What is Chocolate Mousse Cake?
Chocolate mousse cake is a sweet dessert often made with three to four layers of airy chocolate cake. These layers are spread with a thick layer of rich and creamy chocolate mousse, then the whole cake is enrobed in frosting or mousse. The cake is round in shape and served by the slice. Many varieties of chocolate mousse cake abound, some have multiple flavors and layers of chocolate mousse, such as white, milk and dark. Others are more traditional with the alternating layers of cake and mousse.
Ingredients
Butter is made from churned cream, usually from a cow. It has a cream color and a texture that is smooth and melts easily. The flavor is mild and creamy. Butter is often sold in square sticks, or as a flat or round block. It is delicious on bread. It pairs better in baked goods than salted butter, due to its more neutral taste. It also makes an excellent cooking fat.
Eggs are an incredibly versatile protein and binder. Most eggs used in cooking come from hens and are usually unfertilized. Eggs are oval shaped and roughly 53 mm in length and 40 mm in width. Eggs have a hard, but thin and delicate shell that is brown or white and occasionally green. Inside is the clear and glossy white, with a slimy texture and in the center is the yellow opaque, round shaped yolk. Once cooked, the whites become opaque. Eggs can be scrambled, fried, boiled, and more. They are used in desserts and baked goods as a binder. Egg is also used as a wash to glaze items or dip meat into before breading it. The flavor is mild and sulfurous. It has many uses.
Chocolate is made from fermented and dried cocoa beans. There are many steps involved in making chocolate. The final result is a firm product that melts easily with warmth and is varying shades of brown, due to the amount of cocoa in the chocolate. Milk chocolate is paler than bittersweet chocolate and has a higher sugar content. The flavor is sweet, nutty and has an earthy quality. It has a unique flavor, unlike any other.
Sugar comes from sugar cane and sugar beets. The sugar is extracted from the juice of both plants and refined into the granulated substance known as sugar. Sucrose, the sweet substance of sugar is a combination of glucose and fructose. White sugar is composed of tiny white, dry granules. The flavor is sweet and neutral. Brown sugar is brown and has more moisture, with a richer flavor that hints at molasses. Sugar is used in both sweet and savory foods.
Cream is the fat derived from milk. Other milking animals can produce cream, but it is most commonly obtained from cows. The cream can vary from an off white to a pale golden color. The texture is smooth and can be thick, like a high fat yogurt, or thin, as is often seen in store bought cartons of whipping cream. The flavor is delicate, milky and buttery. Cream is used in a huge variety of food items and dishes, from baked goods, to curries, as glaze for scones, or a flavoring for tea and coffee.
Wheat flour is a product made by finely milling wheat grains until they form a powder-like substance. Wheat flour is denser than powder and comes as whole wheat flour; a semi-dense flour with a beige color and full flavor. All- purpose flour is refined, white, lighter in texture and more bland in flavor. There are other varieties of wheat flour with these two being the most common. The flavor is mild and nutty. Wheat flour is used in the making of a huge number of foods across all cuisines. It is used as a binder as well as the basis for breads, baked goods and coating for breaded meats and vegetables. It is used in sauces and even some candies.
When egg whites are uncooked they have a slimy texture and are clear and translucent. The egg white surrounds the yolk of the egg, this is surrounded by a fragile, yet hard egg shell. Egg whites have almost no smell. When the white is raw it can be cooked, incorporated into batter and dough, or whipped into white peaks used for meringue. Sometimes egg whites are used in drinks.
Vanilla extract is a flavoring used in baked goods, candies and drinks. It is made by infusing alcohol with vanilla pods or beans. This mixture sits for some months and is then strained. It is also extracted using heat and alcohol. The result of either is a thin brown liquid that smells and tastes like vanilla. It has a rich and gentle sweetness to its flavor.
