Equipment
Ingredients
Main
- 227 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 120 g walnuts, halves and pieces
- 225 g dark chocolate, chopped
- 8 egg yolk
- 250 g granulated sugar
- 5 egg white
- 6 g cocoa powder
- 1 g confectioners' sugar
- candied violets
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 576 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 47 g
- Fat
- 41 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 41 g
- Sodium
- 45 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 20 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Cholesterol
- 229 mg
- Potassium
- 260 mg
- Calcium
- 56 mg
- Iron
- 3.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 64 mg
- Phosphorus
- 173 mg
- Zinc
- 1.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 234 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.9 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 4 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.4 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.08 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.20 mg
- Niacin
- 0.4 mg
- Folate
- 38 mcg
- Water
- 28 g
- Caffeine
- 12 mg
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
Grease the bottom and sides of a 20cm (8-inch) springform pan with butter.
Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast at 175°C (350°F) for 10 minutes until lightly browned.
Cool the walnuts completely. Reserve the eight largest pieces for decoration and finely chop the rest.
Place chopped chocolate and cubed butter in a saucepan. Set the saucepan inside a skillet of simmering water and stir until melted.
Whisk egg yolks and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl until the mixture is pale and thick.
Slowly stir the melted chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture until fully combined.
Whip egg whites in a separate clean bowl until they form stiff peaks.
Gently fold half of the egg whites into the chocolate base, then fold in the remaining whites and chopped walnuts.
Pour 75% of the mixture into the prepared pan. Reserve the remaining 25% of the raw mousse in the refrigerator for frosting.
Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 50 to 60 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the springform rim and allow it to cool completely.
Spread the reserved raw mousse over the top and sides of the cooled cake.
Sift cocoa powder over the cake, followed by a light dusting of confectioners' sugar.
Decorate the surface with the reserved whole walnuts and candied violets.
Chef's Notes
- Using high-quality dark chocolate with at least 60% cocoa solids provides the best flavor balance against the sugar content.
Storage
Refrigerator: PT3D — Keep covered to prevent the mousse from absorbing fridge odors.
Freezer: 1 minute — Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil.
Reheating: Serve chilled; do not reheat as the mousse topping will melt.
Troubleshooting
Mousse topping is too runny to spread
Cause: The base chocolate mixture was too warm when folding, or the mousse was not chilled enough before application.
Fix: Chill the reserved mousse in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up before spreading.
Prevention: Ensure the melted chocolate and butter reach room temperature before adding egg yolks, and keep the reserved mousse chilled.
Cultural Context
This style of flourless chocolate cake with a mousse topping is a variation of the classical French 'Reine de Saba' or similar chocolate decadence cakes.
