Five simple ingredients are all it takes to make this utterly gorgeous dessert. I find this is a perfect do-ahead dessert as I can make it a few hours ahead or even the night before. It becomes denser as time goes by, so any leftovers can still be enjoyed a couple of days later.–Jo Pratt
CAN I ADD ANYTHING TO THIS MOUSSE CAKE?
You certainly can. Author Jo Pratt herself recommends a few things:
- Her personal favorite—topping her piece with a generous dollop of orange liqueur-flavored whipped cream.
- Another of her upgrades includes adding 1 tablespoon brandy, rum, coconut, or orange liqueur to the melted chocolate and butter.
- Finally, you can try gently folding through 100 grams of finely chopped roasted hazelnuts before transferring to the pan. It just gets better and better, right?
Chocolate Meringue Mousse Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 11 tablespoons (5 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
- 5 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (about 70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
- Pinch of flaked sea salt
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 3/4 cup superfine sugar (or blitz granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
To serve
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- Fresh seasonal berries
- Crème fraîche or whipped cream
Instructions
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Butter and line an 8 inch (20 cm) springform or loose-bottom cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, combine the chocolate, butter, and salt and heat until melted and combined. Alternatively, gently melt in the microwave in 10-second bursts. Let cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar and the vanilla paste or extract until thick, pale, and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- In a separate medium bowl, or using a fitted with the whisk attachment over medium-high speed, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar a tablespoon at a time, whisking thoroughly between each addition, until you have a thick and glossy mixture that holds itself in stiff peaks, about 2 minutes more.
- Pour the chocolate and butter mixture into the whisked egg yolks and gently mix together with a spatula.
- Use a metal spoon to gradually fold in the egg whites, taking care not to knock out all of the air. Once all of the egg white has been completely mixed in, spoon the mixture into your prepared cake pan.
- Bake until lightly crisp on top but slightly wobbly when you give the pan a little tap, 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cake cool completely in the pan. Carefully remove cake from pan and move to a plate.
- Dust with cocoa powder and cut into slices. Serve with fresh berries and some crème fraîche or whipped cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I was excited to bake such a simple and scrumptious-looking recipe. This recipe for chocolate meringue mousse cake was so easy, delicious, and had a beautiful light texture. The cake wasn’t overly sweet–as so many desserts can be–which I loved.
I enjoyed that this recipe was one I could do multiple steps at a time and that it resulted in exactly what I expected. It was airy and delicate, yet filling. Quickly devoured by the whole family!
For all you chocolate lovers out there, this chocolate meringue mousse cake is just the ticket. With everyday ingredients and minimal time and effort, you will be rewarded with a super moist, dark delectable cake, easily customizable at serving time. It is charmingly rustic in appearance and somehow manages to be both rich and light at the same time. As the author says, “What’s not to love?”
I used regular granulated sugar with no problems, and 72% chocolate, resulting in a dark and perfectly mildly sweet cake. Baking time for me was only 30 minutes. Be sure to check it on the early side so as to retain moistness. Whipped cream and raspberries were the perfect accompaniment, but it would be equally at home with a scoop of ice cream.
I love the rich chocolatey flavor of this chocolate meringue mousse cake so much so that I kept going back over three days and stealing tiny slivers. The first day, I couldn’t get nice slices from it but topping it with whipped cream and a few raspberries hid any issues. The texture and taste were best the second day and I could get a fairly neat slice.
When entertaining I like to be able to make a few dishes in advance and being able to make the dessert the day before is perfect. I used a 10” springform pan and it baked in 30 minutes. The cake came out having a nice crust but maintained a bit of a wobble.
A delicious cake that absolutely lives up to its name. With a smooth mousse-like interior and a slightly crunchy exterior, I found this recipe for chocolate meringue mousse cake easy to make and even easier to eat. Like many chocolate tortes, it has only a few ingredients, always a plus. The quality of your chocolate will be noticeable here—this recipe presents a nice opportunity to splurge and buy high—quality dark chocolate.
It also falls into my favorite category of desserts, “small but mighty,” meaning that a small slice has enough flavor and texture to leave you feeling completely satisfied. It is important to note that this cake will rise quite a bit and then deflate some when cooling. This may cause the top of the cake to crack a bit, which provides some nice visual texture.
This chocolate meringue mousse cake is honestly quite easy to put together and it only uses five basic ingredients. It’s neither too sweet nor too bitter. However, I did feel that it’s quite rich and one slice of this delight is enough to satisfy your sweet cravings.
My only complaint with it is that it deflated shortly after being pulled out of the oven. It was quite disappointing in that aspect as it didn’t look that great. Anyway, the taste is amazing—crunchy meringue-like layer on top and a soft chocolate mousse kind of center.
I love this cake!!! So fudgey and delicious! But I wasn’t able to remove the parchment paper from it before serving because the cake threatened to fall apart if it wasn’t supported almost completely from underneath. And I didn’t want to turn it upside down because the top would get completely cracked. Any advice?
Angela, I had the exact same problem with bread a few times. I found that when I buy inexpensive bulk parchment thing sometimes stick. So it could be the quality of the parchment. One thing you could do is very lightly spray the parchment with cooking spray. That’ll help release it.
Convection bake or regular bake?
Audrey, the recipe is for regular bake. If you try it, please do let us know how it turns out.
I used regular bake because I’m making this for company tomorrow & didn’t want to experiment. The cake’s out of the oven now — I definitely think convection bake would make a crispier top, which is what I want. Will let you know when I retry soon! Smells heavenly 🙂
Fantastic, Audrey! Yes, please let us know if you try baking it with convection. It’s always great to know how different methods work.
I see you used 70% cocoa and someone used 72% but I have 90% bars in the house (they’re my daily chocolate treat) can I use the 90% or would it make a difference and ruin the cake?
KATHRYN, we haven’t tested it with a 90% cocoa bar but it should work, especially if it something you already enjoy. If you try it, please do let us know how it turns out.
I made it with the 70% as I didn’t want to mess it up and have to remake it. The cake came out wonderful I will definitely make it again!
Fantastic, Kathryn! We are delighted it turned out so well.