The Most Requested Cake Ever

Chocoholics Unite!  Despite the plethora of baking books I have in my cabinet, I tend to come to the Internet to bump around and search for new recipes to try. Such was the case back in November 2013 when my sister requested a cake for her son's 1st birthday.  "Chocolate, please!" was the only direction I was given.  I happened upon two different recipes that I decided to unite into one amazing and unforgettable cake.  Without further adieu, I give you:

Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Mousse

Cake recipe from Ina Garten and Dark Chocolate Mousse from America's Test Kitchen

Cake:

• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil 
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed coffee

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Butter two 8x2 inch round cake pans and line them with parchment; butter the paper.  Dust the pans the flour, tapping out the excess.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt at low speed.  In a bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the oil, eggs and vanilla.  Slowly beat the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just incorporated, then slowly beat in the hot coffee until fully incorporated.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans.  Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.  Let the cakes cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then invert the cakes onto a rack to cool.  Peel off the parchment.

Mousse: 

• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 4 Tbps unsalted butter
• 2 Tbs strong coffee or 4 tsp orange flavored liquor of light rum
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch salt
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 2 Tbps sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled

Microwave the chocolate and butter together, whisking often, until melted and smooth, 1 to 3 minutes. Stir in the coffee, vanilla and salt. Whisk in the yolks one at a time, making sure that each is fully incorporated before adding the next.  Whip the egg whites with and electric mixer until foamy. Continuing to whip, slowly add in the sugar, until the whites are shiny and form soft peaks. Whisk a quarter of the whites into the chocolate, then gently fold in the remaining whites using a rubber spatula. Whip the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form and again gently fold it into the mousse.

To Assemble: 

Refrigerate cakes (wrapped in plastic wrap) and mousse over night.  The next day, lay one layer of cake on cake board, level top off and spread a layer of mousse before topping with second layer (that has also been leveled).  Trust me, the leveling is very important...unless you want to go through the trauma of opening the fridge and seeing your top layer slowly sliding off the bottom.  Use the remaining mousse to crumb coat your cake.  

From here, you can either make additional mousse for a mousse covered cake, or move on to buttercream.  For my nephews cake, I covered the cake in a simple buttercream and topped with a gum paste elephant. 

More cakes using the same cake recipe:

My son's 3rd birthday

My friends' baby shower

My Aunt's birthday