The end is in sight. Only a few more recipes to go and I will be all caught up with French Fridays with Dorie. Today’s catch up recipe is Chocolate Mousse Cake.
Why have I put this one off for so long? I mean, with a name that includes those three delectable little words, shouldn’t this have been one of the first recipes I tried? One would think, but the truth is that I already have a perfect chocolate mousse cake recipe which I have been making for years, and so I just didn’t really have any motivation to try what appeared to be a more complicated version of my trusty standard. The recipe which I have served to countless guests over the years comes from Williams Sonoma’s old Christmas book. As unexciting as a cookbook series might sound, I am unapologetic in saying that I love my Williams Sonoma books. The recipes are incredibly well tested and (one of my favorite features) there is a picture for EVERY SINGLE recipe! Not just that but they list all temperatures in both Farenheit and Celsius, and all weights in both imperial and metric units; dream features for the home cook trying to cook american recipes in europe.
As you can probably tell by now, Dorie’s cake had a bit of an uphill battle to win the hearts and stomachs in my household. Isn’t that always the problem when you already have the perfect recipe for something? But perhaps I should stop beating around the bush and just get to the point.
Dorie’s cake, or as she has named it, Michel Rostang’s Double Chocolate Mousse Cake, is rich, chocolaty, and delicious. No question, our stomachs were impressed. Another winning recipe from Dorie. However, the cook noticed that this recipe was significantly more time consuming than our old standby because it needs to be baked twice and cooled in between. And since this is the type of cake which I am generally making to wrap up a dinner party, time is of the essence. Thus, delicious as this one was, I will be sticking with my Williams Sonoma recipe in the future.
one expat's life 
I agree with you. This is tasty, but I’m not sure all of the fuss with the double-baking was worth it. Happy that you liked it! You might try adding a little cinnamon and/or ground chiles (like chipotle or ancho) to give it an even more American twist. Happy that you enjoyed so much!!!
I haven’t done this one yet. I should pick up the pace with my make-up recipes. I only have a handful to go, but they’re all things that I hesitate to make for one reaason or another. In the case of this and the Eclairs, it’s b/c I will eat them all. For things like the short ribs and the mustard tart, it’s just that they don’t sound that delicious to me. It looks like March features 2 recipes I’ve already done (and one I wasn’t wild about), so i may knock out a few more make-ups.
Yeah, my family is used to lots of decadent desserts…this was fine, but I’ve made may better chocolate mousse cakes 🙂
At least you gave it a try! I’d be willing to try the Williams-Sonoma recipe now!
I know how expensive it is, but I do like cookbooks with pictures, too. If I’m making up a recipe, the picture of the final product is already in my head; but, if I’m following someone else’s recipe, I need to know what I’m aiming for. 🙂 I think I skipped this one … if I recall, I didn’t read the directions until I began – d’oh! – and the double-bake meant there wouldn’t be time … yours turned out beautifully!