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La Belle Cuisine
Irish Cream Chocolate Mousse Cake
Bon Appetit March 1995
Cooking Class
Bon Appetit - One Year Subscription
"This rich chocolate mousse cake was created by Geri
Gilliland, the
Belfast-born chef-owner of Gilliland's, a cafe with an Irish accent
in Santa Monica, California. On the inside of the dessert, choco-
late mousse spiked with Irish cream liqueur is layered with espresso
sponge cake that has been soaked in an Irish whiskey syrup. On the
outside, the chocolate bands and a mound of chocolate curls give
this treat a straight-from-the-bakery look, which we show you
how to achieve at home..."
For Mousse:
4 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
12 ounces semisweet
chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur
For Syrup:
2/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons Irish whiskey
For Cake:
6 large eggs
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
or coffee powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup all purpose flour
For Chocolate Bands:
Two 14 1/2- x 3-inch waxed paper strips
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon
solid vegetable shortening
For Chocolate curls:
Twelve 1-ounce squares semisweet
baking chocolate
Powdered sugar
Mousse:
Whisk eggs and sugar in large metal bowl. Set the bowl over saucepan
of simmering
water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) and
whisk constantly until
candy thermometer registers 160 degrees F, about
5
minutes. Remove bowl from over
water. Using electric mixer, beat
egg mixture until cool and very thick, about
10 minutes.
Place chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water;
stir until
melted and smooth. Remove chocolate from over water. Cool to luke-
warm. Combine cream and Irish cream liqueur in medium bowl; beat
to stiff peaks. Pour lukewarm melted chocolate over egg mixture and
fold together.
Fold in cream mixture. Cover and chill until set, at least
4 hours or overnight.
Syrup:
Combine sugar and water in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until
sugar
dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Remove from heat.
Mix in the whiskey.
Cool. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and
let stand at room temperature.)
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan
with 2
3/4-inch-high sides. Line bottom with parchment paper. Using
electric mixer,
beat the eggs, sugar, espresso powder and salt in large
bowl until mixture thickens
and slowly dissolving ribbon forms when
beaters are lifted, about 8 minutes.
Sift 1/3 of flour over and gently fold
into egg mixture. Repeat 2 more times (do
not overmix or the batter may
deflate.) Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into
center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan
on rack. Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release
pan sides. Turn out cake. Remove pan bottom. Peel off parchment.
(Can be
prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap cake in plastic and chill.)
Assembly:
Using serrated knife, cut cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place bottom cake
layer on platter. Brush with 3 tablespoons syrup. Spread 2 cups mousse
over. Top
with second cake layer. Brush with 3 tablespoons syrup. Spread
2 cups mousse
over. Top with third cake layer, cut side down. Brush with
3 tablespoons syrup.
Spread remaining mousse over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate cake while
preparing chocolate bands.
Chocolate Bands:
Line large baking sheet with foil and set aside. Place another large sheet
of foil on work surface; top with waxed paper strips, spacing apart. Stir
the chopped
semisweet chocolate and vegetable shortening in heavy small
saucepan over low
heat until melted and smooth. Pour half of the melted
chocolate down center of each
waxed paper strip. Using metal icing spatula,
spread chocolate to cover strips
evenly and completely, allowing some chocolate to extend beyond edges of paper
strips. Using fingertips, lift the strips and place on clean foil-lined baking
sheet. Refrigerate just until
chocolate begins to set but is still very
flexible, about 2 minutes.
Remove chocolate bands from refrigerator. Using fingertips,
lift 1 band from foil. With chocolate side next to cake, place band around side
of cake; press gently to adhere (band will be higher than cake). Repeat with
second choco-late band, pressing onto uncovered side of cake so that ends of
chocolate
bands just meet (if ends overlap, use scissors to trim any excess
paper and
chocolate). Refrigerate until chocolate sets, about 5 minutes. Gently
peel
off paper. Refrigerate cake.
Chocolate curls:
Line baking sheet with foil. Unwrap 1 square of chocolate. Place chocolate
on
its paper wrapper in microwave. Cook on High just until chocolate begins to
soften slightly, about 1 minute (time will vary depending on power of
microwave). Turn chocolate square onto 1 side and hold in hand. Working
over
foil-lined sheet, pull vegetable peeler along sides of chocolate, allowing
the chocolate curls to fall gently onto foil. Form as many curls as possible.
Repeat
process with remaining chocolate squares. Place curls decoratively
atop cake,
mounding slightly. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate
the cake.)
Sift powdered sugar over chocolate curls before serving cake.
Serves 12.
Featured Archive Recipes:
Bailey's Frozen Chocolate Chunk
Mousse Cake
Chocolate Stout Cake
Easy Irish Coffee Cake
and other Irish Treats
Irish Whiskey Cake
More St. Patrick's Day Recipes!
Index - Chocolate Recipe Archives
Index - Cake Recipe Archives
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