Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake
I made this cake for Evelyn's 17th Birthday. It was just the right size for our family, with a few pieces left over. And so delicious!
Chocolate Cake
Prepare ½ batch of Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake baked in two 7-inch pans. Cool cakes and then split each to make a total of 4 (relatively thin) cake layers. Wrap and freeze until ready to use.
Raspberry Syrup (For a shortcut, use a ready-made bottled syrup.)
2 cups frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons water
½ cup sugar
Combine raspberries, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. While the mixture is still relatively thin, strain mixture through a mesh sieve to remove seeds. Return strained mixture to saucepan and return to a boil. Cook until mixture reaches consistency of thin breakfast syrup. Pour about 3/4 cup of the syrup into a bowl and set aside to cool. Return remaining syrup to a boil and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until syrup reduces to a jelly (about 2 tablespoons). Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Raspberry Mousse
¾ cup (6 ounces) heavy cream
Reduced Raspberry Syrup/Jelly (about 2 tablespoons)
(Extra sugar, if desired)
Pour heavy cream into a chilled bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Fold in the raspberry jelly and beat until stiff peaks form.
Chocolate Truffle Frosting (Whipped Ganache -- whatever you choose to call it, it is delicious!)
10 ounces (about 1 ⅔ cups) Guittard semi sweet chocolate chips
1 ¼ cups (10 ounces) heavy cream
2 or 3 tablespoons corn syrup
Place the chocolate chips, heavy cream, and corn syrup in a microwaveable dish. Heat in microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes and then stir until very smooth and glossy. Allow the chocolate mixture to cool until it is almost of spreadable thickness (1 to 2 hours in refrigerator). Place in a bowl and with electric mixer, beat until fluffy.
Put about half of the Chocolate Truffle Frosting into a prepared piping bag fitted with a wide round or open star tip.
To prepare the Cake
Remove the cakes from the freezer and unwrap. Spread some of the reserved raspberry syrup over each of the cake layers. Place first cake layer on a serving plate. Pipe a ring of Chocolate Truffle Frosting around the inside edge of the cake to create a dam. Fill the dam with Raspberry Mousse. Top with next cake layer and repeat dam and filling process. When all four cake layers are filled, frost sides and top of cake with Chocolate Truffle Frosting.
If desired, combine any remaining Raspberry Mousse and Chocolate Truffle Frosting and pipe around top of cake. Garnish sides of cake generously with chocolate shavings and curls.
This cake can be made in advance and should be stored chilled since it is filled with cream; however, I prefer to set the cake out at room temperature a couple hours before serving. This brings out the full flavors and allows the truffle frosting to soften slightly.
Chocolate Cake
Prepare ½ batch of Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake baked in two 7-inch pans. Cool cakes and then split each to make a total of 4 (relatively thin) cake layers. Wrap and freeze until ready to use.
Raspberry Syrup (For a shortcut, use a ready-made bottled syrup.)
2 cups frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons water
½ cup sugar
Combine raspberries, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. While the mixture is still relatively thin, strain mixture through a mesh sieve to remove seeds. Return strained mixture to saucepan and return to a boil. Cook until mixture reaches consistency of thin breakfast syrup. Pour about 3/4 cup of the syrup into a bowl and set aside to cool. Return remaining syrup to a boil and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until syrup reduces to a jelly (about 2 tablespoons). Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Raspberry Mousse
¾ cup (6 ounces) heavy cream
Reduced Raspberry Syrup/Jelly (about 2 tablespoons)
(Extra sugar, if desired)
Pour heavy cream into a chilled bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Fold in the raspberry jelly and beat until stiff peaks form.
Chocolate Truffle Frosting (Whipped Ganache -- whatever you choose to call it, it is delicious!)
10 ounces (about 1 ⅔ cups) Guittard semi sweet chocolate chips
1 ¼ cups (10 ounces) heavy cream
2 or 3 tablespoons corn syrup
Place the chocolate chips, heavy cream, and corn syrup in a microwaveable dish. Heat in microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes and then stir until very smooth and glossy. Allow the chocolate mixture to cool until it is almost of spreadable thickness (1 to 2 hours in refrigerator). Place in a bowl and with electric mixer, beat until fluffy.
Put about half of the Chocolate Truffle Frosting into a prepared piping bag fitted with a wide round or open star tip.
To prepare the Cake
Remove the cakes from the freezer and unwrap. Spread some of the reserved raspberry syrup over each of the cake layers. Place first cake layer on a serving plate. Pipe a ring of Chocolate Truffle Frosting around the inside edge of the cake to create a dam. Fill the dam with Raspberry Mousse. Top with next cake layer and repeat dam and filling process. When all four cake layers are filled, frost sides and top of cake with Chocolate Truffle Frosting.
If desired, combine any remaining Raspberry Mousse and Chocolate Truffle Frosting and pipe around top of cake. Garnish sides of cake generously with chocolate shavings and curls.
This cake can be made in advance and should be stored chilled since it is filled with cream; however, I prefer to set the cake out at room temperature a couple hours before serving. This brings out the full flavors and allows the truffle frosting to soften slightly.
