Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

Make the "cake layer". Dissolve the coffee in one teaspoon of hot water.

Break the chocolate into pieces and add the softened butter.

Melt together in a double boiler or in the microwave — I use the microwave, it's much simpler and faster (I can barely remember the last time I used a double boiler). Let cool slightly. Stir in the coffee and cognac. Both are used for flavor; feel free to leave them out if you prefer.

Beat the eggs thoroughly for 7–10 minutes, gradually adding the sugar, then add the salt. You need to beat them for a good while, until the mixture is very pale and falls from the beaters in wide ribbons.

Add the chocolate mixture and gently fold with a spatula — at first the batter will look streaky, but keep folding.

Continue until the batter is a deep, even chocolate color, being careful not to deflate it.

Line a 22 cm pan with a sheet of parchment paper, tucking the edges under, then pour in the batter and smooth the top.

Bake in an oven preheated to 170°C for about 20–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The soufflé will puff up significantly during baking, then sink back down — that's completely normal.

Make the first mousse. Break the chocolate into pieces and add the softened butter.

Melt together until smooth. Bloom the gelatin in 2 tbsp of water for 10 minutes, then heat until hot and fully dissolved. Also, there's no need to use a lot of gelatin in this cake — too much makes the mousse less delicate. You only need the bare minimum to hold the shape. Dark chocolate combined with full-fat whipped heavy cream already creates a very thick mixture that holds its form well, which is why I kept the gelatin amount low.

Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks, adding the powdered sugar toward the end.

Gradually pour in the melted chocolate and beat on the lowest speed until the mixture goes from streaky to a deep, even chocolate color. Pour in the gelatin while mixing. My mixture came out very thick, so I added 4 tablespoons of milk to loosen it up — adjust as needed.

Pour over the "cake layer" in the pan (press down the edges of the layer first if needed to make it even), then tap the pan firmly on the counter to level the top. Refrigerate until set.

Then prepare the second mousse the same way. Here's the melted chocolate with butter.

Here's the finished cream. Everything is exactly the same, except you don't add powdered sugar — this layer will already be sweet enough thanks to the white chocolate. You will also need a little more gelatin, since white chocolate doesn't hold its shape quite as well.

Pour into the pan and tap it on the counter to level the top. Refrigerate overnight.

To remove the finished cake, I run a hair dryer around the outside of the pan and then unclasp it, but you can also just run a knife along the inside edge to separate the cake from the pan. Side view.

Decorate as you like. I dusted the top with cocoa powder, whipped an additional 150 g of heavy cream, piped it on top, and finished with cocoa-dusted peanut candy drops. I made 10 rosettes of whipped cream to mark 10 slices — though looking back, 12 slices probably would have been fine, since this cake is very rich.

Done — ready to serve! My mom, struggling to stop eating her slice, sighed: "It really shouldn't be legal to cook this well." I was very flattered. This Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake is incredibly light and melts right in your mouth. So, so delicious!