I knew I was on the right track with this recipe the moment I had my first taste of the Raspberry Mousse! The intense fresh flavor of the raspberries screamed devour me. Of course the velvety smooth chocolate cake and the subtle whisperings of the chocolate ganache didn’t help my waist line either!

As I sat staring at my empty plate with not so much as a crumb left as evidence of what once was,  I knew I was in love!

With just one look at this cake that screams “eat me, eat me now” from anybody who makes eye contact, my mom also fell victim to this raspberry chocolate wonder. After listening to her thank and praise me for sharing it with her, I knew that I would benefit from this cake not only by its  hypnotizing ways but also by the magical effect it has on others. You see my sweet blogging buddies, for the time that it took my mom to consume her little slice of heaven, I could see in her twinkling eyes that I was her greatest accomplishment! And then one of my siblings walked into the room and like that my status slipped through my fingers. Even if it was for a short fleeting moment it was worth every raspberry and morsel of chocolate!

Do you too need to gain the upper hand with a loved one or an acquaintance? Or are you simply craving the mystical powers of chocolate? Let me suggest this recipe, but I do so with a word of caution. The consumers of this cake cannot be held responsible for their actions. Enjoy!

Until next time,

Carrie

Raspberry Mousse Chocolate Roll

Cake

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

5 large eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Raspberry Mousse

1   12 oz. bag of frozen raspberries, thawed

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1  raspberries extract

2 cups heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Ganache

1  12 oz. bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

+  2 tsp. raspberry extract

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

Cake

1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 18 by 13 inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

2. In a large bowl, whip the eggs with an electric mixer on medium speed and gradually add the sugar and then the vanilla, about 1 minute. Continue to whip the mixture until very thick and voluminous, 4 to 8 minutes.

3. With the electric mixer still on, gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking sheet and spread out to an even layer. Bake the cake until it feels firm and springs back when touched, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

5. Remove the cake from the oven. Lay a clean dish towel down on the counter. Holding onto the parchment paper, carefully remove the cake from the hot pan. Place the cake face side down on the dish towel. Gently peel the parchment paper off of the cake. Starting from the short end, roll the cake and dish towel snugly into a log. Let the cake cool completely.

6. Gently unroll the cooled cake, spread half of the chocolate ganache over the inside of the cake. Next, spread the raspberry mousse over the chocolate ganache. Try not to mix the ganache and the mousse together. It looks prettier when sliced if there is a clean line between the two. Cover and refrigerate the remaining raspberry mousse.

7. Re-roll  the cake gently but snugly around the filling. Trim the ends and wrap snugly with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

8. Remove the plastic wrap from the cake. Transfer the cake to a platter and completely cover the rest of the cake with the remaining chocolate ganache. Pipe rosettes onto the top of the cake with the remaining raspberry mousse. Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Cover and store any leftover in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Raspberry Mousse

1. Cook the berries and sugar in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until the moisture evaporates and the sugar is dissolved, about 5 to 6 minutes.

2.  Pour the berries into a food processor and cover and process until smooth. Strain the Raspberry puree through a fine sieve. Stir in the raspberry extract, cover and refrigerate until completely cooled.

3. Add the heavy whipping cream to the raspberry puree. Whip until it forms stiff peaks.

Chocolate Ganache

1.Place the chocolate chips in a heat proof medium bowl.

2.In a heavy small sauce pan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Remove the cream from the heat.

3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips. Gently stir until it is smooth and creamy. Add raspberry extract and mix until well combined. Allow the ganache to cool completely before spreading on the cake.