Chocolate Mousse Cake with Morello Cherries
This is an absolute winner - the cake is spread with dark chocolate mousse,
filled with morello cherries soaked in cherry brandy, and then topped with
soft, curled flakes of chocolate. For chocolate lovers, there's heaven in
every mouthful! This is an adult cake and so it works best with dark
chocolate that has 70-75% cocoa solids.
Serves 10 - 12
For the base
6 large eggs, separated
150 gm / 5 oz golden caster sugar
50 gm / 2 oz cocoa powder, sifted
For the filling
225 gm / 8 oz dark chocolate with 70-75% cocoa solids
2 large eggs, separated
700 gm / 1 lb 8 oz pitted morello cherries in syrup
2 teaspoons cherry brandy
225 ml / 8 fl oz double cream
For the decoration
100 gm / 3½ z dark chocolate with 70-75% cocoa solids for the chocolate
curls
1 tablespoon morello cherry jam
For dusting
cocoa powder as needed, sifted
1. Line a 23 X 32 X 1 cm / 9 X 13 X ½ inch Swiss-roll tin with baking
parchment, cut and folded to give a depth of at least 4 cm / 1½ inch.
2. To prepare the chocolate filling, break the pieces of chocolate into a
basin and add 2 tablespoons of water. Place the basin over a saucepan of
barely simmering water, making sure the bottom of the basin isn't actually
touching the water. Keep the heat at a minimum and wait for the chocolate to
melt.
3. Remove from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.
4. Beat the egg yolks - first on their own and then into the warm chocolate
mixture. Allow to cool.
5. At the same time, whisk the egg whites to the soft-peak stage and gently
cut and fold them in the just cooled mixture.
6. Cover with clingfilm and leave it in the fridge till you're ready to use
it, but for a minimum of an hour.
7. Drain the cherries in a sieve, discard the syrup.
8. Place the cherries in a shallow dish, spoon over the cherry brandy and
leave aside till needed.
9. To make chocolate curls, melt the 100 gm / 3½ oz of chocolate in a
heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, make sure the
base of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
10. When the chocolate has melted, pour it on to a flat, smooth surface. It
should be about 5-mm / ¼-inch thick. If you don't have a flat, smooth
surface, the underside of a large plate will do.
11. Leave the chocolate to set - what you want is the chocolate to be set
hard enough so that if you press the surface of the chocolate, it doesn't
leave an indentation. If you use a plate, you can set the chocolate by
placing in it the fridge to chill for 45 minutes.
12. Use a cheese slicer to make the chocolate curls, or a knife will do if
you hold the blade in both hands. Just pull it all along the chocolate
towards you and it should curl up. What is very important to know here is
that if it doesn't curl and you end up with a pile of chocolate shavings
they'll look just as nice - either way, place them in a rigid plastic
container and then put this in the fridge until you need them. The curls
look lovely dusted with a light sprinkling of cocoa powder.
13. Preheat the oven to 180ºC / 350ºF.
14. For the base, place the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk with an electric
hand whisk until they begin to thicken.
15. Add the caster sugar and continue to whisk - but be careful not to
overdo this, as it can eventually become too thick, which makes it difficult
to fold in the egg whites.
16. Fold in the cocoa powder.
17. Using a spanking clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to the soft-peak
stage.
18. Take 1 large spoonful of the egg white and fold into the chocolatey
mixture to slacken it, and then gently cut and fold in the rest of the egg
whites.
19. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
20. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, it will look
very puffy, but a little finger gently pressed into the centre should reveal
that it's springy in the centre and cooked. It's important not to overcook
it.
21. Remove from the oven and don't panic as it sinks down, because this is
quite normal. Leave until it's absolutely cold.
22. Turn the cake out on a sheet of greaseproof paper.
23. Drain the cherries again in a sieve placed over a bowl, to catch the
liqueur, and sprinkle all but 1 tablespoon of the liqueur all over the base
of the cake.
24. Remove the chocolate filling from the fridge and, using a palette knife,
spread it carefully and evenly all over the surface of the cake.
25. Softly whip the double cream and spread this all over the chocolate
filling, then lightly press the cherries into the cream.
26. To roll up the cake, take hold of one edge of the paper beneath it and
lift it - as you lift, the cake will begin to come up. Just gently roll it
over, pulling the paper away as it rolls. If the cake cracks as you roll it,
this is not a problem - this can look very attractive and, anyway, it's all
going to get covered in chocolate!
27. To decorate the cake, spoon the cherry jam into a small saucepan.
28. Add in the reserve tablespoon of liqueur from the cherries.
29. Warm gently, then brush it all over the surface.
30. Place chocolate curls all over that.
31. To serve, lightly dust the surface with the sifted cocoa powder.
Tips:
To make the chocolate filling, you can use a jar of pitted Morella cherries
in syrup.
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