Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter at room temperature
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 4 large Eggs
- 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Instant Coffee Powder
- 1 tbsp warm Water
- 1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- For the mousse:
- 1 1/2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup Heavy Cream/Whipping Cream
- For the Ganache:
- 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup Heavy Cream/Whipping Cream
Method
- For the cake:
- Spray two 9" round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and dust it with all purpose flour; keep aside.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
- Mix together the instant coffee powder and the warm water; set it aside.
- Melt the chocolate chips using a double boiler method or in a microwave (whichever you are comfortable). I personally prefer the double boiler method. Set it aside.
- In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients, viz. - all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set it aside.
- In a bowl, beat together the sugar & butter until they are well incorporated.
- Add the vanilla extract, give it a quick stir.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each one is well incorporated before adding the next one.
- Next, incorporate the instant coffee mixture.
- Mix in the dry ingredients.
- Now stir in the melted chocolate and sour cream; mix just enough to incorporate. Do not over-mix.
- Divide the batter equally between the two cake pans and flatten it if needed using a spatula.
- Bake on the center rack for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, un mould and place on wire-rack to cool.
- For the mousse:
- Melt the chocolate chips using a double boiler method or in a microwave (whichever you are comfortable). I personally prefer the double boiler method. Let it come to room temperature.
- Whip the heavy cream (as a prep to this step, I like to chill my beaters, the bowl in which I'll be whipping as well as the heavy cream - this helps reduce the whipping time). Once whipped, place it back in the refrigerator until the chocolate comes to room temperature.
- Fold the chocolate into the whipped cream in batches (I did this in about 4-5 batches).
- Keep it in the refrigerator until ready for use.
- For the Ganache:
- It is best if the ganache is prepared when the layering of chocolate mousse is complete and the layered cake has cooled in the refrigerator for atleast an hour (I kept it in the refrigerator overnight).
- In a saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer on medium heat.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and pour the cream on the chocolate.
- Leave it aside for 2-3 minutes.
- Using a whisk, combine the cream and chocolate to a smooth finish
- Assembly:
- Using a serrated knife even out the top surface of the cakes (if needed).
- Using an offset spatula, evenly apply the chocolate mousse on the top side of the cake (the one we flattened in the previous step). Place the top layer of the other cake on top of the mousse topped cake. This way you avoid the the uneven surface from being on the top.
- Keep the cake in the refrigerator for atleast an hour.
- Now prepare the chocolate ganache following the steps in the section above and let it sit for ~5 minutes.
- Place a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet or similar (you might want to cover the cookie sheet with wax paper or foil to avoid cleanup later).
- Carefully put the cake on top of the wire rack; wipe away any cake crumbs.
- Ladle the ganache on the cake making sure all the visible area is covered by the ganache.
- Let it settle for about 5 minutes.
- Carefully lift the cake and place it on your final serving plate.
Enjoy!!!
