by Leslie Meier
For the mousse layer:
1½ cups heavy cream
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (⅔ cup)
For the cake layer:
½ cup butter (4 oz.), cut into ½-inch slices
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ tbsp. cornstarch
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
5 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (a bit less than ⅔ cup)
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
For the topping:
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
Start the mousse layer:
Heat the cream in a saucepan until tiny bubbles form around the edges. Turn the heat off and whisk in the chocolate chips until they totally melt into the cream. Pour the mixture into a medium-sized heatproof bowl and refrigerate it for one hour, whisking it briefly halfway through.
While the mixture is chilling, make the cake layer:
Butter a 9-inch cake pan, line it with parchment paper, and butter the parchment paper.
Sift the cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl.
Melt the butter and chocolate chips by placing them in an aluminum or other heatproof bowl and setting it over a pot of simmering water. The bowl should be large enough to eventually contain all the cake ingredients. Melt and stir the butter and chocolate chips until the mixture is smooth. Take the bowl off the pan of water and mix in the sugar. A wire whisk works best for this. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, using the wire whisk and beating energetically. Stir or whisk in the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to scoop the batter into the prepared cake pan. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to get rid of obvious bubbles.
Bake the cake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes. Test for doneness by sticking a wooden toothpick in the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
Let the cake cool briefly, then remove it from the cake pan. To do this, cover a dinner plate with plastic wrap, place the dinner plate over the pan, hold the pan and plate together with both hands—one on each side—and turn the whole thing over. Lift the pan off. Carefully peel off the parchment paper. The top of the cake tends to stick to whatever it comes into contact with—thus the plastic wrap, and your cake will be easier to serve if it is bottom-side-down on its serving plate. So now take the plate you plan to serve it on, place it over the cake, and turn the whole thing over again. Carefully peel the plastic wrap off the cake’s top.
Let your cake rest and cool while you continue with your mousse layer. Remove the chilled cream and chocolate mixture from the refrigerator and beat it with an electric mixer on high until it becomes very stiff. It will whip just like whipping cream.
Make sure your cake is cool, then scoop the mousse onto the top using your rubber spatula and spread it evenly to the edges using the rubber spatula or a table knife. Put the 2 tbsp. of cocoa powder in a small mesh strainer and shake it over the cake.
Your cake is now ready to serve, or it can be refrigerated until serving time. It will slice more neatly if you use a long, slender knife and wipe the blade clean between slices. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
For a picture of the completed Chocolate Mousse Cake, visit the Knit & Nibble Mysteries page at PeggyEhrhart. com. Click on the cover for Christmas Card Murder and scroll down on the page that opens.
BONUS NIBBLE
Nell’s “Not Too Sweet” Quick Bread
Quick bread is so named because it doesn’t require yeast; thus, there’s no waiting for the dough to rise. Quick breads have a cakelike texture, and in fact many contain sugar and are more like desserts than bread. They are perfect to serve sliced with coffee or tea as a midmorning or afternoon snack.
This recipe hints at the holiday season because it’s dense with dried fruit and nuts, suggesting fruitcake or stollen, but it’s not nearly as rich or sweet. It can be made at the last minute with cupboard staples, like evaporated milk instead of fresh—and you can use the evaporated milk right out of the can without diluting it.
Add any combination of dried fruits you like, including raisins, currants, cranberries, apricots, dates, figs, pineapple, or cherries. If you only have one kind of dried fruit handy, say raisins, you can just use raisins.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour—no need to sift
½ cup sugar
1½ tsp. baking powder
1½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup milk
1 egg beaten lightly with a fork
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup dried fruit, chopped if the pieces are large
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
If your fruit is very dry, put it in a small bowl an hour or so before you plan to make your quick bread and add 3 tbsp. of boiling water. Stir the moistened fruit from time to time in order to make sure it all comes in contact with the liquid and plumps up.
You don’t need a beater for this recipe, just a large spoon.
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the milk, and then the beaten egg and the melted butter. Stir until the batter is smooth with no dry bits. Then stir in the fruit and the nuts.
Scoop the batter into a greased 5-inch x 9-inch loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. To test for doneness, stick a wooden toothpick into the middle of the top. If the toothpick comes out clean, your quick bread is finished.
This is good sliced and served warm with butter, even for breakfast. You can warm slices in the microwave for subsequent servings.
For pictures of Nell’s “Not Too Sweet” Quick Bread, visit the Knit & Nibble Mysteries page at PeggyEhrhart.com. Click on the cover for Christmas Card Murder and scroll down on the page that opens.
Note: The recipe for Pamela’s poppy-seed cake appears at the end of Silent Knit, Deadly Knit and photos are on the website page for that book.