Half the Sugar Baker
This flourless chocolate cake with strawberry mousse is the definition of texture. The fudgy chocolate cake paired with the light and airy mousse is so so good. The chocolate cake is rich and brownie-like, made with both chocolate chips and cacao powder. The mousse is super easy to make using fresh strawberries and only needs 3 ingredients!
Tips:
I used 72% dark chocolate for the chocolate chips but if you prefer a sweeter cake, I recommend using semisweet chocolate chips.
Adding just 1 teaspoon of espresso powder or instant coffee will enhance the chocolate flavor which I strongly recommend but if you don’t have it, you can omit it from the recipe.
When whipping the egg whites, you only need to whip them to very soft peaks. Stiff peaks will actually make it harder to fold into the thick cake batter.
This cake is meant to be fudgy when it is done so I recommend removing it from the oven when an inserted toothpick comes out with a few crumbs on it. It definitely shouldn’t be liquid on the inside but a few crumbs are ok.
The strawberry mousse is super easy to make but it’s basically a strawberry whipped cream so it’s important that you wait to frost the cake until after it has completely cooled.
After you blend the strawberries for the mousse, you should dump them into a fine mesh sieve to remove the juice from the puree. The juice will make the mousse too soft and it won’t hold up as well. One way that I use the strawberry juice is by mixing it with some yogurt and freezing it to make strawberry yogurt bark!
When whipping the cream, it’s important that you don’t overmix because the whipped cream could accidentally become butter if you take it too far!
You might also like this jammy strawberry cake!
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Fresh Strawberry Mousse
Prep time: 35 minutes Cook time: 22 minutes Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake:
- 2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1/3 cup greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
For the strawberry mousse:
- 16 ounces fresh strawberries (1 pound), hulled
- 1 cup whipping cream, cold
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- extra strawberries for garnish, optional
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375º F. Line the bottom of a 8″ cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter.
- Add the chocolate chips and butter to a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the butter and chocolate chips are melted, then whisk to combine.
- Add the sugar, salt, espresso powder, and vanilla extract. Whisk everything together. Separate the three eggs and add the yolks to the chocolate mixture. Reserve the egg whites for later. Whisk the yolks into the chocolate mixture until everything is smooth. Then add the greek yogurt and 2 tablespoons milk and whisk until combined. Then add the cocoa powder and baking powder and stir until just combined.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add a little of the egg white foam to the chocolate mixture and gently stir to combine. Then add all of the chocolate mixture to the egg whites and very gently fold until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 22-26 minutes. An inserted toothpick should not have any liquid on it but a few crumbs are fine. Do not overbake or the cake will not be fudgy on the inside. When done baking, let the cake rest in the pan for 5 minutes before running around the edge with a knife and tipping onto a serving plate. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
- For the strawberry mousse: add the hulled strawberries to a blender and blend until smooth. Then strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove most of the juices, you will not need the juice for this recipe. Reserve the strawberry puree for later.
- In a large bowl, beat the cold whipping cream until it forms soft peaks. Then add the 1/3 cup sugar and the strawberry puree and beat until the cream reaches stiff peaks. Store in fridge until ready to use.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, scoop the strawberry cream onto the cake and spread into an even layer. Garnish with fresh strawberries, if desired.
Original recipe: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/flourless-chocolate-cake-recipe
