Chocolate-Raspberry Mousse Cake

     Today is my husband's 45th birthday!  To celebrate in style, I cooked him a delicious dinner feast tonight to celebrate his b-day.  It is much better (and cheaper) than taking him out to eat!  Boy, am I glad that I can cook!
     Anyways, I made a delicious meal of things that I have already blogged about (green chile chicken enchiladas, green chile chicken corn chowder, french bread baguettes, salad) but the best was a dessert that has been haunting me for well over a month now.... Chocolate-Raspberry Mousse Cake.
     I have a calendar hanging up in my kitchen entitled "seasons in the kitchen."  The February entry (goes with the Valentines theme, I suppose) was the Chocolate-Raspberry Mousse Cake.  I had to stare at that picture for a whole month wishing that I could make it.  The only problem?  I didn't have the springform pan that they asked for.  So, after asking around for almost a month, I finally got one from Chuck McCarthy, the site director of Little Basin.  Thank you very much, Chuck, for your generosity!  Since I got one in March, I decided making this cake would be perfect for Scott's birthday.  And, boy, was it ever worth it!
Chocolate-Raspberry Mousse Cake

Note: This three-layer cake uses ganache in two different ways: It's whipped to increase the volume, creating a filling that's lighter in color and texture.  It's also spread on top for a thick, dark frosting.  Make the cake a day ahead so it has time to set up.

Ingredients:

CRUST
1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup raspberry preserves

FILLING
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp raspberry flavoring syrup, divided
2 1/2 cups whipping cream, divided
1 tbsp sugar

TOPPING
6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup whipping cream

Procedure:

1) Heat oven to 375 F.  In medium bowl, stir together cookie crumbs and melted butter.  Press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan.  Bake 10 minutes or until set.  Remove from oven; gently spread preserves over crust.  Cool completely on wire rack.
2) Meanwhile, place 8 oz. chocolate and 1 tablespoon of the raspberry syrup in large bowl.  Heat 1 1/2 cups of the cream in medium saucepan over medium heat or in microwave on high until cream comes to a boil.  Immediately pour cream over chocolate; stir until smooth.   Let stand until cool but still liquid (about 65 F).  (To speed up process, place bowl with chocolate in bowl of ice water; stir constantly.)  Beat at medium speed 2 to 4 minutes or until slightly soft peaks form; spread over crust.  Refrigerate.
3) In large bowl, beat remaining 1 cup cream, remaining 1 tablespoon raspberry syrup and sugar at medium speed until firm but not stiff peaks form.  Spread over chocolate filling.  Refrigerate.
4) Place 6 oz. chocolate in large bowl.  Heat 3/4 cup cream in small saucepan over medium heat or in microwave on high until cream comes to a boil.  Immediately pour cream over chocolate; stir until smooth.  Cool until slightly thickened but still pourable (about 75 F).  Spoon over raspberry filling.  Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 8 hours or overnight.  (Cake can be made up to 2 days ahead).
5) To cut cake, leave cake in springform pan; use hot dry knife to cut through top layer.  Refrigerate.  When ready to serve, remove springform pan ring; slice completely.  Store in refrigerator.

Makes: 12 servings

     I spent all of last night working on this cake.  The most pain in the butt part was waiting for things to cool down.  I hate waiting for things to cool down.  However, thanks to both a standing mixer and a hand held mixer, I had plenty of bowls and plenty of space to make everything work.  In retrospect, I think perhaps that I should have whipped the cream a little bit more for the third layer, but it totally works.  I improvised and added raspberries on the top.  The result is definitely definitely worth all the trouble!  I am amazed at just how professional this cakes tastes.  It doesn't look quite professional as I couldn't get the chocolate topping to spread evenly and so ended up mixing it a bit with the whipped cream underneath, but it totally worked.  I've never made a ganache before!  This was definitely the most complicated cake I have made.  I wish I had that little frosting spatula.  And a springform pan of my own.  One of these days...  I hope you enjoy!

The final result- deliciousness in a pan!

Slightly dark picture of an individual slice of cake