Bake 2.19: Tropical Layered Mousse Cake

We had a drizzly day this week and I thought a summery mousse cake was in order. The challenge was to create a layered mousse cake with a light sponge and at least 1 mousse flavor. I decided to go with a coconut sponge and then layered pineapple jam and mango mousse. Yum yum!

Ingredients
Coconut Cake

1 1/4 cup cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large egg whites

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1/2 cup coconut milk - canned

1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted lightly

Pineapple Jam

10 ounces pineapple chunks (I used frozen) 

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

Juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon gelatin powder

Mango Mousse 

8 ounces mascarpone cheese 

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup mango puree*

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons gelatin powder

6 ounces heavy cream

*10 ounce bag of frozen mango thawed in a colander to remove excess moisture and and then puree until smooth. Run through the colander to ensure there are no chunky bits. If you have a mango tree or access to fresh mango, puree the fresh mango, it is nicer but harder to find.

Put the jam on the stove while you make the cake (or make it ahead!). Put the pineapple, sugar, and water in a saucepan on the stove and cook on a low-medium heat. Cook 20-30 minutes until the fruit is soft and the sugar is fully dissolved. Allow to cool slightly - or take the risk - and blend until smooth in a blender or food processor. Return to the same pan and cook another 20-30 minutes until thickened. Bloom the gelatin in 1 tablespoon of cool water. Add a scoop of the jam to temper and then pour into the pan, add the lime juice, and whisk until well incorporated. I used a spare cake pan lined with plastic wrap to let the jam layer set up, pop it in the fridge, or freezer, depending on how quickly you need it to set.

Next up cake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prep your cake pan. As I was going to build the cake in a springform pan, I chose a cake pan that was one size smaller than my springform, 8 inches. I used one of the cake pans to set the jam so when I pop the cake in the mold the jam will fit right on top. That may have been an in the moment decision but it worked 

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in the mixing bowl. Add the egg whites one at a time and mix. Add the sour cream and extracts. Don't worry if it separates, it will come back together. Add the dry ingredients alternatively with the coconut milk. Before all the flour is incorporated, add the shredded coconut. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake 21-24 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Set aside on a wire rack to cool. 

Optional: put the remainder of the coconut milk in a small saucepan and reduce. Use that to soak the cake. I say optional but let me tell you, when cooked down it is the coconut version of sweetened condensed milk. It is so good. So. Good.

Mousse time! Bloom the gelatin in 2 tablespoons cool water. Whisk the mascarpone, milk, and mango puree and heat until warm. Whisk in sugar and a pinch of salt until dissolved. If it has cooled too much heat slightly, you want it to be warm still, then whisk in the bloomed gelatin. Set aside. In another bowl lightly whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold the two mixtures together. 

Assembly time. I lined the bottom of a springform pan with parchment, trimmed the cake to be an even layer and placed it in the bottom, then soaked it with the condensed coconut milk. Placed the jam layer on top of the cake. Then pour the mousse over both. 

Now you have to be patient while the whole thing chills! That is the hardest part. 

I had extra mango puree so I added 1/2 teaspoon of bloomed gelatin to it and then heated and whisked them together, cooled and then poured that over the top of the cake after the mousse had started to set. I then sprinkled some coconut on top, nothing fancy! Clearly waiting for the cake to be ready was a struggle for me and I had a little extra gelatin... and Yum! 

Bonus: Chocolate Zucchini Brownies with Coconut and Flaked Salt

We continue to have a plethora of zucchini and earlier today a funny joke was shared with my work team that got me thinking about coconut pie... so somehow that brought us to brownies. I am not going to try to understand how that occurred so I would suggest that you just roll with that one. Since this recipe uses the moisture from the zucchini you can leave out dairy and eggs!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

2 cups shredded zucchini (do not squeeze out the liquid!)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup mini chocolate chips - or regular - I just had mini in the cabinet

1/3 cup flaked coconut 

1 teaspoon flaked sea salt

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9 x 13 pan with baking spray. In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour, and oil until it is all moist. Love that word. Add the cocoa and mix until combined. It will be dry and you may be thinking this is weird but it will be okay in a moment. Add the zucchini and mix. Add the baking soda, salt, vanilla, and most of the chocolate chips (reserve some for the top). 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle the top with the remaining chips, coconut, and flaked sea salt. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy warm with a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream. So yummy! 

Bake 3: German Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Celebration Cake time!

I love coconut, my favorite candy bar is definitely Bounty with all its dark chocolate and coconut goodness. When girl scout cookies come to town I am can not resist a Samoa. When I was thinking about this bake it dawned on me that I had never made a German Chocolate Cake. So clearly, now is the time. It may not feel celebratory to everyone but given that it is not a normal cake I make and it is so very rich! 

First we need to have a heart to heart about 'German Chocolate'. This is not German as in the European country and home to a fabulous beer culture and free university for all. This cake was originally called German's Chocolate Cake after the chocolate maker Samuel German who developed the sweet baking chocolate that is used in this cake as early as 1852. The cake recipe was first documented in 1957 in the Dallas Morning News and spread across the country from there. It is rather a sweet chocolate and doesn't have a deep chocolate flavor. There don't seem to be a lot of other recipes that feature German's chocolate, however, so if you have trouble finding German's chocolate, you can use semi sweet baking chocolate and add 1/2 tablespoon of sugar for each ounce, so in this case, 8 ounces chocolate, and 4 tablespoons sugar. 

Note: this cake is not small, it is not at all even close to small. So feel welcome to half the recipe and bake it in two cake tins for a more reasonably sized cake. 

Ingredients

Filling

6 egg yolks 

1 12 oz can evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cubed butter (use salted, or add 1/2 teaspoon salt)

3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

1 1/3 cups chopped toasted pecans

Cake

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 oz German's chocolate, melted

4 large eggs, separated

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup buttermilk +2 tablespoons

1/4 cup water 

Frosting

1 cup butter (use salted, or add 1/2 teaspoon salt)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3-5 tablespoons milk 

3-4 cups powdered sugar 

Start with the filling! In a large sauce pan, combine the egg yolks, milk, and vanilla and whisk until combined. Add the sugar and butter, cooking on medium until thickened (close to pudding) and golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Don't walk away, just stir stir stir. Remove from heat and add in the coconut and pecans. Spread on a sheet tray if you need to cool it quickly, or pop the pan in the fridge to cool if you are in no hurry.

Next the cake! Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prep three 9 inch cake pans. You can be fancy if you want and do parchment but seriously, spray grease with flour = dream. 

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add the sour cream and vanilla until combined. Add the chocolate, mixing until combined. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing until combined. In a small bowl combine the dry ingredients, and in a measuring cup (I use a two cup Pyrex for all these kinds of things) combine the buttermilk and water. Add half the dry, mix, add all the milk, mix, add the rest of the dry. Set aside. 

Whip the egg whites in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until stiff peaks. Gently fold 1/3 into the batter, when a few streaks remain, add the rest of the egg whites and fold until combined. 

Divide into the three pans, and make 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes away clean. 

While the cake cools, make the frosting. Beat the butter until smooth, add 1 cup of powdered sugar until smooth, add vanilla, cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons milk. Then slowly add the remaining powdered sugar until you have the right consistency. If you over-add sugar and it gets to thick, just add a little more milk. Taste as you get to the end to make sure it is the texture and sweetness you like. This is a very forgiving frosting. Put 1/3 in a pastry bag for your decorations, and get ready to assemble. 

It sounds complicated but it is actually just a 1-2-3 pattern. First trim your cake layers if needed. Then (1) place the layer on the cake plate (2) pipe a dam of frosting around the edge (3) spread 1/3 of the filling through the middle, then do that again. Then for the top layer frost the sides before piping the dam and filling the middle. You can get fancy with the frosting, or not, sometimes it is hard to get fancy when you just want to eat it! Some folks leave this kind of cake naked, but here in our dry climate, the frosting helps keep the cake moist unless you plan to eat it all in the first day.

Next up, the second episode! Biscuits!