One of the most requested recipes by my family is the triple layer chocolate mousse cake I have posted before on the blog. And seriously, what’s there not to love about this cake. Its every chocolate lover’s dream dessert. Three different layers of chocolate in different forms- a dark chocolate mousse sandwiched between a rich flourless chocolate cake at the bottom, and white chocolate mousse for the top.
So its not a biggie that every time I have made it, it has been appreciated a lot and thats why whenever I am at my parents, and we have company over that’s the first thing my mom suggests me to make.
A week back we had some guests over, so my mom wanted me to make the triple layer mousse cake again. I did not have access to white chocolate, but for long I have been toying with the idea of a mocha flavored mousse layer for a long time, so thought it would be the perfect occasion to finally try it out.
Since my dad is retiring and my parents are permanently moving to Punjab, my mom asked me to make use of ingredients in the refrigerator in an attempt to clean the fridge before packing it up. She had a bit of cream cheese left and I thought instead of a mascarpone mocha mousse (which was what I had initially planned) I should try a cream cheese based mousse recipe. I found a recipe on the Taste of Home website, and thought it was perfect. Only change I made to the recipe was increase the amount of instant coffee called for in the recipe and adding gelatin to the mixture, since the original recipe called for it and I wasn’t sure whether the mousse would hold up in a cake form without the gelatin.
I had a little apprehensions about how the cake would turn out, since it was the first time I was making this version. The cake turned out perfect. My sister-in-law who has had both versions commented that she actually liked this one more. Well, who doesn’t love coffee and chocolate together!
This is a great dessert, and being fairly easy to make, a perfect way to impress your guests with your baking abilities. One of my sister-in-law’s friend has also made a mango cake version of it, with excellent results, which you can read about in the comment section of the original post.
And since I am posting today, I will also throw it out there that two days back was my Blogiversary. I completed four years of blogging! Yay!! Something that started of as a way to just kill time in the beginning and not really with an intention to have it being read by anyone has grown up to mean something so much more for me. This blog has given me an independent identity, its my creative outlet, and made me discover so much about me that probably would have remain hidden had the blog not been there. I have learnt so much because of this blog and I know I will continue learning so much more. The blog has also introduced me to such inspiring talents out in the blogging community and even though the past few weeks I haven’t been able to catch up with the blogging community, these bloggers continue to be an inspiration to me everyday. And I know I have been slacking with responding to you comments, but I really am grateful to everyone who reads this blog, comments on my posts, or silently keeps a track of my posts, likes me on facebook, follows me on instagram or twitter. It truly means a lot. Thank You and hope you enjoy this recipe 🙂
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces (plus extra for greasing the pan) (I did not have unsalted butter, so I used salted and just did not add any extra salt)
- 7 oz./200 gms bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ¾ tsp. instant espresso powder
- few drops of hazelnut oil ( I used Lorrain's essential oils)
- 4 large eggs, separated
- Pinch of salt (if using salted butter, omit the salt)
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp. cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
- 5 tbsp. hot water
- 7 oz./200 gms bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. powdered gelatin
- 1 tbsp. water
- 110 gms semisweet chocolate chips/ milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons half-and-half cream
- 2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 2 tbsp nutella
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- Chocolate curls or cocoa powder or for chocolate roses see here
- Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. (I lined the bottom of the pan with a parchment round for easy removal later. I also did not butter the sides).
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 325˚ F/170 C.
- Combine the butter, chocolate, and espresso powder in a large heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Stir occasionally until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in egg yolks. Add in the hazelnut essential oil. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or with a hand beater, beat the egg whites and salt (optional) on medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Crumble half of the brown sugar into the mixing bowl with your fingers to remove any lumps. Beat until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Add the remaining brown sugar and continue to beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute more. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake until the cake has risen, is firm around the edges and the center has just set but is still soft (should spring back after pressing gently with a finger), about 14-18 minutes. (It may take lesser time so do keep a check) Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 1 hour. Do not remove the cake from the pan. (If not making the second layer right away, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to proceed.)
- Whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water in a small bowl; set aside.
- Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Once melted, remove from the heat and let cool slightly, 2-5 minutes.
- In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream, sugar and salt on medium speed until the mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted, 30-60 seconds. Whisk in the cocoa powder mixture until smooth. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture to lighten it.
- Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Pour the mousse into the springform pan over the cooled cake and tap gently on the counter 3 times to remove air bubbles. Gently smooth the top with a spatula. Wipe the inside edge of the pan to remove any drips. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes while preparing the top layer.
- In a small bowl, microwave the chocolate chips, half-and-half cream and coffee granules at 80% power for 45-60 seconds or until chips are melted; stir until smooth.
- Sprinkle the gelatin over refrigerator cold water in a small bowl and let stand at least 5 minutes to soften. Bring ¼ cup of the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat, add the gelatin mixture and stir until dissolved.
- Pour the hot cream mixture over the coffee chocolate mixture and let stand about 1 minute. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool to room temperature, about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese to cooled chocolate mixture; beat until smooth.
- In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the remaining ¾ cup of cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the whipped cream to the coffee chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Spoon the mocha mousse into the pan over the middle layer. Smooth the top with an offset spatula. Return the cake to the refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2½ hours.
- Garnish with chocolate curls if you like. Make sure the cake is refrigerated when not serving, since the mousse is temperature sensitive.
Note:
We do not get Philadelphia cream cheese where my parents are staying, but I found Britannia Cream Cheese that worked splendidly well in the recipe. I have also worked with D’lecta cream cheese in frosting recipes that work great too.
…so when do i get a slice of this deliciousness?
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health recently posted..Mango Cardamom Kefir Lassi
Whenever you want 😉
Congratulations of completing 4 years of Blogging !!! truly commendable. .. will surely try this recipe for my 5 yr old son. . He’s gonna love it…
Thanks Mansi. Yes he will 🙂
Hi Shumaila!!!
I am looking forward to making your recipe this week for my husbands bday. But i have a doubt regarding bittersweet chocolate mentioned in the recipe. Is bittersweet chocolate same as dark chocolate. I’m from Goa, here in the stores there are only two options : semisweet chocolate and dark chocolate. So could you please tell me which one i should go for.
Regards,
Parvathi
Hi Shumaila,
My husband loved the cake. It was a huge hit at the party. For the top layer, i used white chocolate and added some instant coffee powder to it. It tasted delicious. Also tried your Tandoori chicken recipe. Thank you so much!!!
Hi Parvathi,
I am so glad your husband loved his cake and the tandoori chicken! Yay! Thank you for letting me know. 🙂
Shumaila Chauhan recently posted..Vegan, sugar free, gluten free Date Truffles
Hi shumaila,
Loved the recipe and eager to try it out .. only problem is that I am allergic to eggs. Any other option or substitute to the flourless cake layer..
Eagerly waiting for your reply
Kruti
Hi Kruti, thank you so much for appreciating. I havent yet tried an eggless version for this, but when I do will let you know. You could look for a dense eggless chocolate cake recipe, or try substituting aquafaba for the eggs.
Hi! In awe of your creations & photography. We are a family of mousse lovers but some of us are strictly vegetarian. Could you please suggest an alternative for gelatin and if so then in what measure should it be used here? Thanks
You can use agar agar instead of gelatin.