mousse Archives - The Midnight Baker

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 00:00:02 +0000

Would you believe this chocolate mousse cake is so easy to make?

Chocolate Mousse Cake: Elegant But Easy

This beautiful chocolate mousse cake makes such a spectacular presentation that it definitely belongs on your holiday table. Any holiday!

While it this cake looks like you fussed and slaved for hours, it’s so easy, you won’t believe it!

There’s nothing complicated with this recipe. Because it’s so simple to make, it’s the perfect dessert to serve to guests.

Chocolate mousse cake is a chocolate lover’s dream cake. And who doesn’t love chocolate?

Everyone will make room for this dessert so no worries there.

Use Good Chocolate

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s imperative here to use high-quality chocolate.

Milk chocolate won’t do here. You need a good dark chocolate for this cake. I used an imported one that was 60 per cent cacao. Don’t use anything with a higher percentage as it will make the cake too bitter. Sticking to the percentage I used is your safest bet but a good semi-sweet chocolate of around 50 per cent cacao will do nicely too.

As for melting, this is one time I chose not to use the microwave because you can easily overheat the chocolate. Instead, I melted it in a bowl over hot water. You can’t take the chance that it will become gritty. Since the melted chocolate goes in the mousse, not the cake, grittiness is something you want to avoid if you want the best texture.

Make The Cake Special

The base cake layer is a pretty generic-style chocolate cake. It’s not one of those super-moist ones for obvious reasons due to the mousse layer on top. It gets it’s intense chocolate flavor from cocoa. And another boon is you can make the cake base days in advance of actually completing the entire dessert.

You can make this very special by brushing the top of the cake with a nice brandy or orange liqueur. I used the orange one because I’m very fond of the combination of chocolate and orange. Do this while the cake is still warm so it will soak in without making holes with a toothpick. However, you can do it later; just poke some small holes over the top.

The use of anything alcoholic is optional. The cake is good without that addition too.

The Recipe

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Chocolate Mousse Cake

This elegant combination of chocolate cake and chocolate mousse is so easy, you'll make it often.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Chilling Time4

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate mousse, chocolate mousse cake, easy chocolate desserts, holiday desserts

Servings: 8

Calories: 662kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Cake:

1 oz cocoa powder
3 tbs boiling water
4 oz sugar
4 oz self-rising flour
4 oz very soft unsalted butter
2 eggs
2 tbs orange-flavored liquor or brandy optional
Fresh raspberries for garnish

Mousse:

11 oz semi-sweet chocolate morsels
2 cups chilled heavy cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
Grease bottom and sides of an an 8-inch/20cm springform pan and line the bottom and the sides with parchment. When you line the sides, you are making a collar that will be for later use when you top the cake with the mousse.
Place the cocoa in a large bowl. Stir in the boiling water and mix until a paste forms. Add the sugar, flour, butter and eggs. Beat until smooth.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan, leveling the top surface as best you can.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Brush the orange liqueur or brandy if using, over the top of the hot cake. Cool cake completely.
To make the mousse, place the chocolate morsels in a bowl and melt over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring until it's melted and smooth. Microwave melting is NOT recommended because this needs gentle even heat so the chocolate does not become grainy. Let the chocolate cool slightly.
Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold in the melted chocolate into the cream, making sure it's blended well and not streaky.
Spoon mousse on top of cooled cake and level the top. Chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Remove cake from pan and discard parchment. Place on a serving dish and dust with a bit of sifted cocoa. Top with raspberries and dust with confectioners/icing sugar.

Video

Nutrition

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Lemon Eclair Dessert Casserole

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 26 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Lemon Eclair Dessert Casserole

Light and lemony. Perfect summer dessert. Easy & low-cal too!

Nothing better for a summer dessert or for the finale of a BBQ or picnic!

It starts with lemon sandwich cookies with a delicious quick mousse sandwiched in between!

Easy to make and even easier to eat. Vanilla pudding may be substituted in a pinch and it makes an 11 x 7- inch dish.

Lemon Eclair Dessert Casserole

32 lemon sandwich cookies, separated
1 pkg lemon instant pudding
1 3/4 cups milk
2 tsp lemon zest
2 cups whipped topping
2 tbs hot fudge sauce
2 tbs caramel sauce

Prepare pudding as for pie filling (package contents with 1 3/4 cups milk). Chill until set; about 30 minutes. Fold in the lemon zest and the whipped topping.

Lay half of the separated lemon cookies on the bottom of an 11 x 7-inch pan.

Spread half of the pudding mixture over the cookies. Lay the remaining cookies over the pudding. Spread the remaining pudding mixture over the cookies.

Drizzle the fudge sauce and caramel sauce over the top of the dessert. Chill very well, about 1-2 hours.

Serves 6

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Mint Chocolate Chip Mousse

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Mint Chocolate Chip Mousse

If you like mint chocolate chip ice cream, this is the mousse for you!

I’ve been obsessed with desserts and dark food photography lately. Fancy desserts just seem to be made for this type of photography. I’m toying with it and really like the look! Now maybe I’ll invest in some more permanent props instead of cheap foam board and make my own backdrop.

Anyway, enough of that–I had some peppermint-flavored coffee creamer on hand. Had it at a friend’s house, liked it, bought it, but didn’t “love” it. That’s happened in the past with flavored coffee creamers and they usually get pushed to the back of the fridge, forgotten about, then deteriorate and get thrown out. These things aren’t cheap now so I wanted to find SOME way to use this. I’ve used flavored creamers in the past to make icings where I subbed it for cream and any extracts a recipe called for.

I’d read somewhere that a pudding won’t set up if soy milk is used. OK, creamers are NOT soy milk but it does contain soybean oil. Granted I used 1/2 cup or so and did not sub it entirely for the milk, and it set up fine. I wouldn’t advocate using more that 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the stuff since it is sweetened. I used the standard size of instant vanilla pudding–the one that makes 4 servings–and made it as directed for a pie filling. I tinted the pudding with 4 drops of green food coloring.

The result was this and it was as good as I’d imagined it. So, enjoy and of course you don’t have to use coffee creamer. You can use all milk and add about 1/4-1/2 tsp peppermint extract or a drop of food approved oil of peppermint (caution: essential oils go a LONG way. Use only 1 drop and that may be too powerful). I also used a few drops of green food coloring, but if you’ve got a problem with food colorings, leave it out. Flavor will be the same and it’ll look like that ice cream brand that leaves the mint part white.

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Mint Chocolate Chip Mousse

If you like mint chocolate chip ice cream, this is the mousse for you!

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: mint chocolate chip, mousse

Servings: 4

Calories: 376kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 cup vanilla pudding*
2 cups whipped topping
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
3 drops green food coloring

VANILLA PUDDING

1 pkg serves 4 instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
3/4 cup mint flavored coffee creamer I used Carnation Peppermint Mocha
4 drops green food coloring

Instructions

Make up vanilla pudding (if you are not using coffee creamer, use 1 3/4 cups milk and about 1/4 tsp peppermint extract) as per box directions for pie filling, adding the food coloring. Cover and refrigerate until set; about 30 min.
In a medium bowl, add whipped topping and fold pudding into topping. If you are using food coloring, add it drop by drop to the desired color you want. I found 3 drops gave me a nice light mint green.
Fold chocolate chips into pudding mixture. Spoon into dessert cups. Chill well. Decorate with a dollop of whipped topping and additional chips/sprinkles.

Nutrition

Mint Chocolate Chip Mousse

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Black Forest Mousse

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Black Forest Mousse

An excellent and easy dessert. With just two main ingredients, you can’t get much simpler than this and it’s low calorie too.

First I started with a dark chocolate ready-to-eat pudding I got for free on a store promotion–the shelf-stable ones that come in the little tubs. I folded that into some extra-creamy whipped topping then added some chopped dried cherries and mini chocolate chips.

So easy!

The result was a delicious and quick dessert that company thinks you fussed over.

You can substitute lower-fat versions of all things used and by the same token, it can be made even richer by folding in real whipped heavy cream.

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Black Forest Mousse

An excellent and easy dessert. With just two main ingredients, you can’t get much simpler than this and it’s low calorie too.

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: black forest mousse, chocolate mousse

Servings: 3

Calories: 204kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 cups individual cups shelf-stable dark chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cups whipped topping or real whipped cream
2 tbsp chopped dried cherries
1 tbsp mini chocolate chips
additional mini chips and topping for garnish

Instructions

Empty the pudding tubs into a medium bowl. Add whipped topping or whipped cream and fold pudding into the topping.
Fold in the mini chocolate chips and dried cherries.
Spoon into 3 dessert cups (such as mini trifle bowls). Add a dollop of whipped topping and a few mini chocolate chips to garnish.

Nutrition

Black Forest Mousse

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