Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake
Vegan chocolate raspberry mousse cake - layers of dark chocolate mousse and vegan white chocolate raspberry mousse sit on top of a layer of rich, moist chocolate cake.
Servings 12 people
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 200 ml (½ + ⅓ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) neutral oil (such as sunflower)
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 140 g (⅔ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 130 g (1 cup + 1 Tablespoon) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 45 g (4 ½ packed Tablespoons) cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- pinch salt
Chocolate Mousse:
- 200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate (no more than 70% cocoa solids) very finely chopped
- 120 ml (½ cup) vegan whipping cream (I recommend using Elmlea Plant double cream)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 120 ml (½ cup) reduced and cooled or shop bought aquafaba (I use Oggs)* cold
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3 Tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse:
- 170 g (6 oz) vegan white chocolate very finely chopped
- 450 g (1 lb) frozen raspberries defrosted
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon agar agar powder (NOT flakes)
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 240 ml (1 cup) vegan whipping cream (I recommend using Elmlea Plant double cream) cold
- 1 Tablespoon icing (powdered) sugar
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease a 23 cm/9 in round, at least 7 cm/2 ¾ in deep springform cake tin and line it with baking parchment.
- Whisk together the milk, oil, vinegar, caster sugar and vanilla extract until very well combined.
- In a large bowl sift together the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk with a balloon whisk until no dry lumps remain, but be careful not to over-beat the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin, spread it level and bake for about 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then carefully turn it out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
- Wash the tin and line it with a strip of acetate or a double layer of greaseproof paper, making sure that it comes at least 5 cm/2 in above the top of the tin. If you have a 23 cm/9 in cake board then it is a good idea to place that in the bottom. If not then just line the base with baking parchment.
- Place the cold cake back in the lined tin. If you want perfectly flat layers of cake and mousse then you can trim the top to level it first (I didn't bother).
Chocolate Mousse:
- Place the finely chopped dark chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream and vanilla extract until it is just simmering (don't let it boil) then pour it over the finely chopped chocolate.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes then stir gently until smooth and glossy. (See post above for what to do if it splits). Set aside to cool to room temperature. (If there are still a few lumps of melted chocolate then you can heat it in 10 second bursts in the microwave, stirring after each one, until it is melted).
- While the gananche is cooling, place the aquafaba and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk; or use a hand mixer with the double beater attachments.
- Whisk the aquafaba on a high speed until it is frothy, add a spoonful of the sugar and whisk until well combined; repeat until you have added all of the sugar. Continue to whisk the aquafaba until it forms stiff peaks.
- Make sure that the chocolate mixture has cooled to room temperature then add ¼ of the whipped aquafaba to the chocolate and stir gently with a spatula until almost combined.
- Add the rest of the aquafaba in three more batches, folding it in very gently until it is uniformly combined. You don't want there to be any streaks of chocolate or aquafaba, but don't keep mixing for too long, you don't want to deflate the mousse. (It will lose a bit of volume however and become slightly more runny - don't worry, this is normal).
- Gently pour the mousse over the top of the cake in the tin, then place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set.
Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse:
- Place the finely chopped white chocolate in a large, heat-proof bowl.
- Blend the defrosted frozen raspberries (plus any juices) and the lemon juice until smooth.
- Press the puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Really press down on the pulp to extract as much of the puree as possible. Discard the seeds.
- Place the puree in a saucepan and bring up to a simmer. Cook until it has reduced by at least half, 5-10 minutes. Stir often to prevent it from catching.
- Weigh out 150g (½ cup + 2 Tablespoons) of the reduced puree and place it in a saucepan. Mix the agar agar with 1 tablespoon cold water. Whisk the agar mixture into the puree.
- Bring up to the boil and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. It will be quite thick.
- Pour the puree over the chopped white chocolate, making sure it is fully covered. Leave for 5 minutes, then stir until melted and smooth. Set aside until lukewarm (don't let it get too cold however or the agar agar will set). (If there are still a few lumps of melted chocolate then you can heat it in 10 second bursts in the microwave, stirring after each one, until it is melted).
- Whisk the cream and icing sugar with an electric mixer until it forms soft peaks. This takes a fair bit longer than dairy cream.
- Gently stir ⅓ rd of the cream into the raspberry mixture with a balloon whisk, then carefully fold in the rest of the cream with a spatula. There shouldn't be any streaks of cream or raspberry but be very gentle so as not to knock out the air.
- Pour the raspberry mousse over the chocolate mousse and spread level. It will probably come all the way up to the top of the tin, or even slightly above. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until set.
- To serve, unclip the springform tin and remove the rim. Place the cake on a serving plate. If you didn't have a cake board to place in the tin then you will probably have to leave it on the base of the tin as it is delicate and will be difficult to remove. Gently peel off the acetate/greaseproof paper.
- Decorate the top of the cake as you like with fresh raspberries and chocolate curls. Store in the fridge, preferably inside a cake dome, until you are ready to serve. It will keep for up to 4 days.
Notes
- *See post above for details on how to reduce aquafaba.
- This is a fairly complex cake so make sure that you read through the recipe fully before starting.
- As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- For the best results follow the recipe closely and make it exactly as written. Changing any of the ingredients could affect the outcome of the mousse cake. I cannot comment on how well any substitutions will work, and any changes to the recipe must be done at your own risk.
- This cake takes about a day to complete (not all active time!) as it needs time for each layer to cool and chill. I recommend making it the day before you want to serve it. Or start early in the morning.
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.