This gluten-free recipe is absolutely delicious and great for holiday entertaining. It’s my lighter version of one of my favourite classic French desserts, Chocolate Mousse Torte – Ooh la la! Using coconut sugar or, alternatively, sweetened chocolate, helps to make this divinely decadent dessert a healthier treat. This cake is seriously worth the little extra time and effort it takes to make it.
NOTE: Once you get started the recipe is really easy. Read through it first and prepare all your ingredients. The cake needs to cool for 1 hour before removing from the pan, but if you can’t resist you can always just scoop up yummy, warm spoonful and serve with a little sweetened whipped cream or ice cream.
Chocolate Mousse Cake
SERVES: 10 – 12
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
BAKING TIME: 30 – 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 500gm dark chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips
- 1 cup butter or ghee
- 9 large eggs, separated
- ¾ cup coconut sugar (for egg yolks)
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- ¼ tsp sea salt (to taste).
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C and line a spring form tin (approx. 25.5 x 30.5) with 2 pieces of baking paper forming a crisscross (to ensure the batter does not leak) and generously rub with butter or coconut oil. You can also just use a regular cake tin, baking dish or individual ramekins and serve right from them, if you prefer.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler or in a pan set over boiling water. Be careful not to get any water in the chocolate mixture or it will harden. Stir well to combine and remove from heat.
- Beat the egg yolks and ¾ of a cup of coconut sugar with an electric mixer until very thick. Then gently add the egg yolks to the chocolate mixture and combine well.
- Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Then fold the egg whites into the mixture and gently mix. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until edges are firm but the center still jiggles. Cool the cake on a wire rack for at least ½ hour before removing from the pan.
- Remove the sides of the baking tin and gently slide the cake onto a serving plate with the baking paper or gently remove the baking paper. If the cake comes apart a little just reform it and then top the cake with whipped cream or ice cream, berries, coconut caramel sauce and a little raspberry coulis.
Raspberry Coulis (Sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 cup raspberries (frozen and thawed or fresh)
- 2 – 3 tbsp honey or maple syrup (to taste)
- A little filtered or spring water (to thin)
Method
- Place the ingredients in the blender and blend until well combined. You may need to add a little more water while blending, but not too much because it will be too thin.
Strain out the seeds and check for sweetness. Add a little more honey or maple syrup if needed and refrigerate for up to 4 days. You can freeze the coulis for up to 1 month and thaw when needed.
Coconut Caramel Sauce
NOTE: You can use coconut oil in place of the butter and coconut cream instead of cream for a vegan version. You will have to stir a little harder to combine if using coconut oil.
MAKES: Approx. 1¼ cup
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: Approx. 15 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter or coconut oil
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup coconut cream (unsweetened)
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- pinch of salt (add more for a salted caramel flavour, but not too much)
Method
- Prep all the ingredients so they are ready to use before you start the sauce.
- Place the butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat and start to melt. Then whisk in the coconut sugar.
- Continue whisking until the coconut sugar has melted and is starting to bubble. Be careful not to burn. Add the coconut cream, vanilla essence and salt and continue whisking until combined and the sauce thickens a little. This should take a few minutes.
- The sauce is now ready to enjoy, or you can keep refrigerated for up to 1 week or freeze for 1 month – but it never lasts that long in my home or clients’ homes!
“Chef to the Stars”, Kate McAloon loves bringing people together through food. Her love of travel and cooking has helped shaped her interest in different cultures and their foods. Much of her inspiration comes from her favourite global destination, the French Riviera, where she lived and attended cooking school at the Moulin de Mougins Restaurant and also worked as an apprentice chef in their kitchen.
Chef Kate’s natural talent for creating healthy food with amazing flavours has made her a favourite among some of the world’s most well-known celebrities, including Miranda.
Kate’s book, The Flavour of Joy is more than a cookbook! It includes stories to inspire, uplift and amuse, as well as over 80 delicious easy to prepare healthy recipes, tips, a few of her more memorable celebrity kitchen mishap stories and some of her clients’ favourite dishes.
Kate says, “When your food is organic, very tasty and deeply satisfying, you just naturally eat less, feel better and feel the JOY.”
theflavourofjoy.com | @ChefKateMcAloon |@ChefKateMcAloonOfficial
