Chocolate Glazed Hazelnut Mousse Cake

Thank God it's Friday! How about celebrating the weekend with this sugar high and chocolatey treat? I made this mousse cake during one of my crazy moments to test out a recipe I found in the Gourmet magazine which a kind friend lent me. We're invited for a barbeque on Sunday hence I wanted to make this as a treat. Although everything turned out well for the cake and it's really simple to make, I doubt it will survive the journey to Kota Kemuning since it's mainly mousse. Kinda sad but I don't think the crowd of people will appreciate eating a pool of chocolate mess. I guess it means making non frosted items like Nutella Cupcakes and brownies.

Back to the treat above, it's really amazingly simple to make and the best part about Gourmet and Bon Appetit recipes is you can search on their Epicurious website and read other people's reviews and recommendations to rectify the recipe. Two concerns were evident when I read through the reviews: it lacked hazelnut taste hence one recommendation was to add hazelnut liquer and the quantity in the recipe made quite a short cake with an 8 inch springform pan. They were right about the taste as it definitely needs an addition of hazelnut syrup which I did not have so it looks like I may have to buy some the next time round. For my cake, since all I had at home was a 7 inch springform pan, I used that and got a pretty decent height. Not sure why but my chocolate ganache wouldn't really dribble down the sides hence I used a palette knife to smoothen it as best as I can. I'm also not sure why their picture shows chocolate ganache that is so much darker even though I used at least 70% cocoa mass dark chocolate already.

The best part about this cake is it's really nice and light that you don't feel like you are indulging in something really naughty. Simple to also make which is a bonus. At first I thought the base will crumble on me when I flip it out but it was sturdy enough to withstand moving it around and removal of the greaseproof paper. I'm adding the recipe below in metric form for everyone's ease and the link.

Chocolate Glazed Hazelnut Mousse Cake

For shortbread base

2 tablespoons hazelnuts,toasted and skins rubbed off

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup (62.5 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 stick (1/4 cup or 56.6 grams) unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

For mousse

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-oz envelope)

3 tablespoons cold water

1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread such as Nutella (5 oz) - I used a Pyrex cup to measure this

1/2 cup mascarpone (1/4 lb) - I used a Pyrex cup to measure this

1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream - I used a Pyrex cup to measure this

2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

3 tablespoons sugar

For ganache

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream - I used a Pyrex cup to measure this

3 1/2 oz (99.22 grams) fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped

Special equipment: an 8-inch (20-cm) springform pan; parchment paper

Make shortbread base:Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F/180C. Invert bottom of springform pan (to make it easier to slide shortbread base off bottom), then lock on side of pan and line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Pulse hazelnuts with sugar in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped. Add flour, butter, cocoa, and salt and pulse just until a dough forms.Press dough evenly onto bottom of springform pan with your fingers. Prick all over with a fork, then bake until just dry to the touch, about 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer base in pan to a rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Remove side of pan and carefully slide out parchment from under shortbread, then reattach side of pan around shortbread base.

Make mousse while shortbread cools:Sprinkle gelatin over water in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Heat gelatin mixture over low heat, stirring, just until gelatin is melted, about 2 minutes. Whisk in chocolate hazelnut spread until combined and remove from heat.Whisk together mascarpone and chocolate hazelnut mixture in a large bowl. Beat together cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in another large bowl with an electric mixer at low speed until just combined, then increase speed to high and beat until cream just holds soft peaks. Whisk one third of whipped cream into mascarpone mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whipped cream until well combined. Spoon filling onto shortbread base in pan, gently smoothing top, then chill, covered, at least 3 hours.

Make ganache and glaze cake:Bring cream to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan and remove from heat. Add chocolate and let stand 1 minute, then gently whisk until completely melted and smooth. Transfer ganache to a small bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 20 minutes.Run a warm thin knife around inside of springform pan, then remove side. Slide cake off bottom of pan and transfer to a serving plate. Pour ganache onto top of cake and spread, allowing excess ganache to drip down sides.

Cooks' notes: Cake, without glaze, can be chilled up to 2 days. Cake can be glazed 6 hours ahead and chilled, uncovered. Makes 6 to 8 servings. (I chilled the cake overnight in the fridge before spreading the ganache on top. Use a knife dipped in warm water to cut the cake once completed)

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