Chocolate Mousse Cake

If you are looking for a delicious, decadent, dessert (that's not difficult) to make, look no further.  I'm going to give you my FAVORITE chocolate recipe.
Now, I'm known far and wide for being the ultimate chocoholic, so when I say this is my favorite chocolate recipe, that is saying a lot :))
This Cake is actually a chocolate mousse that is baked, and part of the mousse is used as a filling.  It bakes almost like a souffle in that, after the cake cools, it will fall in the middle.
 It's at this point that you will use the unbaked portion of the mousse to fill in the "sink". The result in a divine cake that will leave your guests begging for more.


Tools
9 Inch Spring form pan
Electric mixer
Large piping bag and Large star tube (optional)



Ingredients
7  ounces          semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate
                           (chips, or chopped)
1/4 pound        unsalted butter
7                         eggs, separated
1 cup                  sugar, separated
1 teaspoon        pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon    cream of tartar

Whipped Cream Frosting,  recipe below

Instructions

1). Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2). Melt butter and chocolate together either in a double boiler, or in 30 second intervals in the microwave until melted, and combined.  Stir in vanilla, set aside.

3). In large mixing bowl beat egg yolks and 3/4 cup of sugar until doubled in volume, pale yellow and thick enough to leave a ribbon on itself, this will take 3-5 minutes

4). Fold the egg yolk mixture into the melted chocolate mixture until combined

5). In separate clean mixing bowl beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Once soft peaks form, slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until mixture is glossy and stiff peaks form.

6). Fold egg white mixture gently into chocolate mixture. Reserve 1/4 of the mixture for filling, cover the 1/4 chocolate mousse mixture and refrigerate.

7). Put 3/4 of  the chocolate mousse mixture into a 9 inch spring form pan. You can line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper to make cleaning the pan easier. Cover and refrigerate 1/4 of the chocolate mousse.

8). Bake at 325 degrees  for 35 minutes, do not over bake. When cake is done baking, let it cool completely.

9).The cake will fall as it's cooling (like a souffle) take your 1/4 remaining chocolate mousse and fill the top of the cake

This is a photo of the cake filled with the chocolate mousse, before frosting with whipped cream frosting


10). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let mousse set, you can let this set in the refrigerator overnight

11). Frost with Whipped Cream Frosting

Whipped Cream Frosting
2 Cups of Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Once soft peaks have formed, slowly add sugar, then vanilla until stiff peaks form.  Once it has formed stiff peaks it is ready to use.

Garnish with shaved chocolate or sift on some powdered cocoa. Here I made leaves from chocolate molds. If you have heart molds it  would be perfect with 4 hearts (with the points towards the center of the cake:))

 Keep this cake refrigerated when not serving