Chocolate Mousse “Cake”

This  chocolate mousse cake I dedicate to Rachel, my niece, who has lovingly reminded me of the evening many years ago when she joined us here in Jerusalem for dinner one Shabbat evening. We had just finished the main part of the dinner, and I was bringing out the desserts. When I brought out this chocolate moussecake, I said something like: “well, I actually set out to make an apple pie, but somehow along the way – and I am not sure how –  it turned into a chocolate moussecake!”

We all laughed and laughed so hard that evening – and from that moment on, this turned into a family legend. Thank you Rachel, for keeping this memory alive all these years!

Rachel, I miss you.

Ingredients:

• 225 grams (8 oz) bittersweet chocolate
• 120 grams (1/4 lb) butter
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 3 eggs separated
• teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar for the whipped cream on top of cake
• 1 package lady fingers
• some milk for dipping the lady fingers

Preparation:

1. In  a double boiler, over hot water (but not touching the water) melt chocolate, butter, sugar, and coffee granules.
2. Turn off flame, and immediately add lightly beaten egg yolks to warm chocolate mixture, mixing well with whisk while incorporating the yolks into chocolate mixture; mix well and fast, so that the egg doesn’t turn into a scrambled egg.
3. Add vanilla extract.
4. In a clean mixer bowl, beat the egg whites, till stiff.
5. Incorporate the egg whites into the slightly cooled chocolate mixture.
6. Beat one cup of whipping cream till stiff. Fold into the other mixture (the chocolate mixture which has been incorporated into the egg whites).
7. Prepare the lady fingers: Dip the lady fingers briefly one by one into a bowl with milk (the milk can be plain milk, or milk with a bit of vanilla extract, or coffee, as you like). Place the ladyfingers next to each other in the bottom a round or rectangular cake pan. If you want to serve it more elegantly, do it in a spring-form pan, so you can remove the sides.
8. Spread the chocolate mixture on the lady fingers which have been briefly soaked in milk and placed in the cake pan.
9. Whip the other cup of whipping cream with 1/4 cup sugar and a teaspoon of instant coffee (the powdered kind – or you can dissolve a bit of coffee granules into a bit of water, and allow to cool before you make the whipped cream; then you just slowly add the bit of water with the dissolved coffee granules, while beating the cream). Beat till stiff.
10. Spread carefully over the chocolate mixture (or use a pastry bag with a nice flower tip, and cover the chocolate mixture with the cream in a nice design). Just be careful not to “cut into” the chocolate mixture. (Sometimes, if I am patient, I refrigerate the mousse for a while, to harden it before spreading the whipped cream on top; it’s easier that way).
11. Place in plastic box or cover it somehow that the cover doesn’t touch the whipped cream. Refrigerate.
12. Prepare this mousse at LEAST a day in advance so that the flavors mingle, and the ladyfingers get soft. Do not make this in the last minute – even if it was supposed to be an apple pie, and magically turned into a chocolate mousse cake somewhere along the way!