Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Mousse Filling

For the cake:

1/2 cup butter
3 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup water
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp distilled white vinegar


For the mousse:

1 pound strawberries
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 egg whites
pinch of salt


For the ganache:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour one 9x13 inch pan or two 9 inch round pans.

In a small pan melt the butter or margarine with the unsweetened chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly.

Cream together the sugar and the eggs until light in color. Add the chocolate mixture to the eggs and temper mixture by beating well (so you don't end up with scrambled eggs). Add 1 cup boiled water (still warm) and blend well. Mixture will be very liquidy.

Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add this mixture to the chocolate mixture and blend well.

Mix together the vinegar and the milk and stir into the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan(s).

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before filling.


For the mousse:

In a blender or food processor, puree strawberries with lemon juice and sugar.
In a mixing bowl beat cream until it is stiff. Gradually and gently mix the whipped cream with the berries.

In another mixing bowl beat egg whites with salt until stiff. Mix one cup of egg whites into berry and cream mixture, and then gently fold this back into egg whites. (If this is not being used as a filling, then refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving.)


For the ganache:

Place chocolate chips in a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour the cream into a saucepan, and bring to a boil. As soon as the cream boils up to the top of the pan, quickly remove it from the heat, and pour it over the chips. Let stand for a minute or two, then stir with a whisk, or use the paddle attachment for the mixer, to mix until smooth. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl occasionally. Stir in the vanilla until well blended. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface, and allow to cool at room temperature.


Assembling the cake:

Place the 1st layer of cake in the center of a 9-inch springform pan and arrange sliced strawberries on top. Pour in mousse until strawberries are covered.

Place the 2nd layer of cake in the center and cover it with more mousse. Refrigerate until set (4 hours).

Once the cake is chilled, remove it from the spring form pan and cover it with the ganache. The ganache should still be warm enough to pour, but not so warm that it just drips off the sides. I like to use the ganache when it's still slightly warm so that it pours and leaves a smooth and shiny surface on the cake, so it's important the cake is chilled before adding the ganache. Garnish as desired (I like chocolate covered strawberries or chocolate curls, but you can do whatever you want).

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This Week's Cravings: Strawberries