Chocolate Mousse Bombes Recipes

GERMAN CHOCOLATE BOMBES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. Coat a 13×18-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Put the chocolate and cocoa in a medium heatproof bowl, add the boiling water, and whisk to combine and melt the chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Beat the sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl halfway through. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly add the buttermilk and vanilla-the batter will look curdled at this point. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Alternate adding the flour mixture (in 3 additions) with the chocolate mixture (in 2 additions), ending with the flour mixture. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan on the counter to level the batter.
• Bake until the cake springs back when poked in the center with a finger, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. (Well-wrapped, the cake will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator, or up to 1 month in the freezer.)
• Pulse the coconut and pecans in a food processor until they resemble coarse cornmeal.
• Combine the sugar, butter, egg yolks, evaporated milk, and vanilla in a 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a spoon or spatula, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spoon and hold a trail when a finger is drawn through it, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on high speed until cooled, fluffy, and slightly lightened in color, 6 to 10 minutes. Add the coconut-pecan mixture and beat on medium speed until combined, 1 minute more. Refrigerate until ready to use. (You can refrigerate the filling for up to 1 week.)
• Melt the chocolate and butter in a large bowl set in a skillet of barely simmering water. Remove from the heat and stir with a spatula to combine. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Whip the egg whites in a clean stand mixer fitted with a clean whisk attachment on medium-high speed to soft peaks, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add the sugar and continue to whip to stiff peaks, 3 to 4 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whip the cream with a whisk or electric hand mixer to medium-stiff peaks.
• In a small bowl, combine the egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. Mix the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture with a spatula. Fold in the whipped egg whites, then fold in the whipped cream-there shouldn't be any visible streaks.
• Set two silicone bombe molds that hold at least 5 bombes each (3-1/4-inch diameter and 1/2-cup capacity) on a 13×18-inch rimmed baking sheet.
• Turn the cake out onto a cutting board. Use a 3-1/8-inch round cutter to cut 10 circles from the chocolate cake. Reserve the remaining cake for another use.
• Scoop about 1/4 cup of the mousse into each mold and smear it evenly all over the insides of the molds with the back of a small spoon. Refrigerate or freeze until set, 10 to 20 minutes. Evenly distribute the coconut-pecan filling among the molds (about 2-1/2 Tbs. each), and then gently press a cake circle into each mold. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
• Unmold the frozen bombes one at a time onto a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Let sit until nearly room temperature, 2 to 3 hours.
• Put the chopped chocolate and corn syrup in a medium stainless-steel bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium-high heat until just boiling, then pour it over the chocolate mixture and let sit for 3 minutes. Whisk gently until smooth. Transfer to a liquid measuring cup for easy pouring.
• Pour the glaze evenly over the bombes to coat them completely. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. (Glaze the bombes no more than 8 hours in advance.)
• Let the bombes sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

WHITE CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY FROZEN MOUSSE BOMBES RECIPE

Steps:

• To Prepare the Mold: Place the dome mold sheet onto a sheet tray. Using a pastry brush, paint the melted, tempered chocolate evenly on the surface of each of the mold cavities, making sure that the chocolate goes straight to the edge. Place the molds in the fridge to set.
• To Prepare the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Make an X with butter on the surface of a sheet tray, and line the tray with parchment. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on high speed, cream the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time and mix well after each addition. Sift dry ingredients together, turn the mixer down to low speed, and add half of the dry ingredients, followed by half the buttermilk. Mix on low until just incorporated, then add the rest of the dry ingredients and buttermilk and mix until just incorporated. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and finish mixing by hand with a large rubber spatula, then pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with an offset spatula. Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then run a knife around the edge and place a piece of parchment and an inverted sheet tray on top and turn the cake upside down onto the new parchment. Pull the parchment off the top gently and allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes before cutting cake circles with a cutter that is the same size as the cavities of the mold.
• To Prepare the Mousse: In a large bowl set over boiling water, melt the white chocolate. Add the 2 ounces of cream a little at a time, stirring until the mixture becomes smooth and warm to the touch. Melt the bloomed gelatin in the microwave (stop every 15 seconds to check it) and stir to add it to the mixture. Whisk the egg yolks and the salt together, then add them to the chocolate mixture a little bit at a time, whisking as you go to prevent them from cooking into chunks. Whisk the mixture for 1 minute over the double broiler, then remove it from the heat and place in the fridge to cool to room temperature, a point where the mixture is neither warm nor cold (about 20 minutes). At this point, the chocolate mixture will be firmer. Whisk to make it smooth and supple. Add 1/4 of the cold whipped cream to the chocolate mixture and stir to lighten it. Add the remaining cream and fold gently to incorporate it.
• To Assemble the Bombes: Place the mousse in a piping bag. Remove the chilled mold from the fridge. Pipe the mousse into each of the shells, taking care to only fill it just to the top. Place a raspberry or two into each bombe and smooth mousse over the top. Place a circle of cake over each and gently press the cake into the mousse. Put the mold on a sheet tray in the freezer and allow it to freeze for at least 4 hours.
• To Make the Sauce: Place the frozen raspberries and sugar in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. The raspberries will begin to melt, then they will liquefy. Stir to help break them up in the pot. When the fruit begins to simmer, remove from heat and force the juice through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the seeds, chill the sauce.
• For Serving: Set out plates for portioning. Place a tablespoon of sauce on the plate, then drag the spoon through the spot to create a design. Loosen the edges of the bombes from the molds and turn the cavities inside out to unmold the bombes. Allow them to sit for 20 minutes so the cake can thaw, then carefully place the bombes on the plates and serve.

BOOZY CHOCOLATE BOMBES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter 6 x 150ml ovenproof pudding moulds and put a disc of baking parchment in the base of each.
• To make the sponge, put the butter, chocolate and coffee in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Gently heat until melted, add the vanilla and stir to combine. Set aside to cool a little. Sift the flour, cocoa and bicarb into another bowl, then scatter in the sugar, breaking up any clumps of sugar with your fingers. Mix the eggs and yogurt in a jug. Add the chocolate mixture and the egg mixture to the flour, and stir everything with a spatula until there are no visible lumps of flour. Divide the mixture between the 6 moulds, put on a baking tray and cook in the centre of the oven for 30 mins or until a skewer pushed into the cakes comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Can be made up to 5 days ahead, wrapped well in cling film and stored in a sealed container; or freeze for up to 6 weeks.
• While the cakes cool, make the chocolate mousse. Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water. Leave to cool for 5 mins, then stir in the egg yolk. Whisk the egg white in another bowl until stiff, add the sugar and continue to whisk until glossy and thick. Pour the cream into a third bowl and lightly whisk until thick. Tip the cream into the chocolate and stir to combine. Add the beaten egg white and, using a metal spoon, fold together until there are no streaks of egg white remaining. Chill until needed.
• Line each pudding mould with cling film. Remove the tops of the cakes with a small serrated knife to create a flat surface. Carefully split the cakes into 2 or 3 layers through their middles. Reassemble the cakes in the pudding moulds, soaking each layer of sponge with the liqueur and layering with chocolate mousse. Cover the cakes with any overhanging cling film and press down gently. Chill the cakes for at least 3 hrs or for up to 2 days before serving.
• Melt the white chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Turn each cake out and unwrap. Drizzle the top of each with a little white chocolate, letting it drizzle down the sides. Decorate using a small sprig of real or artificial holly. Leave the white chocolate to set for 20 mins before serving.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE BOMBES

Steps:

• A. (Cake) Oven 375F. Prep pans by buttering bottom and sides. Place parchment in pan and butter the parchment. Sift dry ingredients (except granulated sugar) into a large bowl. Mix all ingredients (except the 13 oz of egg whites and granulated sugar) in the large bowl until combined. Whip whites and granulated sugar to medium peaks. Fold into batter gently a third at a time (tempering the batter). Bake until set, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and remove from pan. Let cool completely on a rack. B. (Mousse) In a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (make sure that the bowl fits snuggly over the pan and does not touch the water), melt together the chocolate, milk, and butter. Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm. Whisk in the egg yolk. In a mixer, whip the cream to medium peaks and fold it into the chocolate mixture. Assembly: With the chocolate in temper, brush a layer of chocolate in each mold. When the chocolate has cooled and is solid, apply another coat of tempered chocolate. Finish with a third coat. Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut out 12 rounds from the chocolate chiffon cake. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the chocolate mousse. Pipe mousse into each mold about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Gently press two raspberries into the center of each bombe so that they are enveloped by the mousse. Top each mold with a round of cake. Freeze until firm (about 2 hours). Unmold the bombes and let return to room temperature before serving or store covered in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH CHOCOLATE LIQUEUR WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Separate the eggs whites from the yolks. Set the yolks aside, then put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip on medium speed. Slowly add the granulated sugar to the egg whites in the mixer as they are whipping. Whip until soft peaks form.
• Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove from the heat and stir occasionally to help cool; let cool 10 minutes. One by one, add the egg yolks to the chocolate-butter mixture until fully incorporated. (The mixture will stiffen slightly.) Mix the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture in thirds, folding very gently so as to not mix the air out of the mousse.
• Carefully and evenly divide the mixture among 4 rocks glasses. Set the glasses in the refrigerator until fully chilled, about 30 minutes.
• For the chocolate liqueur whipped cream: Combine the heavy cream, liqueur and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form.
• Spoon a dollop of the whipped cream into each of the chilled mousse glasses. Garnish each with a small sprig of mint.