CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

This was voted the best cake ever, by everyone who ate it.  Better than the Tiramisu cake, which was the favourite till now.

I had this on my To Do list forever.  Saw it in a magazine and saved it for trying out at another time.  You know how these things work, they just get pushed to the side for another day.  Then came Monish's birthday.  That man can live on chocolate.  Since this was a mousse cake I figured it would work.  Actually was expecting it to be a lot like the molten lava cake since that also uses minimal flour, but the texture was different.  It was rich, decadent and the best was it is not too heavy as there is no oil or cream.  The cake also uses a hefty amount of coffee powder, which I personally loved, as it cuts down the sweetness of the chocolate.

The only issue I had was the cake did not cut into neat slices as it was soft.  I have to figure out what was the issue.

I wish I had tried this earlier - I can so see myself making this over and over again.

100 Gms granulated sugar 

110 gms packed dark brown sugar

180 ml water

1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder

70 gms Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

60 gms semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

60 gms unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Kahlua 

3 large egg yolks 

30 gms cake flour 

6 large egg whites, at room temperature 

70 gms granulated sugar 

confectioners' sugar, to garnish

Preheat oven to 150 C. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large saucepan, stir together the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, water, and coffee powder. 

Set the pan over medium heat and, stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to a boil. 

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cocoa powder, salt, chocolates and whisk until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. 

Mix in the Kahlua and the egg yolks just until combined then stir in the flour until incorporated. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until foamy, then (with the mixer still running) gradually add the remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar. 

Continue to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. 

Add 1/4 of the egg white mixture to the chocolate mixture and gently fold in using a rubber spatula. 

Fold in the remaining egg white mixture in three additions. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. 

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool completely in the pan. 

Remove the sides of the pan and dust the cake with confectioner's sugar before serving.