The blog was quiet last week as we prepared for the kids to start school for the first time today. We are transitioning from homeschooling to them attending school outside of our home.
Then this weekend, we had an unexpected event in the family that threw us for a loop. I decided that among the stress and chaos of a lot of upheaval, we needed a little family time. I needed to find a way to help us slow down and enjoy quiet time as a family and to help us all process and appreciate the great amount of change we’re experiencing. With new beginnings and new activities come blessings. We needed to celebrate.
I needed a crazy-good dessert to serve after a big Sunday lunch around the family table. We needed an excuse to sit and talk to help the kids process it all. We all needed to reconnect.
Sometimes you just need a little chocolate.
I asked on my personal Facebook wall for a quick, rich chocolate dessert and a friend pointed me to two recipes from two different blogs that she had combined to make a decadent, rich chocolate cake with a mousse topping. So I took the cake from this blog and the mousse from this blog, tweaked them both to make them my own and put them together into a sinfully rich cake. This is the result.
This cake is perfect for company or big events like adult birthdays. It is so good that people will think you slaved over it, but it really doesn’t require much time so long as you have a mixer and a food processor and you know how to set up a double boiler. I only spent about twenty minutes of hands on time to make this dessert that will last a while because it is so rich. This recipe will be my go-to choice when we need to celebrate something special in the future.
If you don’t have a double boiler, simply set a glass bowl into the top of a saucepan of boiling water, making sure that the bottom of the glass bowl comes near to but doesn’t touch the top of the boiling water. Hold the glass bowl with a pot holder while you whisk to keep it steady. Wipe any moisture from the bottom of the glass bowl before pouring your cake batter into the springform pan.
Chocolate Brownie Mousse Cake
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks), divided, softened
10 ounces chocolate chips, divided
7 eggs, divided
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
2 Tbs vanilla extract, divided
Stevia to taste
5 Tbs coconut cream
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 8″ round springform cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper and butter the top of that parchment paper. Set aside.
Bring a small amount of water to a full boil in the bottom of a double boiler. In the top of the double boiler, melt one stick of the butter with 4.5 ounces of the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in three whole eggs, one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in the sifted cocoa powder and 1 Tbs of the vanilla extract. Taste the mixture and add stevia if it needs more sweetness, if desired.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for about 10 minutes or until just done in the center- the sides may puff. Cook it until a toothpick comes out clean in the center, but not until it is dry- the cake will still look very moist on top in the center when it is done and the sides will appear dry and puffy. Pull the cake from the oven and cool completely on a cooling rack before proceeding to top it with the mousse.
Once the cake is completely cool to the touch, you can make the mousse to go on top of it.
Place the remaining chocolate chips into a food processor and pulse until broken up. Set aside.
Take the remaining four eggs and separate them. Set aside the yolks for use in the chocolate mixture and whip the whites to stiff peaks using a whisk in your stand mixer or with a hand mixer.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring the coconut cream to a complete boil. Pour the coconut cream into the food processor with the chocolate chips and process until the chips are melted. Pulse in the four egg yolks and the remaining 1 Tbs vanilla extract, then add the in remaining one stick of softened butter and run the food processor until the mixture is smooth.
Carefully pour the chocolate mixture into one side of the bowl with the egg whites (it will sink to the bottom), then fold them together, using a spatula to cut through and turn the chocolate into the whipped eggs whites, until the mixture is uniform. Do not stir or over-mix or you will deflate the whites and not have an airy mousse. Fold together just until the mixture is uniform.
Pour the mousse over the cooled cake and cover with a layer of plastic wrap stretched over the top. Place in the fridge and chill until cold and the mousse has completely set up, about four hours.
Remove the collar from the springform pan and cut with a sharp, clean knife, cleaning the knife between slices. Return any leftovers to the refrigerator immediately.
I'm 
The only thing that could make this better is bacon. Bacon and chocolate. Chocolate Bacon. Yes. Amen.
Thanks for linking at Trim Healthy Tuesday!
Oh my goodness! This is my top dessert now! It is heavenly! I used dutch processed cocoa and dark chocolate chips(for less sugar). I don’t think it could get any better, seriously! Thank you so much for posting this recipe, my husband is already requesting this for his birthday which is a couple months away! I will also be making this for my sons 2nd birthday this week! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome Haleigh! I made it again this past weekend for my husband’s and dad’s birthdays. They were thrilled.
Hi again,
I wanted to let you know I posted a version of your recipe on my website. I just LOVE this recipe! I just wanted to let you know. here is the address http://www.nourishinghomemaker.com/the-best-chocolate-mouse-cake-and-its-actually-healthy/ I’d love for you to check it out!