A delectable and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cake.
Ingredients
Genoise Sponge:
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 4 eggs (at room temperature)
- 115 g sugar
- 115 g flour
- 60 g cocoa powder
Chocolate Mousse:
- 150 g sugar
- 3 eggs (separate yolks and whites) + 3 extra yolks
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 250 g dark chocolate (e.g., Lindt 70%) + 50 g for decoration
- 1 tablespoon brandy
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Grease a 23 cm round cake pan with butter and line the bottom with a circle of baking paper.
Sponge Cake: Melt the butter and let it cool. Beat the eggs with sugar until stiff. Sift the flour and cocoa together, then gently fold into the egg mixture, trying to maintain as much volume as possible. Pour in the melted butter and gently mix again (Note: If the batter is not fluffy, the sponge cake may turn out hard and dense. You might need to bake it again). Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the center of the oven for 20 – 25 minutes (check the center with a skewer, it should come out dry). Let the sponge cool, then remove it from the pan and discard the paper circle. Wash the pan, line it completely with baking paper, and place the sponge back in.
Mousse: In a metal bowl, combine 50 g sugar, 6 yolks, cocoa powder, and cream. Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is hot or until it thickens and starts sticking to the spoon. Remove the bowl from the pot, add diced butter and broken chocolate, and stir until everything melts and combines. Mix in the brandy, then fold in the egg whites whipped with the remaining sugar. Pour the mousse over the sponge and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Decoration: Melt the chocolate reserved for decoration and spread it thinly on a baking sheet. Once it sets, scrape it with a knife, preferably with a flexible blade. Arrange the chocolate shavings on top of the cake. Slice with a knife dipped in hot water.
Note: The perfect, fluffy genoise sponge is not easy to make (it doesn’t include baking powder). If it turns out hard and dense, you need to try again. Warm the eggs to room temperature or beat them over a hot water bath. Mix the ingredients very gently to prevent the foam from deflating.
