I have been meaning to make this cake for years now, and thanks to the We Should Cocoa challenge, by Choclette and Chele of Chocolate Teapot and the Chocolate Log Blog, I finally got around to it! It’s a homemade version of the blackcurrant & chocolate mousse cake by Kakkugalleria, which not only tastes divine but is also gorgeous to look at, in all its geometric glory. This recipe is a tweaked combination of a few I found online: the main inspirations came from Kotiliesi and Pirkka magazines. I omitted the glaze this time as I didn’t have currant juice, but it would certainly make the cake even neater and prettier. It’s a long recipe and a bit fiddly, but very much worth all the fiddling!
Blackcurrant and Chocolate Mousse Cake
8-12 pieces
Cake:
2 eggs
75 ml caster sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
50 ml corn starch
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Chocolate mousse:
150 g dark chocolate (I used one with 70% cocoa solids)
200 ml heavy cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
3 tablespoons hot water
3 gelatine leaves, plus water for soaking
Blackcurrant Mousse:
200 g blackcurrants
100 g cream cheese
200 ml heavy cream
100 ml powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
3 tablespoons blackcurrant liqueur
3 gelatine leaves, plus water for soaking
Glaze:
3 gelatine leaves, plus water for soaking
300 ml sweetened, diluted blackcurrant juice
To make cake:
Preheat oven to 200 C. Line the bottom of a 24 cm springform pan with a round piece of parchment paper. Lightly butter the paper and the sides of the pan (no need to go all the way up!).
Whisk eggs and sugar until light and thick. Sift together cocoa powder, corn starch and baking powder and fold into the egg & sugar mixture.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes.
Allow to cool. Turn the cake out and give the pan a quick wash. Line the bottom and the sides of the pan with parchment paper and put the cake back into the pan. (I pressed it down a little as the sides of the cake had pulled away from the pan as it cooled)
Tip: If you want a perfectly smooth cake base with neat sides, double the cake recipe and bake it in a jelly roll pan (225 C for 5-7 minutes). Allow to cool and cut out a 24 cm circle to fit the springform pan. Eat the rest of the cake.
To make chocolate mousse:
Melt the chocolate on top of a double boiler and allow to cool.
Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla sugar; mix. Add melted chocolate and mix well.
Soak gelatine leaves in plenty of water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the gelatine leaves and dissolve in the hot water. Gradually add to the chocolate cream mixture, pouring in a thin stream and whisking continuously.
Pour chocolate cream mixture over the cake base. Transfer pan into fridge and let set for at least 2 hours.
To make blackcurrant mousse:
Place blackcurrants in a saucepan and simmer over moderate heat until the berries have softened (5 minutes or so). Push the softened berries through a sieve; combine the resulting smooth berry paste and the cream cheese.
Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla sugar; mix. Combine whipped cream and cream cheese mixtures.
Soak gelatine leaves in a plenty of water for 5 minutes. Heat the blackcurrant liqueur. Squeeze out gelatine leaves and dissolve in the hot liqueur. Gradually add to the currant cream mixture, pouring in a thin stream and whisking continuously.
Pour over the chocolate mousse layer. Cover pan with clingfilm, transfer into fridge and let set overnight.
To make glaze:
Soak gelatine leaves in plenty of water for 5 minutes. Heat blackcurrant juice.
Squeeze out the leaves and dissolve in the hot juice. Allow to cool and pour mixture over the cake.
Transfer into fridge and let set for at least 3 hours.
Decorate with berries and serve to an adoring crowd.