Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake Recipe
This stunning Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake is a perfect Valentine's Day or special occasion dessert. The airy chocolate sponge layer, topped with fresh, smooth raspberry mousse makes this a refreshingly light mousse cake highlighting raspberries in all their glory.
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 263kcal
Equipment
- Medium bowls
Ingredients
Chocolate sponge
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 55 g light brown sugar
- 65 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 65 g plain flour (all-purpose)
- 15 g cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 75 g Dark Chocolate 75% melted
Raspberry Mousse
- 2¼ teaspoon powdered gelatine
- 45 ml fresh lemon juice
- 400 g fresh raspberries Frozen raspberries can be substituted; see note.
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 480 ml double cream (heavy cream) cold
Decoration
- 125 g fresh raspberries
- 50 g Dark Chocolate shavings shavings
Instructions
Chocolate Sponge
- Prepare a pan and preheat the oven. Grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm (9-inch) springform pan. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Whip the eggs & sugar. Add the eggs, sugar, light brown sugar and vanilla extract into a medium-sized bowl. Using a hand-held electric whisk, whip on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and creamy, about 4 minutes. When lifting out the whisk, you want to see trails of the mixture for a few seconds.
- Add the dry ingredients and fold through. Sift into the egg bowl the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and espresso powder and add the salt. Mix at low speed until just a few flour streaks remain.
- Add the melted chocolate. Add the melted chocolate into the batter and fold through with a rubber spatula. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl as you fold until the ingredients are combined and smooth.
- Pour batter into baking pan and bake. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Tap the pan firmly on the work surface a couple of times to release any air bubbles. Use an offset spatula if needed to smooth out the surface. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the centre springs back.Remove from the oven and place pan on a wire rack and leave to cool to room temperature. The top of the sponge will look wrinkly. Use a flat based glass or the base of a measuring cup and press the top of the cake down to form a flat surface. Then cover and refrigerate until ready to use for the next part of the recipe.
Raspberry mousse
- Bloom gelatine. Add the lemon juice into a small bowl and sprinkle the powdered gelatine over the top and give it a mix with a fork. Let sit for a couple of minutes whilst the gelatin softens.
- Blend raspberries. Add the fresh raspberries into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.Pass the blended raspberries through a fine-mesh sieve set over a saucepan, pushing the puree through with the back of a spoon. Make sure to scrape the puree off the underside of the sieve. Discard the raspberry seeds. You should have about 300 ml (1¼ cups of raspberry pulp).
- Heat and thicken raspberry puree. Place the saucepan with the raspberry puree onto a stovetop on medium-low heat, add the granulated sugar and bring the puree to a simmer, stirring often. Add in the gelatin mixture and heat gently (don't let it boil), stirring constantly until the gelatin dissolves. You may need to squish the gelatin on the side of the saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and pass the raspberry puree one last time through a sieve set over a bowl to remove any remaining gelatin lumps. (This step is optional if you are confident that the gelatin has fully dissolved.) Set the raspberry puree to one side to cool to room temperature; this can take about 20 minutes.
- Whip Cream and mix in raspberry puree. In a separate bowl, using an electric hand-held mixer fitted with the whisk (or an electric stand mixer), whip the cream on medium to high speed until soft peaks form, and then slowly fold through the cooled puree in 3 parts until fully combined.
- Set in prepared pan. Pour the raspberry mousse into the prepared springform pan over the top of the chocolate sponge. Use an offset spatula to level off and smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours minimum, preferably overnight.
To serve
- Remove the cake from the pan and decorate. When ready to serve, remove the raspberry mousse cake from the fridge and carefully remove the springform pan sides. Peel off the baking paper collar and smooth the edges of the raspberry mousse with a warmed offset spatula if necessary. Slide the baking paper with the cake onto a serving plate and decorate with fresh raspberries and chocolate shavings.Slice raspberry mousse cake with a warm, dry, sharp knife into slices and serve immediately.
Notes
Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.
Update: The chocolate sponge recipe has been updated in July 2022 with a slightly easier method and tweaks on ingredient quantities.
To store: Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It needs to be kept cold for the mousse to maintain its smooth texture. The cake can be kept in the springform pan and covered in the fridge until ready to serve. The raspberry fruit puree can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
To freeze: Yes! You can absolutely freeze this Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake! Tightly wrap in plastic wrap followed by double layers of aluminium foil. Freeze for up to two months. When ready to enjoy, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight; do NOT attempt to heat it in any way.
Raspberries: This recipe hero's raspberries, but when out of season they can be incredibly expensive to buy. For the raspberry mousse and coulis, you can use frozen raspberries instead. Thaw them in a colander allowing any moisture to drip away.
TIP 1: Use the best quality ingredients that you can. This mousse cake heros raspberries and they can't hide amidst others in the recipe. Get the juiciest, best-looking ones that you can.
TIP 2: Whip the yolks and sugar for long enough. You want to be able to see that ribboning on the surface of the mixture when you pull out the whisk. You'll know it's done when you see this.
TIP 3: Scrape the base and sides of the bowl. Melted chocolate can sink to the bottom and stick, so scraping down the bowl halfway through mixing ensures it gets fully incorporated.
TIP 4: Fold the raspberry puree into the cream with a light touch. You want the cream to hold its shape, even mixed with the raspberry puree. The only way for this to happen is for the cream to keep the air trapped in it from whipping.
TIP 5: Don't scrimp on the refrigeration time. My 3 hours recommended time is the absolute minimum time the mousse cake should be in the fridge to set. I highly recommend leaving it overnight.
Nutrition
Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 189mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 558IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg