Frozen Chocolate Mousse Torte

Flourless chocolate cake meets chocolate mousse meets ice cream cake.  It’s awesome and it’s been too long since I’ve made it.  It’s one of my mother’s recipes, and I think she originally sourced it from a nameless tiny cooking magazine several decades ago.

The ingredients are pretty simple, but the recipe is slightly annoying given the shear number of bowls you dirty in the process (one for egg whites, one for melting chocolate, one for egg yolks, one for whipped cream…).  The top and bottom layers are nearly the same, except the bottom is baked and the top has whipped cream folded into it.  There is a thin layer of raspberry preserves spread between the top and bottom layer.

Be sure to start it early enough to allow time for it to freeze before serving–better yet make it a day or two in advance.  Since the top layer is not baked, it does contain raw (albeit frozen) eggs.

Frozen Chocolate Mousse Torte

Serves 10-12

8 eggs, separated

1/8 tsp cream of tartar (okay to leave it out if you don’t have it)

1 cup sugar, divided

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted (in a double boiler or in the microwave)

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 c raspberry preserves

1 cup whipping cream

Optional: fresh raspberries, mint leaves for decoration

Heat oven 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan.  In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form.  Add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form; set aside.  In another large bowl beat the egg yolks with the remaining 3/4 cup sugar for about five minutes.  They will be fluffy and lemon yellow.  Add the vanilla and melted chocolate, fold together.  Next, fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate batter.  Once it is well combined, pour half of the batter into the prepared springform pan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Refrigerate the remaining batter while the bottom layer is baking and cooling.

Once the bottom layer is cooled, spread with the raspberry preserves.  Beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form.  Fold the whipping cream into the remaining refrigerated chocolate batter.  Spread over the raspberry preserves.  Cover the torte with plastic wrap and freeze for several hours or until firm.  Shortly before serving, remove the sides of the springform pan.  Arrange optional fresh raspberries in a band around edges of the torte as well as a few in the center with the sprigs of mint.