Chocolate Mousse Cake or Some other Super Gooey

[pax]

My 15 yo has just requested a "chocolate mousse cake" for her birthday tomorrow. I've never done one and would like to have a recipe someone has had some success with.

I have all kinds of chocolate and cocoa and nuts in the house. I can improvise a water bath, but I also have bundt pans and some little tiny indvidual cake molds, if you have other super gooey chocolate cake ideas.

I'm baaaaaad at decorating.

I have all day tomorrow to play with this.

Thank you for any suggestions.

[gfron1]

Pax - check out my birthday cake from earlier this month. It fits the bill just transposing my mango mousse for chocolate mousse. I also consider myself poor at decorating, but if you read through the responses you'll see a link to the Orange Exotic cake and the super simple decorating trick that i used. Click HERE.

And HERE'S a topic on strawberry mousse cake with great tips.

[merstar]

This is technically not a Chocolate Mousse Cake, but the chocolate filling is decadent, creamy, and deep chocolatey. It's a fantastic cake. I usually chill this overnight, and serve it at a cool room temperature, since the filling is creamier than if served cold. If you can get a hold of some ladyfingers (sponge-type), this is more than worth doing, and fairly simple.

Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cake:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/101955

[jumanggy]

Fanny featured Claire Clark's chocolate mousse cake on her blog recently:

http://www.foodbeam.com/2008/04/17/the-eph...nt-au-chocolat/

I've the book also, but I haven't tried it yet. I also have another book, "Birthday Cakes", where there's a contribution from the editors of Cook's Illustrated (Chocolate Pudding Cake). Unfortunately it's not much to look at.

[Kouign Aman]

The Tenor's recipe:

heavy cream

Chocolate

those Original Chocolate Wafers.

Butter.

Crush wafers, melt butter, mix, make crust, chill.

(Springform pan is nice for this).

Whip cream (stiff peaks), melt chocolate. Mix some unwhipped cream into chocolate to thin it and cool it. Fold into whipped cream. (Proportions to taste).

Pour into crust. Stick in extra chocolate wafers here and there as desired. They'll soften and provide textural contrast to the mock mousse. Sometimes he makes a layer of them on top of half the mousse, covers it with the other half. Sometimes not so many of them.

Decorate with wafers or dribbled melted chocolate.

Chill. Slice, serve.

The mousse gets quite firm, so you could drizzle in caramel and add nuts, or whatever, if you want to really goop it up.

[kbjesq]

Fanny featured Claire Clark's chocolate mousse cake on her blog recently:

http://www.foodbeam.com/2008/04/17/the-eph...nt-au-chocolat/

I've the book also, but I haven't tried it yet. I also have another book, "Birthday Cakes", where there's a contribution from the editors of Cook's Illustrated (Chocolate Pudding Cake). Unfortunately it's not much to look at.

←

Agreed that the CI "Chocolate Pudding Cake" is not much to look at, but man it is unbelievably delicious (and easy and fun to make). Not in the least bit elegant, but it tastes so good that you don't care what it looks like! Maybe you could serve it with a little tray of chocolate mousse truffles alongside to make it more festive.

[paulraphael]

You could also make a marquise. A bit upscale for a teen b-day party, but maybe they'd be into it. Intense chocolate flavor, no need to decorate (but it looks great) and very easy (chilled, not baked).

Can be embellished with sauce like a flavored creme anglaise or a fruit coulis, or dusted with cocoa and a stencil, or whatever you dream up.

[eldereno]

I have been making this chocolate mousse pie recipe for years. It is fabulous, loved by all who have tried it. Can be made ahead and frozen (I've done that) up to the putting the whipped cream on top. I've even had folks ask me to make it for them to have (my only experience in the realm of people buying my food )!

I got the recipe from a group of 4 or 5 small cookbooks in a set that were a kind of "best of Bon Appetite". Probably from the early 90's or before.

I have often just spread the whipped cream mixture on top of the pie and then shaved chocolate on top.

edited due to spelling errors and clarifications

Edited May 1, 2008 by eldereno (log)

[eldereno]

So, pax, what did you end up doing?