In our family, ever birthday and name day is celebrated with chocolate mousse cake. The whiskey spiked lady fingers layered with chocolate mousse make for a deliciously light and airy cake, while the almond brittle topping adds texture and crunch. It's a good thing we only make this cake for special occasions. I tend to eat more than my fair share!
- 4 ounces 100% cocoa chocolate
- 24 ounces room temperature heavy whipping cream
- 8 ounces room temperature mascarpone
- 4 room temperature egg whites
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- About 38 lady fingers
- 1 and 3/4 cups milk (divided)
- 1/4 cup aged whisky
- 1/2 cup blanched almonds
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil (divided)
Time - 24 hours
- Preparation - 45 minutes
- Chilling - 24 hours
Preparation
- Place the chocolate and 3/4 cups of milk in a small pot over low heat and melt the chocolate. Be sure to watch the chocolate as it melts and stir to prevent the chocolate from burning
- If needed, add up to 1/4 cup of milk. The consistency of the melted chocolate should be smooth and creamy
- Once melted, remove the chocolate from the heat and set aside to cool
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the room temperature heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar
- With a mixer, whip the whipping cream
- Once the whipping cream begins to thicken, add the room temperature mascarpone and continue whipping until combined
- In a separate bowl, whip the room temperature egg whites until soft peaks have formed
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chocolate, whipped cream, and egg whites using a spatula. Once well combined, set aside
- In a medium size glass dish, combine 1 cup of warmed milk and a 1/4 cup of aged whisky
- Dip the bottom half of the lady fingers in the spiked milk and lay them side by side in a 9 by 13 inch cake dish
- Once dipped, the lady finger should resemble the consistency of a moist sponge
- Cover the spiked lady fingers with half of the chocolate mousse and repeat the process a second time so that you have two layers of spiked lady fingers and chocolate mousse
- Let the cake sit at room temperature while preparing the almond brittle
- Oil a sheet of aluminum foil with 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil and set aside
- Combine 1/4 teaspoon olive oil, 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup blanched almonds in a small pan and heat over low heat
- Stir occasionally to prevent the sugar from burning. As the almonds cook, they will begin to brown. Continue to cook until the almonds reach a rich golden color (approximately 5 minutes)
- Pour the almonds and melted sugar onto the oiled aluminum foil and let cool
- Once the brittle has hardened, break into small pieces and sprinkle on top of the cake
- Cover the cake and let chill overnight