Tag: Bavarian

[print_this]Recipe: Chocolate Bavarian Mousse Strawberry Cake

Summary: Chocolaty, chocolaty and chocolaty … a delicious luscious cake with the quintessential combination of strawberries and chocolate, complimented beautifully with a light airy chocolate Bavarian mousse.

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes {plus setting/cooling/chilling time}
Ingredients:

• Chocolate Cake
• 20g unsalted butter, melted
• 4 eggs
• 125g caster sugar
• 90g flour, sifted
• 30g cocoa
• Strawberry Cream Filling
• 150ml low fat cream, chilled
• 2tbsp powdered sugar
• 150gm strawberries, chopped
• Bavarian Chocolate Mousse
• 150gm dark chocolate, chopped
• 3 tsp gelatin
• 70ml milk
• 400ml low fat cream {200ml room temperature, 200ml chilled}
• 30gm sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• ½ vanilla bean, scraped
• Chocolate Glaze
• 150gm dark chocolate, chopped fine
• 200ml low fat cream
• 25gm honey
• Garnishing
• 150-200gm strawberries, halved for the sides {save a few for garnishing if desired}
• Chocolate flakes, cocoa powder

Method:

1. Chocolate Cake
2. Sift the flour and cocoa. Reserve.
3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together, and then beat over a bain-marie {simmering} water for 8-10 minutes until it doubles in volume and become mousse like {don’t let it become too hot}. Once doubled, remove from water, and continue beating with an electric beater till it becomes cool, and the batter falls in a thick ribbon.
4. Gently fold in the sifted flour and cocoa in 2-3 batches, taking care not to release to much volume.
5. Quickly yet gently add the melted butter and pour the batter into the prepared tin.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the sponge is firm to touch, and springy. Cool in tin to 10-15 minutes, then turn onto rack to cool completely.
7. Strawberry Cream Filling
8. Beat the cream with sugar to stiff peaks. Gently fold in the chopped strawberries.
9. Bavarian Chocolate Mousse
10. Soften the gelatin in a ¼ cup of cold milk. {Place in a bowl of warm water until dissolved}.
11. Place the chocolate in a large bowl.
12. Heat 200ml cream, milk and half the sugar {15gm} until simmering. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar with a balloon whisk, and add 1/3^rd of the hot milk mixture over it, whisking continuously until well combined. Pour this back into the pan with the remaining milk mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the cream is thickened and coats the back of the spoon. {Don’t allow it to boil}.
13. Remove from heat immediately and stir the gelatin into this hot milk mixture well, then quickly strain this over the chocolate. Stir until smooth. I added 2 tbsp of Ghirardelli hot cocoa mix into this. Cool over a bowl of crushed ice, stirring frequently.
14. Once cool, beat the remaining 200ml chilled cream to soft peaks, and gently stir into the mousse.
15. Chocolate Glaze
16. Place chocolate in a bowl.
17. Heat the cream and honey in a pan until simmering. Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until smooth.
18. Assembling cake
19. Cut the sponge horizontally into 2 layers. Place in dessert ring on serving platter. {Dessert ring should fit nice and snugly. I use this adjustable dessert ring I bought in Sydney.} Place one layer of cake, top with the strawberries and cream mix, followed by the second layer of cake. Chill for about an hour while the Bavarian cools.
20. Line the sides of the dessert ring with strawberry halves, gently pour the Bavaria chocolate mousse into the ring and gently level it. Cover and refrigerate overnight preferably. Next morning, prepare the glaze and pour half of it evenly over the set Bavarian mousse. Chill for 30 minutes for the glaze to set, then top with flakes and strawberries, and dust the edges with cocoa powder.
21. Unmold from the dessert ring, slather the bottom half of the cake with the remaining glaze {optional} and chill until ready to serve.
22. Note: The setting strength of gelatin varies according to climate. You might want to increase it if the weather is warm. It was 5C here.

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