Tasty Tuesday: Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake plus a surprise

Kira from Grafting a Branch onto the Family Tree asked for the recipe for my Chocolate Raspberry Collapse which started out as Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake. It's been a while since I've done a tasty Tuesday post so I guess it's time. The inspiration for this cake came from Susan of She's Becoming DoughMessTic's Best Birthday Cake Ever. As delicious as her cake sounded, I thought it could be made even better by substituting raspberries for strawberries and oranges.

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake

Devils Food Cake Layer  

from http://www.doughmesstic.net/2009/08/26/best-birthday-cakeever/

   1 Box Devils Food Cake

   3 eggs

   1/2 cup Canola Oil

   1/4 tsp Raspberry Extract

   1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

   1 cup water

   splash of milk

   1/2 box (small size) Instant Cheesecake Pudding

   3 Tbsps. Chocolate Syrup

Combine all ingredients in stand mixer and beat for 2-3 minutes. Pour into 10 inch springform pan that has been greased and lined with parchment circle. Spread evenly and rap on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake 35-38 minutes, or until toothpick test indicates done. Allow to cool before proceeding.

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Filling

complied from http://www.cookfromthehip.com/2009/06/raspberry-mousse-chocolate-cake.html and from http://www.doughmesstic.net/2009/08/26/best-birthday-cakeever/
10 oz bag frozen raspberries
1 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 ½ cup heavy cream

4 Tbsps. Sugar

8 oz. Melted Semisweet Chocolate

Heat the raspberries and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir until all of the raspberries break down and are heated through. Run the raspberries through a strainer and into a new saucepan. Add the gelatin to the raspberries and heat until the gelatin is dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Beat whipping cream until just stiff. Add sugar, beat again until well combined. Add in melted chocolate (I heated mine in the microwave at 30 second intervals until melted then allowed it to cool a bit before adding it to the whipping cream). Mix thoroughly. Fold the cooled raspberries into the whipped cream.  Cover and allow to chill in refrigerator.

Divide the filling evenly between the four cakes to make a double layer cake.
Assembly

Baked Cake, cut in half horizontally to form 2 layers

1/4 cup Raspberry Jam

8 oz. raspberries

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse

3 Tbsps. Chocolate Syrup

Sweetened Whipped Cream in Piping Bag (Use your favorite recipe)

Place one layer of cake on cake board, cut side up. Top with chocolate syrup. Spread strawberry jam over the syrup. (If jam doesn’t spread easily, heat it for 10 seconds in the microwave.) Place sliced strawberries over the jam, covering entire layer.Top with a little over half of the prepared mousse.

Place second cake layer over mousse, finished side up. Ice with remaining mousse, going just to the edges. (I left my sides uncovered so that the layers could be seen.) Pipe sweetened whip cream over top. You can cover the entire top if you wish, but I chose to only do a thick border and a center circle which I garnished with a berry. Chocolate curls or shavings would have been really nice on this as well.

Sweetened Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

   1 cup heavy cream

   2 tablespoons powdered sugar

   1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Chill large bowl, beaters and cream before whipping. Whip cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until cream holds peaks. Do not overbeat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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All you have to do to change it from the lovely cake you see above (I used standard round cake pans and did not cut each layer in half) to the delish Chocolate Raspberry Collapse is cut each layer in half without the proper tools...making sure they are too thin in parts.  Then, when you follow the assembly instructions, the cake layers break and spread. At this point, you scoop it all into a serving bowl and pretend that's what you were aiming for from the start.

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The Surprise Extra...Chocolate Raspberry Mousse

When you make the mousse for the cake/collapse above, double the recipe. The leftovers make a wonderful dessert for the next day. Also, when you put the raspberry mixture through the strainer, there will be a thick raspberry substance that won't go through the strainer. It is almost the consistency of a jelly before it sets. Save this and it makes the perfect topping for the mousse.

Enjoy it y'all.