teacher by day - chef by night
I had never heard of Irish Potatoes until I was a freshman in college. My good friends Bridget (yes, she is Irish) and Chelsea grew up near Philly and thought it was crazy that I had never heard of these things. They said “Irish Potatoes” …
We have been programmed to believe that “Nothing says Love like Chocolates [and flowers]”. I really enjoy chocolate more than anything – so that is the type of love we are featuring here today! In honor of Valentines Day, I share my love with you!
Every year (for 30 years – which means before I was even born) we go to our prior neighbors from Jersey the week before Christmas to help decorate their tree. I look forward to this day every year. Aunt Pat always makes bacon wrapped cheese hot dogs in their buns and bacon baked beans. We always bring a (chocolate) dessert.) Over the past few years it has become my job to make the dessert. I enjoy the challenge of coming up with (finding) a delicious new dessert every year.
But, I am not sure I will ever be able to top this dessert though. This Chocolate Mousse cake is rich and decadent and sweet and moist and just perfect! Start with a mousse-like flour-less cake, top with a rich chocolate mousse, and finish the whole thing off with a white chocolate/peanut butter mousse. Throw on some extra chocolate shavings and you are in Cake Heaven!!
This cake looks a lot more difficult than it really is. There is a little bit of time to put into it (but not really – especially considering your end result). Plan to make this the night before you want to serve it and when you serve it be prepared for the “oohs” and “ahhs”. But I do warn you that once you make this cake, it will be hard to top it the next time you want a delicious chocolate dessert.
adapted from Annie’s Eats – serves at least 10
bottom layer
middle layer
top layer
garnish
Chocolate curls or cocoa powder
Bottom Layer – butter (or crisco) the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, then line the bottom of the pan with a parchment round for easy removal later. Center rack in the oven and preheat to 325˚ F. Combine the butter, chocolate, and espresso powder in a large heatproof bowl set over simmering water (or microwave for 30 second intervals on 1/2 power until combined). Stir occasionally until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and egg yolks. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Crumble half of the brown sugar into the mixing bowl 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 2 minutes 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. 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.)
Second Layer – 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 (or melt in microwave at 1/2 power in 30 second intervals). 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, at least a minute or two. 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 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.
Top Layer – sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small bowl and let stand 5 minutes to soften. Place the white chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring ½ 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 white chocolate and let stand about 1 minute. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool to room temperature, about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the remaining 1 cup of cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken. Increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted, at least a minute or two. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the whipped cream to the white chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Spoon the white chocolate 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.
When refrigerating, do not place Saran on top until it is set to avoid messing with the top. When you are ready to serve, grate (in large curls) some good quality chocolate on top (I forgot this step since I left the chocolate at home when this traveled with me). To serve – carefully cut around the edge of your springform to loosen the edges. Then release the springform and careful remove it. Because of the parchment – it will be a little hard to cut, but it goes pretty well. Serve with a glass of milk or a nice cup of coffee – ENJOY!
One year Ago – Chocolate Mousse Cups & Candied Orange Peels, perfect Christmas Goodies
And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… what tradition do you have in your life & does it have a food related to it?
…and all I want for Christmas this year is for you to follow me on Facebook and continue to read my blog & maybe even leave some comments
I treated myself to a Wilton Silicone Tree Pan (in addition to my really cute Skull Ice Cube Tray and my Pumpkin Pan) I figure I just need a cute pan for every season to make these Chocolate Cups OR for Jello Jiggler Shots. I think you should do the same… so get yourself some cool pans and whip up these treats that have a big ‘wow’ factor for a little ‘effort’!
“Rich – I made you a snack – it’s in the fridge next to the milk…” I think that if I said that phrase more often we might be engaged (just kidding honey, kinda) But in all seriousness – Rich LOVES cookie dough, even though …
My Dad’s Birthday was last week and Ice Cream Cake (the kind with real cake and without those little crunchy things) is one of his favorites – that and the Chocolate Mocha Cake that I made for his retirement.
Dad’s birthday should (and is) reason enough to celebrate – but we have another reason to celebrate here at Teacher by Day – Chef by Night!
One year ago: August 17, 2010 I posted my very first blog post. I have come so far in this year… taking the plunge getting pictures posted on FoodGawker, gaining readers, being willing to experiment more, and the list goes on.
Now I have to look to the next year! In the next year I hope to continue to get images posted on FoodGawker, increase my readership, gain sponsors, get my own URL, and most of all continue to experiment & have fun in my kitchen!
While we reflect on my goals and look forward to the year ahead, I give you:
Chocolate Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper (do not skip the paper on the pans).
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely & then freeze overnight or at least 2 hours to proceed with the cake.
I just used Store-Bought, you could make you own if you were feeling up to it! I used about 1/2 of a gallon – it was not quite enough, you should should at least 3/4 of a gallon or go all out and use the whole gallon! The better the quality Ice Cream you use the better your cake will be (look for the full-fat ones without additives like gum – the best ice cream is either homemade or made with just cream/sugar/eggs)
We were going for Mocha Cake so I used a layer of Coffee and a layer of Vanilla Ice Cream (so Mom could sleep and she just skipped on the Coffee). This would be awesome with whatever flavor Ice Cream you love (chocolate, mint chocolate chip, vanilla banana, etc)
Mocha Whipped Cream Frosting
Put your heavy cream into your mixer. Allow to get thick, then add your coffee/cocoa. Combine that fully. Once your Whipped Cream is almost thick – add your sugar. TASTE at this point and see what you think – add more sugar if you want it sweeter. Allow your whipped cream to get nice and thick with stiff peaks.
Bake Layers, Allow to Cool (completely – freeze for at 2 hours after they are cooled to help them firm up as well). When you put your layers in the freezer, wrapping each one in saran individually will allow for assembly to be the easiest. Also – make sure you have room in the freezer to stack all of these with a little wiggle room all around so there is a ‘safety zone’ once it is frosted!
Take your ice cream out of the freezer about 10 minute before you are ready to start. You want to put it into a seperate bowl so you can smoosh it around to make it smooth and ready to spread. Once you have a thick/spreadable Ice Cream take out your layers and place one on your cake platter (or your cardboard cake thing or whatever you make your cake on – I personally love to use the bottom of my springform pan!). Spread your ice cream onto the cake & top with another layer, pushing down to make it flat. Return to the freezer
About an hour later – repeat with the next layer of ice cream and top with your 3rd cake layer. Return this to the Freezer again. (now is a good time to make the whipped cream)
Take out your cake & ice it (haha – you are icing and ice cream cake!). I iced my cake in two steps, about 1/3 of the icing in a “crumb coat” but since it was frozen it didn’t really need it. Allowing the icing to set up for about 20 minutes in the freezer allowed me to get a much smoother top coat of my whipped cream on the cake. I top with some shaved chocolate, allowed to set again and then finally just piped some more whipped cream around the edge.
This cake is worth the time/effort that goes into it!
I hope that you have enjoyed my first year of blogging as much as I have – and if you are just visiting for the first time, I hope that you stick around and help me see where the next year will take us!
And I leave you with a Question… What suggestions/advice do you have for me as I enter my 2nd year with this blog?