Fantastic looking cake! I would get up early on Sundays for a baking class. It sounds like great fun.
Cocoa Genoise
- 1/3 C cake flour
- 1/3 C cocoa
- 2/3 C + 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- 3 eggs
- 2 yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9″ round cake pan and line with parchment paper.
- Sift cake flour, cocoa and 1 Tspn sugar 2 times
- Over a bain marie, heat eggs and remaining 2/3 C sugar to 110F.
- Transfer the egg mixture to a standing mixer. Using a whisk attachment, whip until mixture is thick and pale yellow, and about three times the original volume.
- Gently fold in the dry ingredients, butter and vanilla.
- Bake for about 25 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes then transfer to cooling rack
Chocolate Mousse
- 2/3 C ganache (recipe follows)
- 1 C heavy cream, whipped
Ganache
- 8 oz heavy cream
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Assembly
- 1 cocoa genoise
- simple syrup
- chocolate mousse
- sweetened whipped cream
- chopped chocolate (for garnish)
Slice cooled cake crosswise and brush both halves with simple syrup.
Place one half of the cake on a serving platter or cake board. Spread half of the chocolate mousse evenly over the cake. Top with the other cake half and repeat with the chocolate mousse.
Chill until mousse sets, and then top with the sweetened whipped cream. Garnish with chopped chocolate.