“In my New York shop, this recipe calls for a trio of chocolate mousses,
white, milk, and dark. But in order to simplify – and to give milk choco-
late a chance to shine – I have eliminated the white chocolate mousse.
It is a simple layer cake consisting of chocolate génoise and the mousses,
with an elegant garnish of white chocolate curls.”

Makes 8 servings

Special Equipment:
9-Inch Cardboard Cake Round
9- x 4-Inch-High Cake Ring

Chocolate Génoise
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (118 grams)
all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 cup (70 grams) unsweetened alkalized
cocoa powder, sifted
6 large eggs
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted
butter, melted

Milk and Dark Chocolate Mousses
3 1/2 cups (812 grams) heavy cream
5 ounces (142 grams) milk chocolate,
finely chopped
5 ounces (142 grams) bittersweet
chocolate, finely chopped

Sugar Syrup
1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar

Garnish
White chocolate curls (see below)

1. Make the chocolate génoise:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter
a 9-inch round cake pan. Dust the pan with flour and tap out the excess.
2. Whisk together the flour and cocoa powder in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Fill a pot one-third full with water and bring to a simmer. Combine the
eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Place the bowl over
the simmering water and whisk until the mixture is warm to the touch.
Transfer the bowl to the mixer stand and, using the whisk attachment,
beat on medium speed until the mixture triples in volume and forms a
thick ribbon when the whisk is lifted, about 8 minutes. Using a large
rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour mixture. Fold in the melted
butter. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
4. Bake the cake for 20 to 25 minutes, until it has pulled away from the
side of the pan and the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool the
cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Unmold the cake on a rack and cool
completely, right side up.
 5. Make the milk and dark chocolate mousses: In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat 2 1/2 cups (580 grams) of the
heavy cream to soft peaks. Scrape half of the whipped cream into a
medium bowl. Cover both bowls and refrigerate.
6. Put the milk and dark chocolates in two separate medium bowls. Bring
the remaining 1 cup (232 grams) cream to a boil in a small saucepan.
Pour 1/2 cup (116 grams) of the hot cream over the milk chocolate
and the remaining 1/2 cup (116 grams) over the bittersweet chocolate.
Gently whisk the milk chocolate until it is completely melted and the
mixture is smooth. Whisk the dark chocolate until smooth.
7. Let the chocolate mixtures cool for 10 minutes. Fold the milk chocolate mixture into one bowl of whipped cream. Fold the dark chocolate into the remaining whipped cream.
8. Make the sugar syrup: Combine 1/4 cup (59 grams) water and the sugar
in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to
dissolve the sugar. Let the syrup cool to room temperature.
9. Assemble the cake: Using a serrated knife, slice the cake horizontally in
half. Cut a strip of parchment paper to line the inside of a 9- x 4-inch
cake ring. Line the mold with the strip and place it on a serving plate.
Place a 9-inch cardboard cake round in the bottom of the cake ring.
Place the bottom cake round, cut side up, in the ring. Brush the cake
generously with the sugar syrup. Scrape the dark chocolate mousse
onto the cake and smooth it into an even layer. Top with the second
cake round, cut side down. Brush the cake generously with syrup.
Scrape the milk chocolate mousse onto it, smoothing it into an even
layer. Chill the cake for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
10. To unmold the cake, lift it off the plate, holding it with your palm
against the cardboard round. Using a hair dryer or warm damp towel,
briefly warm the cake ring mold. Lift off the ring mold and peel off
the parchment strip. Garnish the top of the cake with white chocolate
curls and allow the cake to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes
before serving.

White Chocolate Curls

1. Bring a large block of chocolate to warm room temperature, about 80 degrees F. You can warm it to this temperature with a desk lamp, if you
like; if so, keep the lamp trained on the chocolate during the procedure.
(Don’t try this on a humid day; it won’t work.) The chocolate is ready
when the surface is slightly oily but not sticky to the touch.
2. Place the chocolate in a shallow pan so that it sits snugly, and steady the
pan with your body against a counter edge. Dig a potato peeler, a knife,
or a melon baler into the chocolate and pull back firmly toward you. By
digging deep, you will create thicker strips with not as much curl; less
pressure, and you will produce thinner strips with more curl. If the
chocolate is too warm, it will not curl; if it is not warm enough, it will
splinter. Let it cool or rewarm as necessary.
 

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