Easy Moist Two-Layer Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe

Equipment: To make this cake you need two cake pans of the same size. Or double the time. Or just make one layer, I don’t care

This recipe is based on the iconic “Hershey’s” Chocolate Cake. But when I made it, I had some extra stuff lying around, so I “enhanced” what was already possibly the perfect chocolate cake recipe.

People like it, so whatever, here it is. The core enhancements, by the way, are to use sour cream and a bit of flour to compensate.

The really cool bit about this recipe is the boiling water! The idea behind the boiling water is to bloom the cocoa, intensifying the flavour.

Ingredients

Cake:

325 g plain (all-purpose) flour
55 g unsweetened cocoa powder
1.5 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
400 g caster sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs (from a 700g carton)
250 ml milk (low or full fat)
125 ml vegetable/canola oil
125 ml light sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
250 ml boiling water

Mousse filling:

150 g chocolate melts
100 ml thickened cream, warmed
2 egg yolks
4 tbsp sugar (divided: 2 tbsp for yolks, 2 tbsp for egg whites)
200 ml thickened cream, whipped to soft peaks
2 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks

Instructions

Bake the cake

Preheat oven to 180°C fan-forced.
Grease two 20-22cm (8-9″) round cake pans with butter, then line the bases with baking paper for easy removal.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
Add the sugar and salt, then whisk briefly to combine.
Incorporate the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously for about 30 seconds until the batter is smooth and lump-free.
Pour in the boiling water and whisk gently to combine. The batter will be very thin.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake tins.
Bake the cake for about 35 minutes, or until a chopstick inserted comes out clean (or nearly clean)

Cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then cool on a rack.

Prepare the mousse

While it’s cooling (or while it was baking), make the chocolate mousse:

Warm 100ml of thickened cream gently in the microwave.
Melt in the chocolate melts, and stir until smooth. Allow it to cool slightly.
Whisk in the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of sugar until combined. Whisk well, until it’s pale and ribbony.
In a separate bowl, whip 200 ml thickened cream to soft peaks.
In another clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar until stiff peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream gently into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the egg whites until fully incorporated.

Chill the mousse in the refrigerator until set, about 1-2 hours. You need to do this, or it’ll get squished by the cake!