Banana Chocolate Mousse Cake

Chocolate Sponge cake (9" Round):

Large Egg Yolks - 4

Castor Sugar - 90g
Self Raising flour - 120g  (or 1 cup Plain Flour + 1  1/2 tsp. Baking Powder + 1/2 tsp Salt)
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Corn Oil - 50g
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp



Large Egg White  - 4 ½

Cream of Tartar - 1/4 tsp (or 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
Castor Sugar - 60g



Cocoa Powder - 30g
Hot Water - 120g (Stir and dissolve cocoa powder in hot water to form cocoa mixture)

Method:
1) Preheat oven at 180C.
2) Sieve all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and baking powder).
3) Beat egg yolks and sugar until sugar dissolve and become pale yellow color.
4) Add oil, vanilla essence and cocoa mixture into egg yolk batter and mix well.
5) Fold in dry ingredients gently into mixed egg batter with a balloon whisk.

6) Beat egg white with cream of tartar (or lemon juice) till bubbles form, then pour in sugar gradually till egg white becomes fluffy. Beat till Medium peak.
7) Fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg white mixture. (see tips in chiffon cake on folding steps).
8) Pour into a lined cake tin.
9) Bake at 175C for about 40-50 min. or till cooked.
10) Off the oven and leave the cake with door ajar in oven for 10 min before removing (this will prevent cake from shrinking)
10) Overturn cake tin and removed cake from tin.
11) Turn cake back to normal position and let it cool on rack with the lined paper on.
12) Remove the lined paper when cake it cool and slice into 3 layers.





Chocolate mousse:


(A)
Gelatin powder - 1 tsp.
Hot water - 4 tbspn. (baine marie to dissolve gelatin)

(B)
Nescafe - 1 1/2 Tablespoon
Hot Water - 1 1/2 Tablespoon



(C)
Cocoa powder - 50g
Icing sugar - 80g



(D)
Dairy Whip Cream - 400g (Dairy will taste nicer but be softer. Non Dairy is more stable)
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp.
"Kahlua" or "Tia Maria" coffee liquer - 1 tbspn

Method:
1) Dissolve (A) gelatin in hot water using bain marie method.
2) Dissolve (B) Nescafe granules in hot water.
3) Mix #1 and #2 and stir in (C) to form paste and let it cool (not too cool else will form jelly)
4) Beat (D) whip cream over bowl of ice (this will allow the cream to be whipped faster and don't over beat else will separate to form butter)
5) Mix all the ingredients together and use it immediately to assemble the cooled cake.

Assemble the Cake


Prepared Chocolate Mousse
2 large ripe Del Monte Bananas - slice about 7-8mm each and coat with lemon juice
Cake tin bigger than baked cake (at least by 1cm).



Method:

1) Pour some mousse as the base of the cake tin.
2) Place 1st layer of cake on the mousse.
3) Pour additional mousse and top with sliced banana.
4) Follow by 2nd layer of cake.
5) Pour additional mousse and top with sliced banana.

6) Follow by 3rd layer of cake.
7) Pour remaining mousse to fill up gaps on the side of the cake tin.
8) Place "moussed" cake into refrigerator to set.

Decorate the Cake 

 

Ganache

Cocoa powder - 35g
Sugar - 4og
Dairy whipping cream - 150 g
Chopped dark chocolate or mini chocolate bits - 80g
Soften Butter - 30g
Fresh milk (15ml or more optional)


Method:
1) Bain marie whipping cream and dark chocolate till dissolve.
2) Add in cocoa powder and sugar till dissolve.
3) Add some fresh milk if find the chocolate mixture too thick.
4) Add soften butter before turning off the fire to create shine in the ganache.
5) Cool before pouring onto cake.
6) Use a warm towel to wrap the cooled tin or use air dryer to heat up the side and base for easy release of cold and set mousse cake from the cake tin.
7) Place the set mousse cake on wire rack over a baking tray.
8) Pour the cooled ganache over the mousse cake and let the ganache flows down the side smoothly.
9) Decorate the side with chocolate shaves or use a plastic film to wrap it.
10) Decorate the cake and put into the refrigerator till coating sets.
11) Slice with a warm knife and serve.