Chocolate Mousse Cake with Raspberry Sauce

The bright spot of this 'the snow does not want to stop winter' weekend was the birthday dinner for my childhood best friend. What I love more than celebrating the birthday of a friend (not just because she happens to be seven months older than me) is being able to make the birthday dinner. Maybe it's because there is an intimacy to a celebratory dinner at home, the kind of intimacy that deepens, strengthens a friendship and the kind that can be a little more relaxing than dinner in a restaurant. Although we have been friends for decades (we met when we were 10 and in the fifth grade) I don't think either of us has ever stopped finding ways to nurture and grow this friendship. There are many qualities between us that are similar, but we are different, the kind of yin-yang different where seemingly opposite forces create an interconnectedness and interdependence not found in friendships dominated more by similarities than differences. Maybe this is why we have had such an enduring friendship.

While we usually ask one another for ideas for birthday or holiday presents (her request this year has made me a little anxious because I am so superstitious), birthday dinners are by their very nature supposed to have element of surprise to them. With the exception of revealing the main course and hinting that the dessert had something to do with chocolate, I didn't share any other part of the birthday dinner menu with her, particularly what the something to do with chocolate birthday 'dessert' would be. Because it has been (a rather long) while since I had made the Chocolate Mousse Cake with Raspberry Sauce it would be unexpected and what I hoped would be the perfect, memorable ending to her birthday dinner.

I haven't quite figured out how to take great photos at night yet. So the visual images I wanted to share with you, well I can't. If I was a little more organized and less busy I would have had the Chocolate Mousse Cake made the day before (in the light of day), I may have been able to take better photos. So please forgive me.

When shopping for the ingredients for the cake I almost decided to replace the Oreos with those Famous Chocolate Wafers. My ongoing struggle with homemade versus a semi-homemade recipes. Taking a deep breath, I decided to go with Oreos because sometimes every now and then semi-homemade isn't such a crime. Besides the Oreos make for a really delicious crust (and hey you end up with a few extra Oreos to munch on while you are making this cake). You can use either pecans or walnuts for the crust, just remember to toast them. I was in a pecan mood so pecans it was.

The Oreos, toasted nuts and the unsalted butter are put into a food processor fitted with a steel blade. The ingredients are processed until crumbly (meaning there should not be any recognizable chunks of Oreos left). In a 9 inch springform pan lined with parchment paper, press the crust into the pan. You will have enough to have the crust come up about an inch on the sides of the pan. After you finish the crust set aside.

When assembling the filling you will need to whip the cream until light peaks form and temper the chocolate. The chocolate can be tempered in a bowl over steaming water or in the microwave. If you choose the microwave method, you will microwave on high in 30 second intervals. After each 30 seconds give the chocolate a stir. It took me four 30 second intervals to melt this 1 1/4 cups of chocolate. In the final interval there were a few bits of morsels left, however, when continuing to stir the chocolate completely melts. Melting the chocolate before you begin combining ingredients in the mixer you will prevent the chocolate from clumping in the batter (if the chocolate is too hot or too cold it will not blend in well).

In a standing mixer fitted with a blade, cream the sugar and cream cheese together until light and fluffy (approximately 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs in one at a time and beat until each is fully incorporated.

Mix in the baking soda, salt, and vanilla, then blend in the melted chocolate. Remove mixing bowl from stand and gently fold in the lightly whipped cream until no white streaks remain.

After pouring the batter into the crust smooth the top using an off set spatula. Place in a preheated 325 degree oven and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. My original recipe recommended 1 hour 15 minutes but the center of the cake jiggled more than I wanted it to, so I added 5 minutes to the baking time. This cake will have some play in it when finished baking. Don't worry, it will all set up when chilled.

After the cake comes out of the oven the top will fall. Again not to worry this is what is supposed to happen. Cool the cake to room temperature and then chill up to eight hours or overnight before removing from the pan and finishing with whipped cream. So unless you are baking very early in the morning, you might want to consider making the cake the night before you are serving it. It is easier to remove from the springform pan when it is completely chilled. Remember to run your knife along the edge of the pan and cake before unlatching the springform pan.

No one makes a better raspberry sauce than Ina Garten. Her recipe is raspberry sauce perfection. A half-pint of fresh raspberries, a half cup of granulated sugar and a quarter cup of water are added to a small saucepan. The mixture is brought to a boil and then simmered for four minutes. The raspberry mixture, 12 ounces of raspberry preserves (seeded or seedless) and 1 Tablespoon of Chambord are processed in a food processor fitted with a steel blade until the mixture is fully blended. Personally I like seeded raspberry preserves, but a seedless jam works well here too. When the sauce is finished, chill until ready to use.

The Chocolate Mousse Cake is rich, decadent and unbelievably delicious all on its' own. The raspberry sauce just takes it to a completely different level. Serving the sauce on the side gives everyone the choice of enjoying the cake with or without it.

The cake turned out to be a perfect ending to the birthday dinner. But how could chocolate, whipped cream and raspberries not be?

Recipe
Chocolate Mousse Cake with Raspberry Sauce (updated January 2019)

Ingredients
Crust
30 oreos
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup pecans (or walnuts), toasted

Filling
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, room temperature
8 ounces heavy whipping cream, whipped to light peaks
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups (8 1/4 oz/234g) chocolate chips up to 60% cocoa  - I used Ghiradelli 60% Bittersweet Cocoa

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (60g)confectionary sugar
4 Tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of kosher salt

Raspberry Sauce (inspired by Ina Garten's Raspberry Sauce recipe)
1 half pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup (100g)granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
12 ounces raspberry preserves or jam (seeded or seedless)
1 Tablespoon Chambord

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F). Line a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Crust
1. Place Oreos, toasted pecans and unsalted butter in a food processor. Process until crumbly and well mixed.
2. Press crust into prepared 9" springform pan. Set aside.

Filling
1. Melt chocolate chips and set aside.
2. Beat sugar and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
3. Add eggs in one at a time beating until well incorporated.
4. Mix in baking soda, vanilla, and kosher salt.
5. Blend in melted chocolate.
6. Fold in lightly whipped cream with a spatula until no white streaks remain.
7. Pour filling into pan prepared with the crust. Smooth top with an off set spatula.
8. Bake 1 hour 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature.
9. Chill chocolate mousse cake in refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight. Note: Center of cake will slightly collapse after it has chilled.
10. Unmold cake and place on platter or cake stand.
11. In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat whipping cream, confectionary sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and pinch of sea salt until stiff peaks form. Using a pastry bag, pipe design of choice onto the cake. If a pastry bag is unavailable, spread whipping cream over cake with a spoon or spatula. Return to refrigerator.
12. Remove cake from the refrigerator 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Cut into thin slivers as this is a very rich cake!

Raspberry Sauce
1. Place raspberries, sugar and water into small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and then simmer for 4 minutes.
2. Place raspberry jam, Chambord and raspberry mixture into a food process fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth.
3. Chill sauce until ready to serve.

Notes: (1) Alternately instead of serving with a fresh raspberry sauce, decorate top of the cake with freshly whipped cream and fresh berries. (2) In the event you want to avoid using nuts, make the Oreo crust with the 30 Oreos, 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, and 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar.

Have you ever met someone who is a little different than you? Differences that you find intriguing, maybe even endearing. But definitely differences that give you the opportunity to see the world through a different lens, where you experience the added benefit of growing personally and maybe even professionally from spending time with someone not exactly like you. This sort of chemistry can lead to great friendships, ones that endure over time, and quite possibly ones that are strengthened and continue to grow.

But every now and then, the differences versus the interconnectedness become the focus for one or both of you. And everything that was good, that was great about the friendship becomes not so good, no longer great. When this happens, how we are viewed or how we view, shifts not from the sum of our parts, but to our parts (the first clue that this is happening is that you or they start to list them out). And the yin-yang qualities that gave rise to great energy, great synergy are ones that no longer are seen as opposite but equal qualities, but as opposite and unequal qualities. If by chance, the pendulum swings in that direction you either take it in stride and move on or you work at finding ways for those complimentary forces to continue to make a difference in you, in the friendship. And if that doesn't work maybe you hope for some divine cosmic intervention or some higher power that gives you (or them) the proverbial wake-up call. Because who I am and the quality of my life today is due in part to those friends who have made an immeasurable difference to and in my life because they were different from me.