March is officially here and I wanted to cosy up this Sunday by baking a small layer cake that would be perfect for tea time. I haven’t made anything chocolate related in a really long time so I thought a fluffy chocolate mousse cake would do the trick. With a changing month, I also decided to vase a few stems off the Christmas rose plants that are enjoying the cool weather on the balcony. I’m ready to start brewing some English breakfast and enjoy a sweet Sunday.
Easy Chocolate Mousse Filling
The chocolate mousse filling is simple to make as you essentially need water, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, sugar and whipped cream.
Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave or by adding them in a bowl and placing this on top of boiling water. In another bowl, mix the cocoa powder with hot water until it becomes smooth. Then combine the two bowls, by adding the cocoa powder mixture to the melted chocolate chips. Stir until smooth and allow it to cool to room temperature.
In a larger bowl, whisk the sugar and cream together until extremely stiff peaks form Fold in the cooled melted chocolate to the whipped cream and refrigerate until ready to use. A great thing about this recipe is that it does not use eggs so it will last up to 4 days in the fridge if stored correctly in an airtight container.
Cardamom Layer Cake
Ingredients for 1 layer cake base
- 3 eggs
- 1dl sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 dl + 1 1/2 tbs flour
- 1/2 tablespoons vanilla powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cardemum
- chocolate milk (optional) for wetting the layer cake when essembling
* oil for lining the cake tine / milk when assembling the cake
Cake Base Directions (cake tin 13 cm Ø )
Baking the cake layers:
In a bowl, add together the dry ingredients (minus sugar). In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy with the help of an electric whisk. Through a sieve, combine the dry ingredients to the egg/sugar mixture. Gently fold the batter together.
Pour some oil into the cake tin so the bottom and sides are coated, pour excess out. Pour batter into the cake tin and place into the bottom part of the oven for 40 minutes at 175 °C. Check the cake by inserting a tooth pick into the centre and if it comes out clear, it is fully cooked. Cool in cake tins on a heat rack (about 10 minutes); remove cakes from tins and cool completely on wire racks for about an hour.
If you wish to make a taller layer cake, just repeat this process 2 more times to form three cake layers.
Slice the layer cake in the middle, pour a little chocolate milk (I used ready made from the store but you could even wet the layer with just milk) on top so it becomes moist. The layer cake loves to soak up liquid so don’t be afraid to pour with a generous hand. Add a dolloping of frosting in the middle and spread evenly. Then add the top layer on (upside down) so the surface is flat. Add more chocolate filling on top and garnish with raspberries and blueberries. I also added a light dusting of powder sugar and a sprinkle of toasted hazzle nuts and coconut flakes.
