Chocolate Mousse Cake With Chocolate Whipped Cream

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 35 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup hazelnuts (4 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 (8 ounce) packages semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 ounce semisweet chocolate
• shelled hazelnuts (for garnish - optional)

Recipe

• 1 grease a 9 inch springform pan.
• 2 in food processor or blender, coarsely grind hazelnuts to make 1 1/4 cups.
• 3 combine ground hazelnuts and melted butter.
• 4 press hazelnut/butter mixture into the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of greased pan.
• 5 in a saucepan combine the cut up chocolate and 1/2 cup heavy cream.
• 6 stir over low heat until chocolate is melted.
• 7 remove cream from heat.
• 8 in a mixer bowl, beat eggs and vanilla at low speed until well mixed.
• 9 add flour and sugar, beat on high speed for 10 minutes, or until thick and lemon colored.
• 10 in a small bowl, beat remaining (1/2 cup) heavy cream until soft peaks form.
• 11 stir about 1/4 of the egg mixture into the melted chocolate.
• 12 fold remaining egg mixture into chocolate mixture, then fold in the whipped cream.
• 13 turn mixture into prepared pan.
• 14 bake in a preheated 325â°f oven for 30-35 minutes, or until puffed on the outer third of the top.
• 15 (center will be slightly soft).
• 16 cool cake for 20 minutes.
• 17 remove pan sides.
• 18 cool on a rack 3 to 4 hours.
• 19 cake may be served at room temperature or chilled.
• 20 if serving the cake the next day, cover and store in the refrigerator.
• 21 before serving, decoratively pipe (or dollop) the chocolate whipped cream on the top of the cake and garnish with whole hazelnuts.
• 22 chocolate whipped cream: in a small saucepan, combine heavy cream and semisweet chocolate.
• 23 stir over low heat until all the chocolate is melted.
• 24 remove from heat and stir until there are no chocolate specks remaining.
• 25 pour mixture into a bowl and chill well.
• 26 just before serving, beat cream until stiff peaks form (tips of peaks should stand straight).