Cakes and Pastries Recipes - Cocoa Sponge Cake and Chocolate Apricot Mousse Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4:

• 2 1/8 oz butter

• 6 eggs

• 6 1/3 oz sugar

• 5 oz flour

• 1 oz cocoa

• 1 large can of apricots in syrup

• 2 1/2 oz dark chocolate

• 1 1/8 lb chocolate mousse (refer recipe)

• 1 1/4 lb (530 g) apricot mousse (refer recipe)

• 3 1/2 oz (100 g) apricot icing (refer recipe)

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Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 390°F/200°C. Melt 1 3/4 oz of butter. In a double boiler, blend the eggs and the sugar. Allow to cool to about 110F/45C, continuing to whisk. Remove from the double boiler and allow to cool while beating with an electric mixer for about 15 min.

2. Sift together 4 1/2 oz of flour and the cocoa. Combine with the egg-sugar mixture, stirring in slowly and folding in gently. Fold in the melted butter.

3. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8 inch (20 cm) pan. Bake for 7 min. Lower the temperature to 350F/180C and bake for about 30 min. Turn out the sponge cake on a piece of baking paper.

4. Drain the apricot halves, reserving the syrup. Process 4 1/4 oz (120 g) apricots to a puree, and mix with 6 fl oz (180 ml) of syrup. Set aside.

5. Place an 8 inch,  2 1/2 inch deep pastry ring on a serving dish. Cut a 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) layer of the sponge cake. Cover it with 7/8 oz (25 g) of melted chocolate and place it in the pastry ring, chocolate side down.

6. Brush the top with the syrup-apricot mixture. Spread on a 3/4 inch (2 cm) layer of chocolate mousse. Decorate with 8 apricot halves and allow it to set in the refrigerator for 30 min. Cover with apricot mousse and refrigerate for another 2 h.

7. Take the cake out of the oven, remove the pastry ring, and working with a spatula, glaze with a uniform layer of apricot icing. Refrigerate for 10 min.

8. Dry roast the leftover apricot halves in a non-stick pan and decorate with chocolate flakes (refer recipe).