I hesitate to even call this a cake because I think it deserves its own dessert category. Perhaps even its own food category. It's a lifelong love-at-first-bite dessert. It's the kind of cake that pops into your head when you're asked what you'd have for dessert for your last meal on earth. It's simply incredible. Note also that it's the cake chosen for the cover photo of this cookbook. (Which says a lot about the presentation power of this cake. It also casts some doubt on the much-touted Death by Chocolate Cake for which this cookbook is named.)Rating: 5
Highs
I have several solid reasons for this rating:
1. The lengthy ingredients list and recipe belies the simplicity of this cake. While seemingly intimidating, this masterpiece is actually foolproof. While I managed to foul up not only the cake (underbaked it), the mousse filling (used the wrong type of cream), and the construction (not enough strawberries), it still turned out delicious and beautiful.
2. Even the rather stoic Germans who were in my life when I baked this, and who don't usually like sweet cakes, raved about it and speak of it to this day ("Are you going to make that strawberry one again?"). It is a sure crowd pleaser, even among those who may not normally be cake fans.
3. It hits that sweet spot between decadent and light, with flavors rich and varied. It's one thing to have dessert; it's another to take a stroll through Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Each bite of this cake is like that stroll, thanks to the many textures and flavors involved (dense chocolate-y cake with slightly crackly edges; sweet, creamy, fluffy mousse that takes the edge off the rich chocolate; bursts of fresh strawberry offering a bit of tang and refreshment).
Lows
If you've been following this blog, you're probably seeing a pattern emerge. Recipes in Death by Chocolate are either expensive or time-consuming, and often both. For chocolate lovers and bakers, cutting too deeply into the grocery budget to fund a baking session dedicated to a new chocolate creation is but a small sacrifice. However, for the rest of humanity, many of these recipes are probably best suited for times when you want to pull out all the stops for a labor of love. Like for Valentine's Day! If you take the time to bake this, though, you won't regret it.
Chocolate Strawberry Mousse Cake
Equipment
- Food processor fitted with metal blade
- Three 9x1/2-inch cake pans
- 9x3-inch springform pan
- Two 9-inch cake circles
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
Chocolate cake
- 1/2 lb. butter (2 T. melted)
- 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-oz. pieces
- 8 egg yolks
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 4 egg whites
Chocolate strawberry mousse
- 2 pints strawberries, stems removed
- 16 oz. semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-oz. pieces
- 6 egg whites
- 2 T. sugar
- 1 c. heavy cream
Semisweet chocolate ganache
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 2 T. butter
- 2 T. sugar
- 12 oz. semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-oz. pieces
Instructions
Lightly coat the insides of three 9x1/2-inch cake pans with melted butter. Line each pan with parchment paper, then lightly coat the parchment with more melted butter. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Heat 1 inch water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place remaining butter and 8 oz. semisweet chocolate in the top half. Tightly cover the top with film wrap. Allow to heat for 10-12 more minutes. Remove from heat, stir until smooth, and hold at room temperature.
Place the egg yolks and 3/4 c. sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on high until slightly thickened and lemon-colored, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on high for another 2 minutes.
While egg yolks are beating, whisk 4 egg whites in a large stainless steel bowl until stiff but not dry, about 3-4 minutes.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the melted chocolate mix into the beaten egg yolk mixture. Add a quarter of the beaten egg whites and stir to incorporate, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, spreading to even, and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Remove cakes from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 15 minutes. (During baking, the surface of the cakes will form a crust; this crust will normally collapse when the cakes are removed from the oven.)
Invert one of the cakes onto the bottom of a springform pan. Invert the other two cakes onto cake circles. Remove the parchment paper and refrigerate cakes for 30 minutes.
To prepare the chocolate strawberry mousse, reserve 12 of the best-looking strawberries to decorate the top of the cake. In a food processor, puree 4 oz. of strawberries (12 medium-sized berries should yield 1/2 c. of puree). Set aside until needed. Refrigerate the remaining berries until needed (that includes 12 for decor).
Heat 1 inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place 16 oz. semisweet chocolate, the white chocolate, and the strawberry puree in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover with film wrap. Allow to heat for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Transfer to a stainless steel bowl, using a rubber spatula to remove all of the melted chocolate mix. Keep at room temp until needed.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip, whisk the 6 egg whites on high until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Continue to whisk on high while gradually adding 2 T. sugar. Whisk unil stiff but not dry, about 30 seconds. Set aside at room temperature until needed.
With a handheld mixer, whip the cream in a well-chilled stainless steel bowl until stiff. Fold a quarter of the egg whites into the melted chocolate mixture, then fold in the whipped cream. Now fold in the remaining egg whites. Set aside at room temperature.
Assemble the springform pan. Spread 1/2 c. of chocolate strawberry mousse onto the cake layer in the assembled springform pan. Arrange 1/2 c. the amount of reserved strawberries (not including the 12 for decoration), stem side down, into the mousse. The strawberries should be arranged in two rings: the first ring being 3/4 inch from the outside edge of the cake and the second, inside ring, being 3/4 inch away from the first.
Distribute 3 c. mousse over the berries, being careful to keep the berries in position. Holding the pan by the top rim, gently but firmly tap the bottom of the pan 2-3 times on the work surface (this will eliminate air pockets). Position a cake layer on top of the mousse and then repeat the process used on the first cake layer (1/2 c. mousse, remaining strawberries, and 3 more c. mousse). Top the mousse with the remaining cake layer and gently press into position. Refrigerate the cake for 2 hours (do not freeze).
To make the ganache, heat the heavy cream, butter, and sugar in a 2 1/2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, stir to dissolve sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Place the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Allow to cool to room temp.
Refrigerate 1 c. of the semisweet chocolate ganache for at least 1 hour. Keep the remaining ganache at room temperature until needed.
Remove the sides of the springform pan (do not remove the bottom of the pan from the cake; this will make it easier to handle the cake later). Use a cake spatula to smooth and fill in the sides of the cake with 2-3 T. of room temp ganache. Evenly spread the remaining amount of this ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 1 hour.
Transfer the chilled cup of ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Pipe a circle of 12 evenly spaced stars along the outside edge of the top of the cake. Place a strawberry, stem side down, into each ganache star. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes.
Cut the cake with a serrated slicer. You may need to allow the slices to come to room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving.
Eat two pieces: after all that, you've definitely earned it!
