Blond Chocolate Mousse Cake - Recipe

Blond Chocolate Mousse Cake

Chocolate Cake

Adapted from the cake layer of Martha Stewart’s Mississippi Mud Pie
  • 40g unsalted butter
  • 100g dark chocolate
  • 40ml strong coffee, at room temperature
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 140g caster sugar
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and grease a 18cm springform cake tin.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a bain marie, then set aside.

Mix the coffee, salt, and vanilla together and set aside.

Whisk the egg yolks with half the sugar until light and almost doubled in volume.

Add melted chocolate mixture and beat until just combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Add coffee mixture and beat until just combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually increase speed to high and slowly add remaining the rest of the sugar, beating until soft peaks form.

Gently fold in a large spoonful of egg white mixture to chocolate mixture with a metal spoon. Add remaining egg whites a spoon at a time and continue gently folding until they are almost completely combined; do not overmix.

Pour into cake tin and transfer to oven. Bake until cake is set but still jiggles slightly, about 25-30 mins. It may not appear completely cooked.

Cool in the tin. Remove, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Cut the cake into the shape of a heart, then surround with card, covered with parchment to create tall walls around the cake which when you add the mousse on top will hold it in place.

Blond Chocolate Mousse
Adapted from Delia Smith’s Chocolate Mousse


  • 200g dulcey chocolate
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
Melt the chocolate in a bain marie, let cool for a couple of mins then stir in the egg yolks.
Whisk the egg whites to a soft peak stage, then add the sugar and carry on whisking until the whites have firmed up a bit more.

Using a metal spoon, fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, then carefully fold in the rest. Pour the mousse on top of the cooled cake, refrigerate and let set for at least 2 hours.

Chocolate Lace Wrap

  • 200g dark chocolate
  • Pinch of salt
Melt the chocolate on a bain marie and add the salt.

Measure two lengths of parchment which will fit around each half of the heart.

Pour into a piping bag or a food bag with the corner cut off.

Pipe whatever pattern you choose on the parchment. Place in the freezer for two mins exactly then remove by which time the chocolate should have firmed up so that it is malleable but not stiff.
Immediately but gently wrap the chocolate lace around the cake before the chocolate gets too solid, it should stick to the mousse.

Whipped cream

  • 200ml double cream
  • Whip the double cream with the sugar to a billowing cloud. Do not overwhip.
  • Dollop onto the top of the cake.

Chocolate Curls

There will be extra chocolate leftover after you have finished your chocolate lace wrap, scrape it up into curls with the end of a pallet knife and add to the top of the cake.

Happy Valentines everybody. But especially to my three funny valentines.