Recipe: Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake - Gourmet 1990

RASPBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE
Adapted from*: Gourmet Magazine, April 1990

FOR THE PASTRY CREAM:
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 cups milk, scalded
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE GENOISE:
3 ounces fine-quality white chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons water
3 large eggs at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 teaspoon salt
FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE:
1 cup Pastry Cream
9 ounces fine-quality white chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
FOR THE RASPBERRY MOUSSE:
2 packages (10-ounce each) frozen raspberries in light syrup, thawed and drained, reserving 1/3 cup of the syrup
1 envelope of unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons framboise
1/2 cup heavy cream
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
1/4 cup framboise (for brushing the cake layer)
2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
FOR THE GARNISH:
fresh raspberries
fine-quality white chocolate at room temperature (about 72 degrees F.), shaved with a vegetable peeler into curls and kept covered and chilled
fresh mint sprigs
NEEDED FOR PREPARATION:
electric mixer
blender or food processor
pastry brush
8 1/2-inch springform pan (for baking cake)
9 1/2-inch springform pan (for assembling cake)
8-inch cardboard round
plastic wrap and wax paper

MAKE THE PASTRY CREAM:
(One cup of this pastry cream will be used in the White Chocolate Mousse and the remainder will be used in the Raspberry Mousse.)

Place a fine strainer over a 1-quart heat-resistant bowl; set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, whisk together well the egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and a pinch of salt. Add the cornstarch and whisk the mixture until it is just combined. In a slow stream, gradually whisk in the scalded milk.

Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute or until it is very thick and smooth. Remove from heat and pour the pastry cream through the strainer into the bowl.

Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and the 3 tablespoons butter. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cooled completely.

MAKE THE WHITE CHOCOLATE GENOISE:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a greased 8 1/2-inch springform pan with wax paper, grease the paper, and dust the pan with flour, knocking out the excess.

In a double boiler or in a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the white chocolate with the butter, the vanilla, and 3 tablespoons water, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and let the mixture cool.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the eggs with the sugar on high speed for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is triple in volume and forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted.

Sift the flour and salt together into the egg mixture and stir just until the batter is just combined.

Fold in the white chocolate mixture gently but thoroughly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.

Bake the cake in the middle of a preheated 350 degree F oven for 25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack, run a sharp knife around the edge, and remove the side of the pan. Invert the cake onto another rack and remove the wax paper. Turn the cake right-side-up onto the rack and let it cool completely.

MAKE THE WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE:
In a double boiler or in a metal bowl set over barely simmering water, melt the white chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.

In a large bowl whisk together the cooled white chocolate and 1 cup of the pastry cream until the mixture is combined well (return the remaining pastry cream to the refrigerator and reserve for the raspberry mousse).

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the 1 cup heavy cream until it holds soft peaks. Whisk one fourth of the whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently but thoroughly. Refrigerate while making the Raspberry Mousse.

MAKE THE RASPBERRY MOUSSE:
In a blender or food processor puree the raspberries with the reserved syrup. Strain the puree through a fine sieve set over a metal bowl, pressing hard on the solids.

In a small saucepan sprinkle the gelatin over the 3 tablespoons framboise and let it soften for 1 minute. Heat over moderately low heat, stirring, until the gelatin is dissolved. Whisk the gelatin mixture into the puree; cool to room temperature.

Pour the raspberry-gelatin mixture into the bowl of reserved pastry cream; whisk until smooth. Then set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water, and whisk the mixture until it is the consistency of raw egg white. Remove the bowl from the ice water.

With an electric mixer beat the 1/2 cup heavy cream until it holds soft peaks. Whisk one fourth of the whipped cream into the raspberry mixture. Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently but thoroughly.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
Oil a 9 1/2-inch springform pan. Letting the excess hang over the side, line the sides of the pan as smoothly as possible with pieces of plastic wrap (the plastic wrap prevents the filling from discoloring and makes unmolding the cake easier). Put an 8-inch cardboard round in the bottom of the pan.

Using a long serrated knife, cut the cooled genoise horizontally into 3 layers.

Invert the top layer of the genoise onto the cardboard round in the lined pan. Brush to layer with some of the framboise. Spread the layer evenly with half the white chocolate mousse (about 2 cups).

Invert the middle layer of the genoise onto the mousse. Brush it with some of the remaining framboise. Spread about 1 cup of the raspberry mousse evenly over the middle layer of genoise in the pan.

Arrange some of the raspberries neatly around the edge of the pan, and continue to arrange the raspberries in concentric circles until the surface of the mousse is covered. Spread the remaining raspberry mousse over the raspberries.

Invert the third layer of genoise onto the mousse and brush it with the remaining framboise. Spread the remaining white chocolate mousse over the genoise (the pan will be completely full).

Cover the surface with wax paper. Refrigerate the cake for at least 6 hours or overnight.

GARNISH THE CAKE:
Remove the side of the pan, peel the plastic wrap carefully from the side of the cake, and transfer the cake with a spatula to a serving plate.

Arrange fresh raspberries around the top edge of the cake. Mound the white chocolate curls in the center. Garnish the bottom edge of the cake with fresh raspberries and mint sprigs.

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*EDITOR'S NOTE:
Thank you Gay for finding this recipe. While I've never made it myself, I took the liberty of reorganizing the procedure and making a few edits to the wording in a way that I hope will be helpful. Carolyn, you may not recognize this as the recipe you requested, but the ingredients haven't been changed and the end result should be the same - hopefully it's the recipe you were referring to!

CLICK HERE if you'd like a copy of the original recipe.

Happy Baking!

Betsy at Recipelink.com