Spiced Chocolate Mousse Cake

Ever noticed how chocolate mousse cakes completely melt and fall apart when out of the fridge for longer than 10 minutes? How annoying! And you try to cut the cake and it either sticks to the knife or turns into a mousse mess? Well I have come up with a spicy chocolate mousse recipe that won’t melt or collapse when you cut it and will keep its shape once sliced.

Additionally to this, the recipe is ever so tasty and has a pleasant hit of complementary spices.

This one definitely exceeded expectations and is a must keep recipe.

Ingredients:

Cake:

4 eggwhites
165g sugar
1 tsn vanilla essence
150g almond meal
35g plain flour
1 tsn lemon zest

Mousse:

400ml-thickened cream
220g dark chocolate
4 + 1/2 tsn gelatine
1 + ¼ tsn cinnamon
1 + ½ tsn ground fennel
1 + ¼ tsn ground cloves
1 + ¼ tsn cardamom
¼ tsn chili powder
Pinch salt and pepper

Extra:

200ml-thickened cream
1 tbsn cocoa powder
2 tsn icing sugar

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180c and line 2 x 23cm spring form baking tins with baking paper.
Using electric beaters beat the eggwhites until soft peaks form.
Gradually add in the sugar until stiff glossy peaks form (about 5 mins).
Carefully fold in the vanilla, almond meal, flour and zest until well combine.
Divide the mix between the 2 tins and using a spoon spread out the mix and smooth out the tops.
Bake for 18 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden and soft to touch.
Leave the cakes in the tins until completely cool, and then remove from tins.
Place the cinnamon, fennel, cloves, cardamom, chili, salt & pepper in a saucepan and stir on high for a minute or until you can smell the spices in the air.
Place 1 cup of the cream in a second saucepan and heat on medium until the cream just starts to boil, remove off heat.
Whisk the 4 + 1/2 tsn gelatine into the boiling hot cream until smooth and well combined.
Add the chocolate into the cream mix and allow it to sit for a minute then whisk the cream mix until the chocolate is silky smooth.
Add the spices to the chocolate and whisk to combine. Place aside to cool.
Using electric beaters beat 150g of thickened cream until peaks form.
Fold the cream into the chocolate mix until well combined.
Place one cake on plastic wrap then places the cake with wrap in the cake tin used to cook the cake.
Now spread in the chocolate mix and top with the 2^nd cake.
Fold the plastic wrap on top of the cake and place in the fridge for 3 hours to set.
Once set remove from the wrap and carefully place on a plate.
Whip the remaining 200ml cream until peaks form and spread over the sides of the cake.
Dust the icing sugar on the top of the cake.
Hold the plate on a slight angle and dust the cocoa around the sides of the cake, serve.