Chocolate mousse cake

Makes about 18 wedges

75g/3oz butter
6 size 2 eggs
175g/6oz caster sugar
100g/4oz self-raising flour
25g/1oz cocoa
2 tbsp cornflour

For the Mousse Filling:
175g/6oz plain chocolate, broken into pieces
2 Tbsp brandy
1 tsp powdered gelatine
2 eggs, separated
300ml/10fl oz double cream

For the Decoration:
200g/7oz plain chocolate, broken into pieces
150g/5oz white chocolate, broken into pieces
150ml/5fl oz double cream
icing sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F/Gas 4). Grease and base line a 23cm/9in
deep round loose-bottomed cake tin with greased greaseproof paper. Place
the butter in a small pan and heat gently until melted. Leave to cool
slightly. Whisk the eggs and sugar together using an electric whisk on
full speed until the mixture is pale yellow and creamy and thick enough to
leave a trail when the whisk is lifted from the mixture. Sift the flour,
cocoa and cornflour together. Carefully fold half the flours into the egg
mixture. Pour half the cooled butter around the edge of the mixture and
carefully fold in. Gradually fold in the remaining flours and then the
remaining butter. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake in the
preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes until well risen, firm to the touch
and beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin. Turn out on to a
wire rack and leave to cool. Cut the cake in half horizontally and place
the bottom half back in the clean tin.
To make the mousse filling, melt the chocolate with the brandy slowly in a
bowl over a pan of water. Meanwhile sprinkle the gelatine over 1 Tbsp of
cold water in a small bowl and leave to sponge for about 10 minutes. Stand
the bowl in a pan of hot water and allow to dissolve gently. Leave the
melted chocolate to cool slightly and then stir in the egg yolks. Whip the
cream until it just stands in soft peaks, then fold into the chocolate.
Stir the dissolved gelatine into the chocolate mixture. Whisk the egg
whites until stiff but not dry, and gently fold in. Pour the mousse on top
of the cake in the tin, gently level the surface and top with the
remaining cake. Cover and leave to set in the fridge. While the mousse
is setting, melt the decoration chocolates separately, and use to make
caraque. When the mousse is set, ease around the sides of the mousse
with small palette knife and then stand the base of the cake tin on a
large can. Ease the sides of the tin down, then slip the cake off the cake
tin base and on to a serving plate. Whip the cream and cover the top and
sides of the cake with it. Arrange the white and plain chocolate caraque
to cover the cake completely: do so in any pattern you like! Dust with a
little icing sugar.

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