Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake

This is a very elegant cake for a special occasion which I found years ago in Canadian Living magazine. It looks complicated but is actually quite easy to make. It can be served as is or with a raspberry coulis.

• Ready In: 3 hrs
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• Chocolate Cake

• 3  eggs, separated
• 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2  tablespoons  unsweetened cocoa powder

• Raspberry Syrup

• 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 2  tablespoons  raspberry liqueur

• Raspberry Mousse

• 1 1⁄2 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 2 (300 g) packages frozen raspberries, thawed
• 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 2  tablespoons lemon juice
• 2  tablespoons  raspberry liqueur
• 2  cups  whipping cream

• Chocolate Glaze

• 4  ounces  semisweet chocolate
• 1⁄4 cup  whipping cream

Directions

1. Chocolate Cake: In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar until very pale.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually beat in the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form.
3. Fold the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture.
4. Sift the flour and cocoa over the egg mixture; gently fold in.
5. Pour into a buttered 8-inch springform pan; bake is a 350 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.
6. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it.
7. Let cool on a wire rack.
8. Raspberry Syrup: In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water; cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute.
9. Stir in the liqueur.
10. Let cool.
11. Raspberry Mousse: In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand for 5 minutes to soften.
12. Puree the berries in a food processor and then strain through a sieve to remove the seeds.
13. There should be approximately 2 cups of puree remaining.
14. Transfer the puree to a separate saucepan.
15. Add sugar and lemon juice; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
16. Stir in the liqueur; transfer to a large bowl.
17. Over low heat, heat the gelatin until dissolved; stir into the raspberry mixture.
18. Chill, stirring occasionally, over a larger bowl of ice and water for about 20 minutes or until the consistency of raw egg whites.
19. Whip the cream; fold into the cooled raspberry mixture.
20. Reserve 1/2 cup for garnish.
21. To assemble, cut the cake into 3 or 4 thin layers; reserve 2 layers and freeze the remaining layers for another use.
22. Sprinkle 1 cut side of each of the 2 layers with the raspberry syrup.
23. Place 1 layer, syrup side up, in a 9-inch springform pan; pour in half of the raspberry mousse.
24. Top with the second cake layer; pour in enough of the remaining mousse to come almost to the top of the pan.
25. Smooth the surface.
26. Refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hours.
27. Chocolate Glaze: In the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling, water, melt the chocolate with the cream, stirring until smooth.
28. Let it cool to room temperature yet still spreadable; pour over the mousse and spread evenly.
29. Spoon the remaining mousse into a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip; pipe 3 concentric circles over the top of the cake.
30. Pull a toothpick through the circles to form a spider web design.
31. Refrigerate until chilled.