Chocolate Mousse and Strawberry Cake

I saw a similar cake to this recently and wanted to give it a go, but adapted to suit the dietary needs in our family. So I have used all my own recipes to make it suitable. It's actually very easy to make, there's just a few steps to it, but none of it is difficult.
There is a brownie base, filled with strawberries and chocolate mousse, topped with chocolate ganache and strawberries.

Of course, if you have your own normal mousse recipe, you could substitute it in here, but for this one, I have made it dairy free. It's a recipe I have made often, usually in this recipe here.

Chocolate Mousse and Strawberry Cake

Ingredients:

Brownie Base

*(this makes enough for this base, and an extra tin of brownies)

200g butter

200g dark chocolate

3 eggs

250g light brown or caster sugar

100g self raising flour

25g cocoa

125g dark chocolate chips

500g strawberries

Chocolate Mousse

400g dark chocolate

2 x tin coconut milk - chilled in the fridge, use the solids only

1 tablespoon icing sugar

Ganache

200g dark chocolate

1 x tin coconut milk - solids only

Method:

Brownie base

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and grease and line a 20 cm springform tin (base only) and a small square tin for the extra mixture.
Melt the butter and chocolate over a pan of simmering water. Take off the heat once melted and stir until smooth. Whisk the sugar and eggs together and add the chocolate. Stir in the flour, cocoa and chocolate chips.
Pour half the mixture into the round tin, and the remaining into the square tin.
Bake in the oven for 35 mins (round tin) and 40 mins (square tin).
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin.

Strawberries
Slice the tops off the strawberries to make a flat top. Slice enough in half to line the outside edge of the brownie base. The rest will stay whole to fill the tin.

Chocolate Mousse
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt in the microwave, in 30 sec bursts, stirring until smooth.
Remove the solids only from the tins of coconut milk and place into a bowl with the icing sugar. Using a hand held electric mixer, whip until light and fluffy. Pour in the melted chocolate and mix gently until all combined. If you over mix, you will cool it too much and it will start to set. This can be easily fixed by putting the bowl in the microwave for 10 secs to melt it slightly. Mix again by hand.
Place a few spoonfuls of the mousse in the round tin on top of the brownie base and then arrange the cut strawberries around the edge. This thin layer of mousse will help stop the strawberries from making the base too soft.
Pour the remaining mousse mixture over the strawberries making sure it gets into all the crevices between the strawberries. An alternative is to pipe the mousse on, but I found if the mousse is a bit runnier, it is easier to just pour and then tap the tin on the bench to help the mousse fill the spaces.
Chill in the fridge until set, about 30 mins.

Ganache
Chop the chocolate finely and place into a bowl. Heat the solids and a dribble of the liquid from the tin of coconut milk, in a small saucepan until simmering but not boiling. Pour over the chopped chocolate, stir slightly and then leave to melt. After a few minutes, stir until smooth and glossy.
Pour half over the top of the mousse so it is smooth and then return to the fridge to set, about 30 minutes. The rest can be kept in an airtight container to reuse.
(You could, of course, also use the remaining ganache like a fondue and dip in marshmallows, strawberries, raspberries etc). We may or may not have done that last night!

Top with strawberries.

Remove it all from the fridge for about an 45 mins before serving to allow the mousse to soften slightly.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Orange Mousse Cake

This cake, or pie if you like, is AMAZING. It is so light and lovely....and best of all, it is dairy, egg and nut free. It could also be made gluten and soya free too. I can't claim credit for the recipe as it was shared by another allergy mum on a forum I am on. But it's by far one of the most popular posts on that site.

You could make so many variations to this too...swap the orange essence for mint, or add a few drops of a favourite liqueur for an adult version. To make it taste EXACTLY like a bounty bar, use milk chocolate instead!
For us though, it's perfect the way it is!

Oh and the best bit, it takes about 5 mins to make! (well the base needs to chill, but apart from that...)

What are you waiting for? Dive in!

Chocolate Orange Mousse Cake

Ingredients:

For the mousse:

• 1 x 400ml tin full fat coconut milk, chilled in fridge ( check the label for the highest coconut content - 70%+ is ideal)
• 200g suitable dark chocolate (I used Sainsbury's dark cooking choc as it's dairy free and yummy)
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 2 tsp orange flavouring (use vanilla if you want plain)

For the crust:

• Approx 10-15 bourbon biscuits - or Oreos will work too. To make it gluten free, substitute for a suitable biscuit.
• 2-3 tbsp of dairy free butter, melted. (I use Vitalite)

Method:

Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until good and crushed. Add melted ‘butter’ and blitz again until you get to a mouldable consistency. Press the mixture into the base of a loose bottomed cake tin and refrigerate.

Whip the solids from the can of coconut milk (if you use a brand with a high percentage of coconut extract [70%+] and chill first in fridge overnight, it should be fairly thick and you shouldn't need to drain any water off after chilling). I used a brand from the world food section - much higher coconut %, so had very little, if any, liquid to drain off.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, being careful not to burn it. Add the melted choc, orange flavouring and icing sugar to the whipped coconut milk and whip again until well incorporated.

While still silky, pour over the chilled crust and refrigerate for a couple hours or overnight to set.

Should last 5 days in the fridge - if you can resist!

You can make mini ones in ramekins too. And the mousse makes a great dessert on its own; just pour it into ramekins and chill.

Notes: 

• I often add raspberries to the top as they add a fresh element to this dish - delicious!
• If you overmix the mixture and it appears to set in the bowl, put it in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up ever so slightly and use as normal.

Passion for Baking Turns 1 today!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY TO Passion for Baking!

A year ago today I made the impulse decision to start my own baking page - I named it Baking For Passion because I thought it was fitting, and off I went! I didn't expect to take up so much of my time, but I have loved learning new skills, trying new recipes and having fun in the kitchen. I have loved sharing my bakes with friends and neighbours - someone has to eat it all, it can't just be us!

I want to say a heartfelt thank you to all my readers, followers, friends, family and fellow bloggers for your support and joining me in this baking journey - I am only a little way along the path so far....here's to many more miles!

Anyway, for the occasion, I have made a Chocolate and Raspberry Mousse Cake. You can find the recipe here.

This cake took me HOURS to make (not everything went to plan), but I have really loved making the layers and it is absolutely delicious. Each layer adds its' own flavour (& texture in some cases) but they all compliment each other beautifully.

The bottom layer is chocolate brownie; then chocolate mousse; raspberry mousse, with fresh raspberries inside; vanilla mousse - with a strong honey flavour; and, topped off with a chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries.

Best cut while chilled, but best served after is has been out of the fridge for about 20 mins.

Anyway, Happy 1st Birthday to Passion for Baking!

Valentine's Chocolate Mousse

Happy Valentine's Day! A quick post to share the pudding I made tonight for Valentine's Day; it's such a simple yet scrummy dessert. And the best bit, it's totally vegan so even my son could have it. I wanted to make something that wasn't cake based and required very little effort. I knew I had a can of coconut milk in the fridge, so this immediately came to mind. It takes a whole 5 minutes to make, I kid you not.

Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk - chilled in the fridge overnight

200g chocolate - milk or dark, your choice. I used dark.

1 dsp icing sugar

1/2 tsp orange extract/essence

Raspberries

Method:

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments until smooth and glossy.
2. Carefully remove the solids out of the coconut milk tin into a medium bowl, discard any liquid.
3. Using a hand held electric mixer, whip the coconut milk solids with the icing sugar and orange essence until fluffy. Scrap the sides occasionally, this step takes only about 2 minutes.
4. Pour the melted chocolate into the bowl and beat together using the mixer until it is combined and still fluffy. If you over mix, as I did tonight and it hardens, this is very easily fixed by putting the bowl into the microwave for 10 seconds to loosen it up again.
5. Pipe into bowls, or just spoon in if you prefer. Top with raspberries.

Notes:

• This is best made just before serving, or if making it into a pie (as I have posted on my fb page) then allow to set in the fridge.

• You could add peppermint extract instead of orange if you prefer.

• I tend to leave a can of coconut milk in the fridge at all times for occasions such as this. Go for a band that has at least 60% coconut solids in it, 70%+ if possible. You get more solids in your recipe then!

• This is quite rich, so smaller portions are advised, but it is soooo light, honestly, it's like eating a cloud. A chocolate one!