Have you ever heard of ruby (pink) chocolate? Do you think it’s real or fake? In fact, it actually is a real, third kind of chocolate, with no added coloring – is made from “ruby cocoa beans”. These are existing botanical cocoa bean varieties that have been identified as having the right attributes to be processed into ruby chocolate. It is naturally a little bit sourer (at least to my taste), which is why I add some powdered sugar to the mixture when making desserts.
This time I decided to make a delicious ruby chocolate mousse cake with sweet strawberries and vanilla sponge. Now, you can make it too 😉
INGREDIENTS:
For the sponge cake (24 cm diameter springform):
5 eggs
250 grams granulated Agragold sugar
250 grams white flour
1 package of baking powder
1 dl water
1 dl sunflower oil
1 tsp of vanilla extract
For the mousse:
150 g BAM ruby chocolate
500 ml whipping cream
4 gelatin leaves
2 – 4 tbsp Agragold powdered sugar
For the strawberries:
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 – 4 tbsp Agragold powdered sugar
450 g strawberries, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp lemon juice
HOW TO:
To make the sponge, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Separate the eggs and beat the eggs yolks together with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl. Add the vanilla, oil and water to the yolk sugar mixture and mix well. In a third bowl, mix the flour and baking powder and slowly mix them in the egg mixture as well. Slowly fold in the egg whites.
Bake in a lined baking spring form for around 45 minutes (depending on your oven), and cover with a baking paper towards the end if you notice the sponge burning on top, but not being quite done in the center. Test it with a toothpick to see if it’s done – if the toothpick comes out dry, it is (test it in the middle, though, it takes the most time there).
Now prepare the strawberries. Add all ingredients in the pan and cook on medium heat. Taste it from time to time and add more Agragold sugar if it is not sweet to your taste. Keep in mind that the mousse will not be as sweet so the strawberries can be! Once cooked through, set aside.
For the mousse, place the chocolate and the sugar into a pan, and add just a few tablespoons of whipping cream (from the 500 ml). Melt over medium heat and keep adding some cream if it is not runny enough. Place the gelatin sheets in cold water. Whip the rest of the whipping cream until hard peaks form. Mix the gelatin sheets into the melted chocolate while still on the stove. Now fold the chocolate into the whipped cream.
To make the cake, cut the sponge in half and place one half in a springform, lined with acetate foil. Lightly drizzle with some milk. Cover the sponge with strawberries, then pour over the ruby mousse and straighten the top. Save just a little bit of mousse for decoration. Place the other half of the sponge over the mousse and drizzle with some milk. Spread the remaining mousse across the top of the cake and let sit overnight.
