avoid browned edges. Cool the madeleines completely on a cooling rack.
• For the mousse:
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream together the cream cheese and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar until light, fluffy and smooth. With the mixer on low speed, add the cherry syrup, kirsch if using and the vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. When fully combined, stop the mixer.
• In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the heavy cream. Once the cream reaches the soft peak stage, add the remaining 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and continue mixing until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the whipped cream into the cream cheese to loosen the mixture. Then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream, being careful to avoid deflating the whipped cream. Once combined, fold in the sour cherries.
• Transfer the mousse to a large piping bag and cut off the corner. On a large platter or clean cutting board, pipe a thick circle of mousse to act as glue. Layer the madeleines in a circle so that they look like leaves on a wreath. Pipe more mousse and place the madeleines overlapping to layer the "leaves." Place some maraschino cherries throughout the madeleines as "berries." Roll the modeling chocolate to 1/4-inch thick to create a red ribbon. Use a pizza cutter to slice 6 strips of the chocolate, and then wrap the strips around a cardboard paper towel roll. Dab with some water to seal the edges. Place the chocolate ribbon at the top of the wreath in a bow shape, then serve.

FROZEN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Mousse: Line an 8 1/2" X 4 1/2" loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a generous overhang on all sides; smooth plastic to avoid lines in finished mousse.
• Place 1 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over and let sit 5 minutes.
• Using electric mixer on high speed, beat egg yolks and salt in a large bowl until pale yellow and frothy, about 4 minutes.
• Fit a small saucepan with candy thermometer and bring corn syrup, sugar, and 1/4 cup water to a boil. Cook until thermometer registers 238 degrees. Remove from heat and add gelatin, stirring to dissolve with mixer on medium-low, drizzle syrup into egg mixture. Mix in chocolate.
• Using electric mixer with clean beaters, beat cream in a medium bowl to soft peaks. Mix one-third whipped cream into egg mixture. Fold in pistachios, then remaining whipped cream. Scrape mousse into prepared pan; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze until solid, at least 5 hours.
• Sour Cherry Sauce: Combine cherries and 2 cups very hot water in a small bowl; let sit 10 minutes to soften.
• Meanwhile, bring cherry juice, sugar, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat. Drain cherries and add to saucepan; simmer until sugar is dissolved and mixture is slightly thickened, 8-12 minutes. Let cool. Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.
• Topping and Assembly: Combine cream, sour cream, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Scrape seed from vanilla bean; discard pod. Beat to soft peaks.
• Let mousse thaw 5-10 minutes, then unmold, unwrap, and slice with a hot knife. Serve with cherry sauce and topping. Place mousse slice ON TOP of Cherry Sauce on dessert plate and topping on the side the mousse.
• Slice mousse into portions and freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet the day of the party to make serving easy.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Grease 9-inch springform pan line with parchment paper grease and flour paper.
• Stir water, sugar, corn syrup and flour in heavy saucepan.
• Cook on low heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly.
• Add chocolate, vanilla and salt.
• Continue cooking until chocolate is completely melted stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat.
• Add butter; stir until melted.
• Transfer mixture to large bowl.
• Refrigerate 15 minutes or until mixture has somewhat cooled, stirring occasionally.
• Add egg yolks to chocolate mixture; stir with wire whisk until well blended.
• Gentle fold in egg whites.
• Fold in whipped cream.
• Spoon into prepared pan.
• Place pan in larger baking pan, then place on center rack in oven.
• Carefully pour boiling water into larger pan to come halfway up side of springform pan.
• Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes or until mixture is just set.
• Run small knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan.
• Cover top with plastic wrap; refrigerate 4 hours to overnight.
• Center will fall. A prefect bowl for berries!
• Garnish with fresh berries and whipped cream.