Baked Chocolate Mousse Cake

My mother made this chocolate mousse cake for me once or twice a year if I was fortunate, and it was the cake I requested for my birthday every year. If you are looking for a quick recipe, you will want to skip this one, but if you have the time it's well worth the investment. The chocolate lover will appreciate its light texture, but the highlight is certainly the rich chocolate flavor. I hope you give it a try, and enjoy it as much as I have over the years.

• Preparation Time: 45 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins
• Calories: 603 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 ¾ cups white sugar
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ½ cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• ¾ cup boiling water
• 1 ¾ cups cake flour
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• ½ cup sifted Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 8 eggs, separated, at room temperature
• ¾ cup sifted Dutch-process cocoa powder

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Step 2

Mix boiling water and cocoa powder for cake together in a small mixing bowl until smooth. Let cool, about 10 minutes.

Step 3

Meanwhile, sift flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, pour in oil, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and cooled cocoa mixture. Mix using a wooden spoon just until smooth.

Step 4

Sprinkle cream of tartar over egg whites in a large mixing bowl. Beat using an electric mixer on high speed until very stiff peaks form. Pour cake batter over egg white mixture and fold gently using a whisk with an under-and-over motion; be sure not to overmix, but to also fully incorporate ingredients. Pour batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.

Step 5

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cake cool in the pan for 1 1/2 hours. Loosen with a spatula and transfer to a plate.

Step 6

Add cold water to a glass bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top; allow to soften. Place bowl over a saucepan filled with simmering water. Heat and stir until gelatin is fully dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Step 7

Combine heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, cocoa, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Beat mixture using an electric mixer until stiff; keep mousse in refrigerator until needed.

Step 8

Cut a 1-inch slice crosswise from the top of the cooled cake and set aside. Outline a cavity in the cake using a sharp knife, leaving 1-inch walls around cake side and bottom. Carefully remove cake from the cavity using a spoon; reserve.

Step 9

Measure 2 1/2 cups of mousse filling and fold in gelatin. Fill the cake cavity and replace top of cake. Mix 1/2 cup filling with cake crumbs and fill center hole of cake. Frost the top and sides with remaining filling. Refrigerate until set, 2 to 3 hours.