Chocolate mousse cake with mirror glaze

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 200 g butter
• 150 g sugar
• 200 ml orange juice
• 4 eggs
• 300 g flour
• 1 packet of baking powder
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 100 g chocolate shavings or chocolate sprinkles, or very finely chopped chocolate
• 500 g cream, ice-cold
• 250 g mascarpone
• 300 g milk chocolate coating
• 1 pack of liquid Bourbon vanilla flavor
• 8 sheets of gelatin and some cold water for soaking
• 100 ml water
• 240 g sugar
• 85 g glucose syrup or Grafschafter light
• 200 g cream, warm
• 85 g baking cocoa
• Orange juice, a few tablespoons
• Jam to taste

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 6 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 7 hours 30 minutes

Chocolate cake with mirror glaze

Preheat oven to 180°C fan/convection oven (200°C conventional). Chocolate base: Separate the eggs. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and the very soft butter until fluffy, then add the orange juice. Gradually add the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and finely chopped chocolate and mix everything into a smooth batter. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and carefully fold into the mixture. Grease the desired pan (26cm springform pan) if necessary or line it with baking paper. I usually use silicone pans where this isn’t necessary. In this case, I made two smaller cakes. Bake the batter on the middle rack for about 40-50 minutes. Let it cool thoroughly, then divide it in half to create two layers. Chocolate mousse: First, place the whipped cream in the freezer for about 20 minutes to make it really cold. Then whip the whipped cream as usual. Meanwhile, mix the mascarpone with the liquid bourbon vanilla and melt the chocolate coating in a double boiler. (Be careful not to overheat it!) Now mix the mascarpone with the stiffly whipped cream, then stir in the liquid chocolate coating (I use a wide spatula for this) until a uniformly chocolate-brown mixture forms. For the next steps, I reuse the silicone molds I used for the chocolate base. If you previously used a 26cm mold for the base, you should now use a 28cm mold. Or make the base a bit smaller. The following “quantities” are calculated based on a 28cm mold. If you use a smaller one, please adjust accordingly. Spread slightly less than half of the mousse into the mold, then gently tap the mold on the countertop so that the mousse conforms completely to the mold (this reduces air bubbles). Spread jam on one of the two chocolate layers (I used the red “Soft” version) and place it upside down on the mousse, pressing lightly until the mousse rises to the edges. Make sure the gap between the mold and the base is completely filled with mousse – feel free to fill/spackle any gaps with the rest of the first half of the mousse. Briefly tap the mold on the countertop again. Lightly drizzle the base with orange juice (do not soak it). Spread the second half of the mousse on top. Spread the jam on the second layer and place it upside down on the mousse, press down, and tap it back on the countertop. Smooth the edge of the mousse (just a little over the base). Now place the cake in the freezer for at least 6 hours – ideally overnight. Mirror glaze: Let the gelatine swell in cold water. Sift the cocoa powder. Bring the water, sugar, and glucose syrup to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes until bubbling. Be careful not to spill anything, as it will be quite sticky! Meanwhile, heat the cream in the microwave. Remove the saucepan from the heat (!), add the warm cream, and mix. Then sift the cocoa powder again, this time directly into the mixture, and mix until it is completely dissolved and all lumps have dissolved. This mixture now needs to cool for about 15-20 minutes (so the gelatine doesn’t overheat). Cover the surface with cling film to cool. Once cooled, thoroughly stir the squeezed gelatin into the warm mixture until dissolved. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a measuring jug (there will usually still be lumps in the mixture) and cover again carefully with cling film to prevent a skin from forming. The glaze must now cool to approximately 38°C. Finishing: Prepare a baking sheet or plate (larger than the cake) with something on it to place the cake on. I use a microwave oven rack. Remove the cake from the freezer, remove it from the silicone mold, and place it in the center of the cake. Pour the glaze evenly and generously over the cake, making sure you get every corner. Let it set for about 5 minutes, then scrape off any drops from the bottom edge and arrange on a serving plate. The cake will need some time to thaw completely. This always depends on the size of the mold, so be sure to allow enough time! I usually prepare the base and mousse on the first evening. Let it freeze overnight. The next morning I prepare the icing and let the cake thaw in the refrigerator until late afternoon.