Mary Berry Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipes

CELEBRATION CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease the tin with margarine and line the base and sides with baking paper. You need to line the tin right to the top even though the sponge will not fill it.
• For the chocolate cake, measure the cocoa powder into a large bowl. Pour over the boiling water and mix to a paste with a spatula. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and the eggs and margarine and beat until smooth using a hand-held mixer.
• Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin and level the surface with a palette knife. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean and the cake feels springy to the touch.
• While the cake is still hot, brush the brandy over the top of the cake. Leave the cake to cool in the tin.
• Meanwhile, for the mousse, place the chocolate in a bowl and melt over a pan of gently simmering water (do not allow the base of the bowl to touch the water). Stir continuously, taking care not to let the chocolate get too hot. Set aside to cool a little.
• Whip the cream until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Carefully fold in the melted chocolate until smooth and not streaky.
• When the cake has cooled, and while it is still in the tin, spoon the chocolate mousse on top and level with a palette knife. Cover the cake tin with cling film and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, and preferably overnight, until the mousse is firm.
• To serve, carefully remove the cake from the tin and transfer it to a flat plate. Dust the top with cocoa powder, then pile the raspberries and blueberries into the centre. Finish with a light dusting of icing sugar. Cut into wedges and serve with pouring cream.

MARY BERRY'S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE RECIPE

Steps:

• Break the chocolate into a large heatproof bowl and set it over a pan of gently simmering water. The base of the bowl should not touch the water. Leave until just melted, then remove the pan from the heat, stir, and leave the chocolate to cool slightly.
• Put the egg yolks and sugar in a medium heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, as above. Whisk with an electric hand whisk on low speed for 4 minutes, or use a balloon whisk, which will take a little longer.
• When the mixture has become paler and thicker, remove the bowl from the heat and continue whisking for a further minute. Set aside to cool slightly, stirring occasionally so the mixture does not stiffen. If it does, stir in 1-2 teaspoons of the crème fraîche to slacken.
• Pour the cream into a medium mixing bowl and sprinkle over the coffee. Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold in the crème fraîche. Fold the cream mixture into the cooled dark chocolate, then fold in the egg yolk mixture. Make sure everything is well combined.
• Spoon into glasses and chill for 1 hour. Decorate with chocolate curls. To make chocolate curls, simply pull a vegetable peeler along the flat side of a chocolate bar. It works best if the chocolate is slightly warm. This chocolate mocha mousse recipe features in Mary Berry's Cookery Course.