Can I Make This Without a Dessert Ring?
A dessert ring, or cake ring, is a handy tool for making mousse cakes and entremets. It is basically just a ring, usually made of stainless steel, without a base that will allow you to build your layers up inside of it, and then lift it off again when it is set.
I used an expandable dessert ring to make my tuxedo cake, as it lets me adjust the size to fit whatever size of cake I am making. But you also get fixed-sized dessert rings – if your cake ring is fixed, just make sure it is the same size as the cake pan you baked your chocolate cakes in.
If you don’t have a dessert ring, or it isn’t the right size, you can still make this recipe, there are a few options:
If you have a cake ring but the sides aren’t high enough for all the layers – you can still use the cake ring but try lining the inside with an acetate sheet to expand the height of the ring. It’s just a sheet of plastic that tapes together to form a higher ring. Once your cake is set you can just remove the tape and peel the acetate away.
If you don’t have a cake ring – Use a loose-bottomed cake pan. You could technically make this in a loose-bottomed cake pan, just make sure that the edges are high enough to hold all the layers. Also, you will have to be a little more careful when you are removing the tuxedo cake from the pan, as you’ll need to push it up from the bottom, rather than lifting the ring off from the top.
If you have a cake ring but it’s not the same size as your cake pan – If you have a cake ring but it’s too small for your cake layers, you can use it like a cookie cutter to cut the cake down to the right size. If your cake ring is bigger than your cake layers, try one of the other methods instead.
INGREDIENTS
For the Chocolate Cake
2 cups All-purpose Flour 240g
2 cups Sugar 400g
½ cup Cocoa Powder 50g
1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
1 ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
½ cup Milk 120ml
2 Eggs
½ cup Sour Cream 128g
½ cup Vegetable Oil 110g
1 teaspoon Espresso Powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla
½ teaspoon Salt
1 cup Hot Water 240ml
For the Chocolate Mousses
4 Egg Yolks
2 cups Heavy Cream 480ml
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3.5 oz Dark Chocolate 100g
3.5 oz White Chocolate 100g
For the Chocolate Ganache
4.3 oz Milk Chocolate 120g
½ cup Heavy Cream 120g
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the Chocolate Cake
Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C and grease two 8-inch cake pans.
In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients including the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk everything together.
2 cups All-purpose Flour,2 cups Sugar,½ cup Cocoa Powder,1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder,1 ½ teaspoon Baking Soda,½ teaspoon Salt
In a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients, except the hot water, this includes the eggs, milk, sour cream, vegetable oil and, vanilla. Whisk together lightly until it makes a homogenous mixture.
½ cup Milk,2 Eggs,½ cup Sour Cream,½ cup Vegetable Oil,1 teaspoon Vanilla
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until everything is combined and there are no lumps.
In a small bowl or a glass, combine the hot water with the espresso powder and mix until completely dissolved. Pour into the cake batter and mix until combined.
1 teaspoon Espresso Powder,1 cup Hot Water
Divide the batter evenly between your two cake pans and bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool completely before removing them from the pans. Level off the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife or cake leveler, so they are completely flat. You may also want to cut the layers down to a thinner size if you want a thinner layer of cake.
Place a cake ring on top of a cake board or serving plate and place one of the layers of cake in the bottom. Set aside until the mousse is ready.
Make the Chocolate Mousses
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