Chocolate Lemon Cake

Make the chocolate cake layer. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and stir together. It's best to use Dutch-process cocoa, which gives a very deep, rich chocolate color. If you only have regular cocoa, you can increase the amount.

In a separate bowl, mix together the kefir, egg, sugar, vanilla sugar, and vegetable oil. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well until you get a thick batter.

Brew a strong cup of coffee. I used instant coffee dissolved in boiling water, but brewed coffee works just as well. Coffee adds a nice depth of flavor to the chocolate layer and enhances the overall chocolate taste. If you'd prefer not to use coffee, plain boiling water works fine too. Pour the hot coffee directly into the batter and stir well — the batter will go from thick to thin.

Pour the chocolate batter into the pan. My pan is 20 cm in diameter.

Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the chocolate cake layer cool completely. Then remove it from the pan and level the top if needed. Place it back into the pan or a cake ring.

Make the lemon mousse. Start by preparing the lemon curd. Zest the lemon using a fine grater, being careful not to grate the white pith (the albedo). Juice the lemon — one lemon typically yields about 70 ml of juice, which is exactly what you need for this recipe. Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, egg yolks, and sugar.

Place over heat and cook, stirring, until thickened.

Transfer the finished lemon curd to a mixing bowl.

Beat until the volume increases 2–3 times. Add the softened butter and continue beating until the curd reaches room temperature.

In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until thick. Fold the whipped cream into the lemon curd. Soak the gelatin in 50 ml of water for 10 minutes beforehand. Heat until hot but not boiling. Pour the gelatin into the lemon cream while mixing continuously.

Pour the lemon cream into the pan over the chocolate cake layer. Refrigerate until fully set.

Warm the sides of the pan with a hair dryer or run a knife around the inside edge, then remove the ring. Whip the heavy cream until fairly thick. Decorate the cake with whipped cream, lemon slices, and lemon zest to your liking.

This Chocolate Lemon Cake turns out absolutely stunning and festive! The combination of a rich chocolate layer and a light, creamy mousse with a pleasant lemon finish is truly incredible — I highly recommend giving it a try!