This was a fun cake to make. I wanted to make a dreamy chocolate mousse cake, featuring layers of black cacao chiffon soaked with hot chocolate, dark chocolate ganache, semi sweet potato mousse, slathered in a cascade of more dark chocolate ganache, and torched Swiss meringue marshmallow. It kind of looks like a snowscape meets a mountain, so there is this festive and delightful feeling to the overall appearance of the cake reminiscent of a winter wonderland(that my sensitive to cold self will stay FAAAAR away from most likely). This recipe is an amalgamation of several of my favorite chocolate components, but put together, and paired with that marshmallow for a hot chocolate-S’mores contrast so that you are not just fully left in chocolate purgatory. Because even though I love chocolate, getting outright chocolate-wasted(while it sounds delightful in the moment), is not really as fun – I still remember one time when I ate way too much chocolate and didn’t want to eat it for two straight days. And that’s from a self-proclaimed chocolate fiend who usually eats a bonbon, truffle, or candy bar a day. I don’t want anyone eating this to get completely sick of chocolate. I just want them to enjoy rich flavors and textures, but in a lighter format. So doing a mousse cake and making most of the components super aerated(mousse, meringue, chiffon), ensures that you can eat one or even three slices of this thing without feeling gross afterwards. It was a lot of fun putting this cake together, and testing out a new decorating style of draping the decorations over each other to create a little more movement and height on the exterior!

Makes one 6-inch cake, or 6 servings:
For the chocolate ganache:
2oz heavy cream
4 tbsp unsalted butter
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp chocolate liquor
4oz dark chocolate

In a pot, bring cream, butter, salt, and liquor to a simmer. Once the butter is melted, pour the mixture over the dark chocolate, allowing it to sit for 2 minutes before stirring until combined. Pour 1/2 of the ganache into a 4-inch ring and freeze solid(1-2 hours). For the rest, reserve the ganache, refrigerating it, as you will be reheating that to spread onto the exterior of the cake.

For the chocolate chiffon cake:
2 egg whites
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp black cacao powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1oz canola oil
2oz hot water

In a bowl, whisk the egg white with sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks. In another bowl, sift in the flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix into that the oil first until clumps form, then whisk into that the hot water. Fold into that the stiff whipped egg whites to form your batter. Pour the batter into two lined 4-inch cake molds and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool before unmolding.

For the chocolate soak:
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp hot cocoa mix
a pinch of salt

Mix together until combined.

For the chocolate mousse:
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tsp gelatin powder + 2 tbsp cold water
a pinch of salt
8oz semi sweet chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract
8oz heavy cream, whipped stiff

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with sugar. In a pot, melt the gelatin, salt, and chocolate into the milk. Pour half of the chocolate milk over the egg yolks while whisking. Then add the eggs back into the milk and whisk everything on medium heat for 2 minutes. Pass through a sieve and mix in the vanilla. Then fold in the cream to finish.

For initial assembly:
Line a 6-inch ring mold with acetate and place onto a sheet tray. Start by spreading the 1/3 of the chocolate mousse inside of the mold. Brush the soak onto both of the cakes and press one into the mousse. Then add another 1/3 of the mousse then the frozen ganache disk. Then add another 1/3 mousse, then the second soaked cake to finish. Freeze solid(2-3 hours) before attempting to umold. With the reserved ganache, gently re-melt it until it is spreadable and spread partially on the exterior of the cake. Return to the freezer for now.

For the Swiss meringue marshmallow:
1 egg white
2 tsps gelatin powder
.1g cream of tartar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
cornstarch

In a bowl over a double boiler, whisk together the egg white, sugar, cream of tartar, gelatin, and salt until the egg white turns frothy and the sugar and gelatin powder are fully dissolved. Transfer the bowl from the double boiler into a stand mixer bowl. Add to the mixture your vanilla extract and whip everything together with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form and the meringue-marshmallow batter is tripled in volume. Spread the marshmallow mixture around the cake and toast with a torch to finish.