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.

Chocolate Crumble Marble Cake

Make (15x15 cm)
Adapted from Dailydelicious

Ingredients
Crumb topping
Plain flour x 85g
Cocao Powder x 8g
Butter x 50g
Brown sugar x 50g

Cake

Butter x 115g
Sugar x 115g
Whipping cream x 30 ml
Eggs x 2
Vanilla extract x 1tsp
Plain flour x 115g
Baking powder x 1¼tsp

Dark chocolate (chopped) x 65g
Whipping cream x 30 ml

Steps

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C
2) Line the pan with baking paper.
3) Make the crumb: Mix all the ingredient together until it looks like bread crumbs and set aside.
4) Beat the butter with sugar until light and fluffy.
5) Add vanilla extract and egg beat bit by bit to combine.
6) Sift the flour with baking powder and add half of it into the butter mixture and fold to combine.
7) Follow by 30ml of whipping cream and fold to combine.
8) Then add the rest of the flour and fold to combine.
9) Melt the chocolate with 30ml of the whipping cream.
10) Scoop 1/3 of the cake batter into chocolate and mix until combine.
11) Pour both of the batter into the prepared pan and use a chopstick to create marble effect.
12) Put the cake into the oven middle rack and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
13) Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the cake and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick insert in the center of the cake come out clean.

Nama Chocolate

Nama Chocolate (make 1 tray of 14.5 x 8cm)

Ingredient
Dark Chocolate (min 55%) x 160g
Whipping Cream x 90g
Milk x 10g Glucose
syrup x 10g (if use honey as substitue x 3/4 tablespoon)
Unsalted butter x 10g Cocoa powder x 5 tablespoon

Steps
1) Prepare a tray (14.5X8.8 cm) and line with baking paper (make sure you have excess by the side to help to lift up the chocolatefrom the tray later)
2) Baine Marie (double boil over stove) whipping cream, milk and glucose (or honey).
3) When the mixture begin to boil, remove from stove.
4) Add butter and chocolate to melt in warm mixture.
5) Pour the melter chocolate mixture into the lined tray and leave in refrigerator overnight.
6) Cut into small pieces and then dust and dip in sieved cocoa powder.
7) Keep in refrigerator and serve immediately from the fridge as the chocolates melt fast.

Playing with flavour:
1) Mocca - Add 1 teaspoon coffee granule; balance with additional 1 teaspoon milk or whipping cream
2) Add 1-2 tbsp rum or liqueur.
3) Add 1 tsp coarse sea salt.
4) Infuse 1 - 2 loose flavoured tea leaves while warming the milk and cream. Strain leave before melting chocolate or butter.

Q&A:
1) Milk and liquid glucose - make the chocolate exceptionally smooth but also softer.
1a) Guideline for Nama is whipping cream:chocolate ratio is 1:2 (i.e. 50% cream to chocolate). May play around with ratio up to 60% cream to chocolate for different texture. Personally I prefer 60% but it turns soft very fast immediately out of fridge.
2) For stronger chocolate taste - can use chocolate milk
3) Butter suppose to make the chocolate shine but for this case not much effect but will add smoothness to overall taste.