Salted Caramel Mousse cake

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Chocolate cakes are in demand and when I asked the birthday girl what she wanted, she prompltly replied chocolate.

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I recently made a salted caramel sauce using Kiran Tarun’s recipe (www.kirantarun.com)  and knew I wanted to use it in a cake. The chocolate sponge was from Nidhis blog (www.soulandspicebox.com). I made a chocolate cake with a salted caramel mousse filling and a frosting of milk chocolate and salted caramel ganache. Sinful. Perfect for chocolate lovers

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Ingredients

Cake:

All purpose Flour – 100 gms ( 1 cup)

Powdered sugar – 160 gms ( 1 1/2 cups)

Eggs – 4

Butter – 100 gms

Cocoa powder – 6 tbsp

Thick Curd – 4 tbsp

Baking  powder – 1 tsp

Vanilla Essence – 1 tbsp

Butterscotch bits – 1/4 cup

Almond slivers – 1/4 cup

 

Dark Chocolate Ganache

500 gms dark chocolate

1 pkt (200 gms) Amul Cream

2 tbsp butter

 

Salted Caramel Sauce:

1.5 cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

4 tbsp butter, cubed and room temperature

1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

 

 

Salted Caramel Ganache Mousse

Dark chocolate ganache – 1/2 cup

Salted Caramel Sauce – 1/4 cup

whipped cream – 1/2 cup

 

For the sugar syrup:

Powdered sugar/ icing sugar – 3 tbsp

Water -1/2 cup

 

Method:

Cake:

 

  1. Grease and dust a 7 inch baking tin and pre heat the oven to 180 C.
  2. Sieve the all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and set them aside.
  3. In a bowl, add the butter and sugar and whip them till they are well combined.
  4. Add the eggs 2 at a time and whip the batter well.
  5. Add the vanilla essence and whip it once more.
  6. Slowly add the dry ingredients and keep whipping.
  7. Add the thick curd and mix it well. Pour the batter in the pan and tap it to remove air bubbles.
  8. Bake the cake at 180 C for 30 minutes or till a toothpick comes out clean.
  9. When cool, slice it horizontally to get 2 pieces
  10. Make the sugar syrup by combining ingredients listed under sugar syrup and use a silicon brush to dizzle it over both the cakes.

Dark Chocolate Ganache

 

  1. Chop the chocolate to small even pieces
  2. Heat the Amul cream in a pan, when it just starts to bubble shut the gas.
  3. Mix the butter with the cream and pour this mix over the chocolate.
  4. Leave it for 3-4 minutes and then mix well. Let it rest for a couple of hours.

 

Salted Caramel Sauce: 

 

  1. Add water and granulated sugar into a saucepan. Heat saucepan over medium-high.
  2. RESIST any attempt to stir with a spatula or wooden spoon while sugar melts. Let it do its thing. It’ll bubble vigorously but DON’T be tempted to stick a wooden spoon to STIR. DON’T DO IT. You’d only risk a huge clump of mess! Crystalized sugar, no bueno.
  3. Instead, swirl the saucepan once or twice to evenly melt sugar and caramelize. Do not over-do it.
  4. Once sugar caramelizes into a nice dark amber shade, remove saucepan from heat and carefully drizzle in cubes of softened butter and cream. With a wooden spoon, continue whisking even though it looks like everything would bubble over, but trust me, it will settle. Just continue whisking, carefully and AVOID BURNS.
  5. DO NOT STICK YOUR FINGERS IN FOR TASTE. You will be awarded with 3rd degree burns. No joke.
  6. Once caramel is pourable, whisk in fleur de sel and vanilla extract. Store salted caramel sauce in airtight jars for up to a week.

Salted Caramel Ganache Mousse:

 

  1. Add the salted caramel sauce to the ganache and whisk it.
  2. Add the whipped cream and fold it in. Keep it in the fridge for 15 mins to firm up.

 

Cake Assembly:

 

  1. To assemble the cake, pour a thick layer of salted caramel mousse over one layer of cake. Add butterscotch bits. Place the other cake on top and press it lightly.
  2. Use a spoon and offset spatula to spread the chocolate ganache evenly on the top and sides of the cake.
  3. Keep it in the fridge for 30 mins
  4. slowly pour the salted caramel sauce on the edges of the cake allowing it to drip on the sides.
  5. Use the leftover mousse to pipe rosettes. Garnish with some almond slivers.
  6. Refrigerate for 2 hrs before serving.