Hi, my lovely bakers!
Today, I have a really special recipe for you all! Especially for all chocolate lovers. What’s the recipe you’ll ask-it’s the famous Black Tie Mousse Cake. It’s heaven for all those who adore chocolate desserts.
It’s a four-layered cake having a chocolate sponge, dark chocolate mousse, white chocolate mousse and dark chocolate ganache! Just hearing this is bringing water into my mouth!
The day I heard about this famous cake by a Restaurant chain Olive Garden, I was determined to recreate it for my bakers. I had to-it’s so tempting. All the chocolate layers in one dessert. Such a unique textural combination of chocolate sponge, mousse and ganache. I’m sure you will love this recipe as much as I do.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe?
There’s chocolate written all over this dessert; do you need more reasons to love it?
- It’s All Chocolate: you get to experience different flavours and textures of chocolate in this one cake. It’s like having four different desserts in one cake.
- People’s Favorite: This will for sure be a people’s favourite chocolate recipe for any occasion. The silky smooth mousse and decadent ganache with a chocolate sponge base, it will definitely be the talk-of-the-party dessert.
- Simple yet Elegant: The cake may sound like too much work and can seem complicated with different layers. In reality, it’s pretty simple to follow, and each layer will take its own time to set, so you can take it slow to understand and make each layer.
Important Ingredients Used In The Recipe
- Natural Cocoa Powder: Getting that chocolatey flavour in a sponge requires good-quality cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder is the best option here for the sponge recipe.
- Dark Couverture: I have used Belgian dark chocolate, which has 46.5% cocoa mass, for chocolate mousse and ganache. I find this perfectly sweet and bitter. If you prefer a more dense flavour, you can also go for 54.5% cocoa mass.
White Couverture: I have used white couverture chocolate while making the white chocolate mousse. You may also use compound chocolate; however, for the best outcome, use couverture chocolate.
- Gelatin: since we have two mousse layers in the cake, a gelatin sheet is used to set them. Without the gelatin, mousse won’t set as firm as we need.
- Whipped cream: Non-dairy whipping cream has been used while making the two types of mousses. It’s firm, sweet and great to make airy mousses. Look for brands Rich’s or Tropolite.
How To Make Black Tie Mousse Cake
Carefully follow method to make each layer and you will get the most delicious cake ever!
For the cake sponge:
- Preparation: Collect all ingredients required for making the cake. Preheat the oven to 180C (OTG mode: upper rod + lower rod + fan). Line a 5.5-inch round ring by wrapping the bottom with cling-wrap twice and butter paper. Grease the inside of the ring with some oil.
- Buttermilk: Make the buttermilk first by mixing milk with apple cider vinegar. Keep it aside for a while.
- Dry Ingredients: Sieve all dry ingredients in a bowl-flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, coffee powder and salt. Give it a stir.
- Wet Ingredients: I’m another bowl, mix all your liquid ingredients – eggs, vanilla essence, oil, buttermilk and hot water.
- Batter: Gradually add the mixture of the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine. Mix well so that no lumps are left.
- Bake: transfer the batter to the prepared mould and bake the cake at 180(OTG mode: lower rod only) for 15-20 minutes.
For The Dark Chocolate Mousse:
- Gelatin: take the gelatin sheet and soak it in some cold water.
- Ganache: Melt chocolate and warm the cream simultaneously in a microwave. Mix the two and form the ganache. Now add soaked gelatin and mix. Microwave the ganache for 5 seconds and mix to ensure the gelatin has completely dissolved in the ganache.
- Mousse: Beat the whipping cream till it reaches soft peaks. Fold the ganache into the whipped cream to make the chocolate mousse.
- Freeze: Pour the mousse over the baked and cooled sponge and set it in the freezer for two hours.
For White Chocolate Mousse:
- Gelatin: take the gelatin sheet and soak it in some cold water.
- Ganache: Melt white chocolate and warm the cream simultaneously in a microwave. Mix the two and form the ganache. Now add soaked gelatin and mix. Microwave the ganache for 5 seconds and mix to ensure the gelatin has completely dissolved in the ganache. To
- Mousse: Beat the whipping cream till it reaches soft peaks. Fold the ganache into the whipped cream to make the white chocolate mousse.
- Freeze: Pour the mousse over the set dark chocolate mousse and keep it in the freezer for two hours.
For Ganache Topping:
- Ganache: To make the ganache for the top layer, melt the dark chocolate and warm fresh cream in the microwave. Mix them to make a smooth ganache.
For Assembly:
- Frosting: Once both the mousse layers have been set, it’s time to frost the cake with dark chocolate ganache. Cover it completely and then transfer some ganache to a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle.
- Garnish: Drizzle some melted white chocolate on the top to decorate the cake. Then pipe ganache on top edge with an open star nozzle. Garnish the side with chocolate curls, and finally, add some golden metallic sprinklers on top.
Chef’s Tips For The Recipe
Tip for Gelatin
Dissolving the gelatin into the ganache is crucial. If the gelatin doesn’t dissolve, the mousse won’t set. Ensure while making the ganache that the gelatin sheet dissolves thoroughly. Also, you can use gelatin powder if you don’t have a sheet. One gelatin sheet is = 2g gelatin powder. Soak the powder in cold water (just enough to bloom it) and add the bloomed gelatin to the ganache. Dissolve it the same way.
Tip for layering
The final appearance and intersection of the cake should be neat and clean. When pouting each layer, ensure the bottom layer is completely set.
How To Store Black Tie Mousse Cake
Assemble mousse cake should be stored in the refrigerator (in an airtight box if possible). Consume it within three days.
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