Chocolate Almond Mousse Cake
Almond sponge cake soaked with Amaretto, chocolate mousse & almond buttercream! This is one of my all time favorite cakes!
Ingredients
For the Almond Sponge Cake
- 1 cup Vegan Butter (226g)
- 2 cup Granulated Sugar (400g)
- 3 Tbs Flax Meal (24g)
- 6 Tbs Hot Water (90ml)
- 1½ cup Plant Milk (355ml)
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (10ml)
- 1 teaspoon Almond Extract (5ml)
- 3 cup All Purpose Flour (375g)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1½ cup Raw Almonds *see notes (225g)
For the Chocolate Mousse
- 8 ounces Semi Sweet Vegan Chocolate (226g)
- 3 Tbs Hot brewed coffee (45ml)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (5ml)
- ¼ cup Aquafaba (60ml)
- 4 Tbs Granulated Sugar (50g)
- ¼ teaspoon Cream Of Tartar *see ntoes
- 1½ cup Vegan Whipped Cream
For the Amaretto Chocolate Ganache
- 4 ounces Semi Sweet Vegan Chocolate (113g)
- 6 Tbs Plant Milk (90ml)
- 2 Tbs Amaretto (30ml)
For the Simple Syrup
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 Tbs Amaretto *optional
For the Icing
- 1 Recipe Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 2 teaspoon Almond Extract
Instructions
- For the Almond Cake Batter Be sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before beginning.
- First prepare your 7" cake pans with grease & parchment paper lining & preheat the oven to 350°F
- Combine the flax meal & hot water together in a small bowl & set aside to thicken for about 5 minutes.
- Grind the almonds in a food processor or chop as fine as possible by hand
- Sift the flour with the salt, baking powder & baking soda
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the vegan butter& sugar on medium to high speed until light & fluffy, this may take close to 5 minutes. Scrape the bottom & sides of the bowl from time to time to ensure an even mix.
- Add the flax paste to the creamed mixture & then whip on high for 10 seconds to emulsify
- Turn the speed back down to low and add 1/3 of the sifted dry ingredients & mix just until it is combined
- Now add half of the plant milk with the extracts & mix just until combined
- Repeat with another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, the other half of the plant milk & then the last of the dry ingredients. (this is called alternating creaming method)
- Now add the finely ground almonds to the batter & mix evenly
- Portion the batter into your prepared pans & bake in the preheated 350°F oven for 20 minutes. Then turn the oven temperature down to 300° & bake for another approx 20 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
- Cool the cakes in the pans until they are cool to the touch, then flip them out onto a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
- Prepare the buttercream recipe of your choice and set it aside
- Prepare the Chocolate Ganache by chopping the chocolate to small pieces & place in a medium sauce pot with the plant milk whisking constantly over medium heat until melted & smooth. Add the Amaretto *If alcohol free you will use more plant milk
- The truffles are simply scoops of cooled & set ganache rolled into chopped almonds~ Optional garnish
- For the Chocolate Mousse Melt the chocolate in a large bowl over a double boiler or in a microwave safe bowl~ Reserve
- Combine the hot coffee & the agar powder in a smaller sauce pot over high heat & whisk smooth. Keep it warm or the agar will set and you will have to remelt.
- Meanwhile whip your favorite whipped cream to medium peaks & reserve in the refrigerator
- Now whip the aquafaba with the cream of tartar to stiff peaks while adding the sugar very slowly~ reserve
- Now prepare the mousse: Add the hot brewed coffee with the agar & the vanilla extract to the melted chocolate all at once while whisking vigorously to incorporate well.
- Add half of the whipped cream to the COOLED chocolate mousse base (must be at least 80℉ or you will melt your whipped cream) mix well to lighten the mixture- work quickly as the agar will begin to set~ then add the rest of the whipped cream
- Finally fold in the whipped aquafaba meringue
- At this point you can allow the mousse to set in the refrigerator to a scoop-able consistency to build the cake, or set the cake up in a ring mold & pour the freshly made mousse into the mold with the cake layers so everything can set together firmly *see video visual
- Once the mousse is set inside the cake, proceed to assemble & ice the cake as shown in the video tutorial
Video
Notes
My preferred method of building cakes with soft fillings like this one is to use a ring mold with an acetate cake strip *see video Alternatively you can fill the cake traditional style with a buttercream dam as usual
The best results for this cake texture came from grinding raw almonds to a course meal rather than using nut flour that I purchased at the store
Store bought nut flour is too fine and resulted in a slightly more dry and heavy cake Cream of Tartar is used to strengthen meringues but it is not an essential ingredient. Convert easily to 2-8" cake layers with no changes to the recipes. Storage Chocolate Mousse Cake must be kept refrigerated but can be kept at room temperature for an hour during serving. Store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator wrapped loosely to prevent drying
Store bought nut flour is too fine and resulted in a slightly more dry and heavy cake Cream of Tartar is used to strengthen meringues but it is not an essential ingredient. Convert easily to 2-8" cake layers with no changes to the recipes. Storage Chocolate Mousse Cake must be kept refrigerated but can be kept at room temperature for an hour during serving. Store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator wrapped loosely to prevent drying
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!