If you are still looking for a festive cake for Christmas, this might be the one. It is a chocolate mousse cake, spiced with gingerbread spice. If you can find it, you can additionally use spiced chocolate to make the mousse. Or you just use a mix of your favorite Christmas spices to flavor the mousse.
You can make the cake base the day before. Just allow some time to cool the cake after assembling so the mousse has time to set. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas with lots of joy and time spend with your loved ones plus many many sweet indulgences.
Gingerbread spiced Chocolate Mousse Cake
makes one 22 cm (8.5-inch) round cake
sponge cake:
75 g butter, melted
50 g lady fingers
5 eggs
pinch of salt
100 g powdered sugar
1 tbsp. corn starch
25 g flour
20 g cacao powder
1 tsp. baking powder
50 g ground almonds
chocolate mousse:
50 g "Christmas" chocolate (spiced chocolate with cinnamon and coriander)
100 g semi sweet (dark) chocolate
4 eggs
200 g whipping cream
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp. gingerbread spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves)
1 tbsp. cacao powder
Start with making the sponge cake. Put the ladyfingers in a food processor and pulse until fine. Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form. Add one tbsp. of the powdered sugar and the corn starch and fold into the egg whites. Put in the fridge to keep cool.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 22 cm (8.5-inch) springform pan with parchment paper.
In another bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat together the egg yolks with the remaining powdered sugar until white and creamy. Add the flour, cacao powder and baking powder and beat until incorporated. Add the egg whites, ladyfinger crumbs and the almonds on top of the egg yolk mixture and carefully fold them in. At last stir in the cooled butter.
Fill the batter in the prepared springform pan and bake for about 40 minutes. When ready, loosen the cake from the form and let cool on a wire rack.
To make the mousse filling melt the chocolates over a hot water bath and let cool. Beat the egg whites and the whipping cream separate in two bowls. In another bowl over the hot water bath whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla and gingerbread spice until white and creamy. Let cool over an ice bath while stirring. Stir in the melted chocolate. Then carefully fold in the whipped cream. Add the end fold in the beaten egg whites.
Cut the sponge cake lengthwise into two layers. Lay one layer on your cake plate and put a cake ring around the cake. Fill half of the mousse on top of the first cake layer. Then lay the second layer on top. Add about half of the remaining mousse and let cool for about two hours, then remove the cake ring and spread the rest of the mousse on the sides of the cake. Dust the top with cacao powder. Using the back of a knife to press a pattern on top of the cake.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 22 cm (8.5-inch) springform pan with parchment paper.
In another bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat together the egg yolks with the remaining powdered sugar until white and creamy. Add the flour, cacao powder and baking powder and beat until incorporated. Add the egg whites, ladyfinger crumbs and the almonds on top of the egg yolk mixture and carefully fold them in. At last stir in the cooled butter.
Fill the batter in the prepared springform pan and bake for about 40 minutes. When ready, loosen the cake from the form and let cool on a wire rack.
To make the mousse filling melt the chocolates over a hot water bath and let cool. Beat the egg whites and the whipping cream separate in two bowls. In another bowl over the hot water bath whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla and gingerbread spice until white and creamy. Let cool over an ice bath while stirring. Stir in the melted chocolate. Then carefully fold in the whipped cream. Add the end fold in the beaten egg whites.
Cut the sponge cake lengthwise into two layers. Lay one layer on your cake plate and put a cake ring around the cake. Fill half of the mousse on top of the first cake layer. Then lay the second layer on top. Add about half of the remaining mousse and let cool for about two hours, then remove the cake ring and spread the rest of the mousse on the sides of the cake. Dust the top with cacao powder. Using the back of a knife to press a pattern on top of the cake.
Enjoy and Guten Appetit!
