Chocolate Mousse Cake

To prepare the mousse, whisk cocoa and coffee together until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Add the melted chocolate into the cocoa and coffee mixture, whisk well. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whip attachment, beat the cream and confectioner’s sugar until stiff peaks form.

Using a rubber spatula, place a dollop of whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and whisk gently until blended. Don’t worry if several streaks of cream are still visible. This will lighten the mixture.

Place the remaining whipped cream on top of the chocolate mixture, and using a rubber spatula, gently fold the mixture until no streaks of cream are visible.

Chill the mousse in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Using a large, sharp knife, halve each cake crosswise so there are a total of 4 layers.

Spray a clean, 9-inch diameter springform pan, fitted with a cardboard cake circle on the bottom, with nonstick cooking spray on the sides of the pan.

Place 1 layer of cake cut-side up into the springform pan.

Spread approximately ¼-1/3 of the mousse evenly over the cake using an offset spatula.

Top mousse with another cake layer, followed by another layer of the same amount of mousse.

Place third layer of cake cut-side up on top of the mousse, and press down gently. Spread another ¼-1/3 of the mousse and top with the final cake layer, cut-side down. Cover the remaining mousse with plastic wrap and refrigerate. You can use the excess mousse to spread over the entire cake before glazing.

Cover the cake with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour until it becomes firm. You can also place the cake in the freezer for approximately 1 hour and up to 1 week.

Using a long, sharp knife, gently cut around the sides of the pan and gently remove the sides of the springform pan.

Using an offset spatula, spread a fine layer of the remaining mousse over the entire cake to cover any crumbs and gaps. Chill thoroughly.

To make the ganache glaze, in a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream and corn syrup until they come to a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate chips. Continue to whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Allow the glaze to cool to room temperature in the pan.

Place cake onto a cooling rack placed onto a sheet pan with sides.

Gently pour cooled glaze over cake until the glaze spreads over the cake and down the sides. using a rubber spatula, guide the glaze as needed to cover the entire cake evenly.

After the excess glaze has dripped off, gently remove the cake from the cooling rack and transfer to a clean cooling rack on a clean sheet pan.

Chill the cake for approximately 2-4 hours. Serve in small slices.