Chocolate Mousse Cake

THREE LAYERS OF CHOCOLATE!! You can never goes wrong with chocolate. This cake starts with a homemade moist chocolate cake. Then a layer of whipped chocolate mousse and if that's was not enough, another layer of fudgy chocolate ganache on the top. It is finished off with fresh strawberries for a pop of colour and fruity flavour.  I made this decadent cake for my son & his girlfriend  join birthday celebration! So...if you have someone in your life that loves chocolate I HIGHLY recommend making this cake!

Ingredients:

For chocolate cake:

• 115g plain flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 50g granulated sugar
• 50g brown sugar
• 110g vegetable oil
• 200g milk

For Chocolate Mousse:

• 400g double cream, divided into 200g +200g
• 200g dark chocolate, finely chopped

For Chocolate Ganache Topping:

• 180g double cream
• 170g dark chocolate, finely chopped

Filling & Topping

• 10-12 fresh strawberries, halved plus more for topping

Method:

For the Chocolate Cake: Preheat the oven to 175ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven. Set aside a 9" springform pan. It is not necessary to line the pan with baking paper but you can if you want to.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In another large mixing bowl, add the egg, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Whisk together until well combined. Add the oil and whisk again until smooth and combined.

Add half of the flour mixture and mix until barely combined. Add half of the milk and mix again until barely combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk and mix until just combined into a thick but fluid batter.

Pour the batter into your springform pan. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the skewer inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

Once cooled, if your cake has domed, run an offset spatula around the edges of the cake. Release the cake from the pan. Use a serrated knife and a horizontal sawing motion to cut off the excess cake until you have a flat cake layer. Return the cake to the pan and reassemble the springform pan.

For the Chocolate Mousse: Place the chopped chocolate in a small heat-safe bowl. Set aside.

In a small pan, heat 200g of the double cream on medium heat until tiny bubbles start coming to the surface and it is beginning to simmer. You can also do this in a microwave. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. Stir the chocolate mixture until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. If there are any still unmelted chocolate chunks, gently warm the mixture in the microwave with 10-15 second intervals or on a warming element on your stove. Set aside to cool while you whisk the cream.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the remaining 200g double cream. Use an electric hand mixer or whisk to whip the cream until it has becomes just barely soft peaks. Do not whip it further past this point or the mousse will become stiff and dry.

Add about 1/3 of the whipped cream to the bowl of chocolate ganache. Fold together with a spatula until combined. Transfer this mixture to the rest of the whipped cream. Fold together until combined and no streaks remain.

Arrange halved strawberries around the sides of the pan on top of the cake layer, pressing the cut edges to the pan. Transfer the mousse mixture to the pan on top of the cake layer. Use a spatula to spread the mousse into an even layer, making sure to get in between each strawberry. Finish by smoothing the top of the mousse as best as you can.

Cover and chill the entire cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow the mousse to set.

Chocolate Ganache Topping: Place the chopped chocolate in a small heat-safe bowl. Set aside. 

In a small pan, heat the double cream on a medium heat until tiny bubbles start coming to the surface and it is beginning to simmer. You can also do this in a microwave. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. Stir the chocolate mixture until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. If there are any still unmelted chocolate chunks, gently warm the mixture in the microwave with 10-15 second intervals or on a warming element on your stove.  Let the ganache cool slightly and thicken.

Pour the ganache on top of the cake. Use a spatula to spread it to the edges and smooth the top. Chill the cake in the fridge for another 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set before releasing the cake from the pan.

Decorate the top of the cake with strawberries before slicing. Run your knife under hot water and wipe dry before and in between each slice for clean cuts.