I saw this cake a long time ago, and immediately saved the recipe, knowing I would make it for a special occasion. I finally decided that my sister's birthday was the perfect opportunity. We both love chocolate, and you can't get much more chocolate than this cake! Bob and I were in St. Louis for his spring break in March because there are so many birthdays in my family that week (remember this?). I wanted to try this cake not only because it sounds so delicious, but also because it seemed like a challenge - multiple layers and steps - I thought it would be a fun project. Everyone loved the cake. My only complaint was that the actual cake layer was dry. I am very sensitive to dry cake - I really bothers me. I typically don't like bakery/wedding cakes for this reason . . . they are almost always dry in my opinion. For this cake, the dryness of that layer wasn't devastating because it's flanked by mousse and ganache, so my family thought as long as you ate a bite of cake with ganache, it was fine. Here are some possible explanations for the dryness in this cake (the scientist in me is compelled to troubleshoot!):
1) Was the cake cooked too long? This is highly doubtful because I set the timer for the lower end of time and checked the cake at this point with a toothpick and it was very soupy. Five minutes later the toothpick came out clean, and I took it out.
2) The recipe calls for Dutch processed cocoa powder. I wasn't able to find this in my store, so I considered making a different cake recipe, knowing that Dutch processed and natural unsweetened cocoa powder are not interchangeable. However, I found this on the Joy of Baking.com that explains the differences between Dutch processed and natural. It says that because Dutch processed is neutral (the acid has been treated with an alkali, or base, to neutralize), it will not react with baking soda and therefore must be used in recipes calling for baking powder. Well, this recipe calls for baking soda, so I thought perhaps there was a mistake and it was actually supposed to be natural cocoa. I started thinking later that buttermilk might be the acid in the recipe, and therefore the Dutch processed cocoa powder is there to be neutral, which means my cake may have risen more than it should have and attributed to the dryness. Perhaps my substitution is to blame? But then again, the double chocolate layer cake calls for natural cocoa powder and also has buttermilk...
3) Is this just a recipe for a drier cake because of the richness of the rest of the dessert? That's possible. Or maybe other people don't take such offense to a little dryness? Like I said above, I considered making the cake layer from the recipe for Double Chocolate Layer Cake (now that cake is moist!!!)
As far the rest of the cake, the mousse was outstanding, the ganache was great, and the brownie was good, but no better than a really good brownie mix. Overall, I was just a bit disappointed, probably because of all the time it took to make this. I have no problem making something from scratch as long as it turns out better than a boxed mix, and I did not feel this was the case for the cake or brownie layers.
I think the idea of this cake is fabulous, and it has real potential for the future. If you think this looks like a good cake but don't want to spend this much time making everything from scratch, I recommend trying a boxed brownie and cake mix and using this mousse and ganache. Or if you have Dutch processed cocoa laying around, give it a try and let me know it goes!!!
Chocolate cake:
Directions:
To make the chocolate mousse filling:
To make the ganache:
To assemble the dessert:
Source: Adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride
Melissa says
Well, it looks beautiful. The mousse and ganache-how decadent!
Unknown says
You cake looks beautiful anyways! I made the chocolate PB ganache cake from Smitten Kitchen. The chocolate cake in it was the moistest cake I've ever made. You could try subbing that in for the cake in this recipe... and keeping the rest of the recipe the same.
I'm sure the mousse and ganache were amazing. And that brownie layer at the bottom... yum!
Kerstin says
Aww, sorry the cake layer was dry, that is the absolute worst! It is a gorgeous cake though and the chocolate mousse looks delicious.
Maria says
That is a lot of chocolate. I love it!