Chocolate Mousse Cake- More Grossmont Cake Classes

Mmm pretty! We made a stellar and beautiful chocolate mousse cake in class. I'm showing you the chef's version since he did such a wonderful job and we still have a little to learn!

Chocolate mousse cake-makes 2 x 9 in cakes- chef James Foran

9oz cake flour

2 oz cocoa

8oz sugar

1 tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

6 yolks

5 1/2 oz buttermilk

4 oz oil

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp orange zest

8 egg whites

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

3 oz sugar

Heat oven to 350f (conventional)

Sift dry ingredients together and set aside

Whip up yolks, sugar, oil, vanilla and zest

Whip egg whites to a medium peak.

Fold egg whites into yolk mixture followed by dry ingredients. Bake for 30 mins.

Chocolate Mousse

40oz cream

1lb 8oz bittersweet chocolate

Beat cream until it reaches soft peaks. Meanwhile, melt chocolate.

Take 1/3 cream and beat into chocolate then quickly fold remaining cream in. This is best done as quickly as possible when the two are at similar temperatures, try and get the cream room temperature.

Soak

2oz Grand Marnier

1oz simple syrup

Chocolate Glaze

14oz chocolate, chopped

14 oz cream

Heat cream until the sides are bubbling. Add to chocolate, leave to sit then mix until smooth. Try not to mix too much, that adds bubbles.

As always, get a nice clean top to the cake Cut 3 layers of cake. Set one layer aside.Cut cake to fit a nice clear space for mousse in a 9 inch cake ring. Use soak to moisten cakes.

Beating cream into chocolate mousse

Folding cream into chocolate/cream mixturePipe into mould around cake, making sure to use enough pressure to get the mousse around the cakeCover top of cake with mousseTop with another layer of cake, pipe more mousse, then get a nice clean finish on the top. Freeze for at least 2 hours Release from pan with a blowtorch.Now for the bit that is harder than it looks. Working quickly, pour chocolate ganache over cake, allow to run evenly down the sides of the cake

Use a heated spachelor to make one clean sweep across cake. This is best only done once.

Here are our team's cakes. We quickly realised that a frozen cake and hot ganache is very tricky to work with. Also, make sure to use lots of soaking syrup to make sure the cake stays nice and moist.