Rich Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate Mousse and Cherry Sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Spray 9-inch springform pan with a cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a small cup, dissolve the instant espresso powder in water. Set aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract on medium speed until well combined. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until everything is incorporated. Stir in mixed espresso. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean.

5. Cool the cake on wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and let it cool completely.

6. To make the white chocolate mousse filling, in a small cup sprinkle the gelatin over cold water. Let it stand for 5 minutes.

7. In a small saucepan, pour ½ cup of heavy cream and bring it to simmer over low heat. Don’t boil. Remove from heat and add the gelatin mixture. Stir until gelatin is fully dissolved.

8. In medium bowl, pour the warm mixture over white chocolate and using a silicone spatula mix until the chocolate is completely melted.

9. In a large mixing bowl with whisk attachment, whip the remaining 1 ½ cups of heavy cream until hard peaks. Fold in the whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture.

10. When the cake is cooled completely, divide the cake horizontally into two equal layers with a serrated knife. Put the bottom layer into the springform pan and add half of the white chocolate mousse filling. Spread evenly. Place the top layer on a separate plate and pour the remaining white chocolate mousse over it. Place both layers in the freezer for an hour to let the mousse set.

11. Meanwhile, let’s make the cherry sauce. In a medium saucepan, bring the cherries to boil over medium-high heat.

12. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add this to the boiling cherries along with vanilla extract and lemon juice. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook the mixture, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and cool completely.

13. Pour half of the cherry sauce over the bottom layer with white chocolate mousse, then place the top layer of the cake with white chocolate mousse and pour the remaining cherry sauce. You may serve right away.