Mary Berry knows her stuff when it comes to desserts, and there are so many recipes to choose from to make for Christmas.
From her Christmas pavlova and cappuccino tart to her tipsy truffle and classic yule log, you’ll find something to appeal to everyone.
Looking for an impressive-looking dessert, I came across Mary’s rich and indulgent chocolate mousse cake from her Absolute Christmas Favourites recipe book.
It consists of a moist layer of chocolate sponge topped with a layer of smooth chocolate mousse – a must for chocolate lovers.
While this dessert needs to be left overnight to set, it is relatively quick to make.
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake layer
25g cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
Three tablespoons boiling water
100g caster sugar
100g self-raising flour
One level teaspoon of baking powder
Two large eggs
100g margarine, plus extra for greasing
Two tablespoons brandy (optional)
For the chocolate mousse layer
300g dark chocolate, broken into squares
450ml double cream
To serve
225g raspberries
Icing sugar, for dusting
Method
I started by preheating the oven to 160C Fan, greasing an eight-inch tin with margarine and lining the base and sides with baking paper. I lined the tin right to the top even though the sponge would not fill it.
To make the chocolate cake, I added the cocoa powder to a large bowl, poured over the boiling water and mixed it into a paste with a spatula. I then added the rest of the dry ingredients, the eggs and margarine and beat until smooth using a hand-held mixer.
The next step was to spoon the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin and level the surface with a palette knife.
I baked it in the oven for 25 minutes. You’ll know when the sponge is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean and the cake feels springy to the touch.
If you are using brandy, while the cake is still hot, brush it over the top of the cake and leave it to cool in the tin.
Meanwhile, for the mousse, I placed the chocolate in a bowl and melted it over a pan of gently simmering water (do not allow the base of the bowl to touch the water).
I stirred the chocolate continuously to avoid it getting too hot before setting the melted chocolate aside to cool a little.
In the meantime, I whipped the cream until soft peaks formed and folded in the melted chocolate until no streaks were left behind.
When the cake cooled still in the tin, I spooned the chocolate mousse on top and levelled it out with a palette knife.
I then covered the cake tin with cling film and left it to chill in the fridge overnight. For those who don’t want to wait so long, leave the cake in the fridge for four hours for the mousse to firm up.
The next day I carefully removed the cake from the tin and dusted the top with cocoa powder before piling the raspberries into the centre.
I finished with a light dusting of icing sugar before serving it up. To balance the richness of the cake, you may want to serve it with a drizzle of cream.
