Universal chocolate mousse cake
When it comes to baking for colleagues, any excuse will do. Whether it's a birthday, leaving do, or a charity fundraiser, nothing makes faces light up like a slice of something sweet to punctuate the working day.
Coffee Morning is the perfect reason to dust off your oven gloves and share in the joy of cake with colleagues - on top of a much-needed boost, you'll be helping to raise vital funds to support the 3 million people living with cancer in the UK.
But with different allergies and dietary requirements to consider, it's easy to feel anxious about inadvertently bringing a risky ingredient into the workplace.
This showstopping recipe is your low-fuss solution, made without the most common allergens found in cakes - tree and ground nuts, eggs, dairy, gluten and soya.
Vegan, kosher and halal to boot, it's the perfect cake that almost anyone can enjoy. Just be sure to read all your ingredient labels carefully to make sure there's no risk of trace allergens or cross contamination.
Key information
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Chill time: 4 to 5 hours
Serves: 10 to 12
Recipe difficulty rating: Medium
Allergens: Remember to provide a list of potential allergens for each item served at your Coffee Morning event so people can clearly see what ingredients they contain. You can use our cake labels, but make sure you write clearly in block capitals and black ink.
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake
150g soy-free chocolate cake, at least 65% cocoa solids, chopped
340ml oat milk
40g extra-virgin olive oil
70g cornflour
80g caster sugar
1/4tsp baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
For the chocolate mousse
400ml plant-based milk
40g caster sugar
200g soy-free dark chocolate, 65-75% cocoa solids
How to prepare the universal chocolate mousse cake
For the mousse
- Bring 200ml of the milk to a simmer with the caster sugar in a medium saucepan.
- Put the chocolate in a heatproof jug or bowl, pour the milk over, and blend with a stick blender until combined.
- Add the remaining chilled milk to the jug or bowl and blend again until the mixture is very glossy and you can see a shiny reflection of light with no oily streaks (if you have a thermometer, it should have reached 30 to 35C), then pour into a shallow dish.
- Cover with clingfilm, press it on to the surface, and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. This will create a ganache-like cream that you can whip and spread on top of the chocolate bake base.
For the base
- Heat the oven to 190C (170C) / gas 5.
- Line the sides and base of a 23cm springform cake tin with baking parchment.
- Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the oat milk (or a coconut alternative) to a simmer and pour over the chocolate.
- Add the olive oil and whisk well to create a ganache.
- In another bowl, use a whisk to combine the cornflour, caster sugar, baking powder and a large pinch of sea salt. Add these ingredients to the bowel of ganache and use a silicone spatula to mix until combined.
- Pour the batter into the lined tin and tap to level the mixture. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the top springs back slightly when pressed with your fingertips.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
Assemble the cake
When you are ready to assemble the cake, it's time to whisk up the mouse.
- Chill a mixing bowl for 5 minutes, scrape the chilled chocolate cream into it, and whisky by hand or in a stand mixer until it forms stable peaks.
- Spread on top of the cooled chocolate cake in the tin. Return to the fridge for another 20 minutes before serving.
- Remove the cake from the tin, peel away the baking parchment and carefully transfer to a serving plate.
This recipe was originally published on the guardian.com as part of a Macmillan Cancer Support and Guardian Labs campaign.
