Prank's Festivus Double Chocolate Mousse CakeA tradition here at the Prankster's Palace, I always enjoy baking a Mile High in the sky. Plus I like to make desserts too. This specialty takes the chocolate experience to the next level. This dessert is so potent that ovulating women have been reported pregnant after eating just one slice. You have been warned and therefore I can not be held responsible for the consequences of whatever happens in your household if you serve this toothsome delight.
This delicacy contains 8 eggs, 1 lb of butter and 1 cup sugar, plus 1 lb of chocolate and has a consistency that is similar to cheesecake but more cake like. There is no flour involved. We glaze the cake with 1/2 lb of chocolate and then hand whip heavy cream, no sugar needed, for a very nice, rich and awesome treat. I like to use Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet, but any good semi-sweet chocolate would work.
You will need a 10 inch Spring Form pan plus a cookie sheet to place the Spring Form pan on. Sometimes the goopy chocolate concoction will leak slightly from the Spring Form. Not to worry if you got it set up right and get a little runoff.
Cake Ingredients:
16oz Semi-sweet chocolate - bars or chips, I use bars since I get a better deal at the Market.
2 cups Unsalted butter - the "Euro" heavy butter works best but any good butter will. I have used salted butter and cut back on the salt we add later.
1 cup sugar
1 cup Half and Half
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1.5 Teaspoon Salt
8 Large Eggs
Over low heat, put the butter into a saucepan, let it melt slow.
Preheat oven to 350F, set up and rub inside the Spring Form with butter.
Butter in the saucepan should be getting soft, kick the heat up to medium for a little while if you need a little more heat. Stir a lot. Then when the butter is almost melted, add the vanilla and half and half. Stir and cut heat back to low.
Take 8 eggs and whisk them in a large bowl. Gentlemen, this means you break open the eggs and stir them with vigor. Like you are pumping a keg or something. Get those eggs whipped frothy but don't coat the walls with it!
Now the saucepan should have a nice warm melted butter concoction going on, add the cup of sugar, salt and stir it in slow so you don't spill. Put the chocolate in, I usually break the bars into pieces about the size of 50 cent pieces. Add chocolate in batches. 4 or 5 oz at a time until it is all melted in. Stir until everything is nicely mixed. Should look like a thick chocolate soup.
Slowly pour the saucepan contents into the large bowl with the eggs. Fold, or whisk, the chocolate soup into the eggs slowly and carefully -- this is not a spill that cleans up easy, it lingers. Once you it all mixed up then carefully pour it all into the Spring Form pan you have set up on top of a cookie sheet pan or a couple layers of foil. Place it into the oven and bake for 45-48 minutes at 350F.
It is done when you insert and remove a toothpick cleanly from about 2 inches from the edge. Do not overcook.
Let cake cool completely, 3-4 hours before removing the Spring Form. Keep pan bottom on the cake and wrap in plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for 24 hours. The cake needs this much time to set.
Pour yourself a cool beverage and be ready to glaze tomorrow.
Glaze:
8oz Semi-sweet chocolate
2 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons milk or half and half
2 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup
In saucepan melt chocolate over low heat and then add butter, stir until it is all soft. Remove from heat, stir in milk and corn syrup. Refrigerate until icing is firm.
Unwrap cake, keep pan bottom on and transfer cake to it's Holiday Plate. Ice the cake with glaze, there should enough to give it plenty of coverage. There may be a few cracks on the top of the cake, this is normal for this kind of dessert, just use all that chocolaty glaze to smooth it all out nice. Place in refrigerator until a half hour or so before serving.
Take the Heavy Whipping Cream and whip it good! No sugar is needed, honest, you really don't need it since there is a pound of it in the cake. Put a few spoonfuls of that lovely whipped cream, people love you when you whip it up before them, onto a nice slice of the glazed mousse cake and enjoy. Small slices usually work, just like a cheesecake, very heavy and a major chocoholic fix.
