Black Forest mousse cake recipe

SERVES 6

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus cooling

Cooking time: 20–25 minutes

 

1/3 cup (50 g) plain flour

1/2 cup (60 g) cocoa powder

1/2 cup (115 g) caster sugar

small pinch of salt

5 large eggwhites

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

350 g sweet dark cherries, pitted and halved

1 tablespoon icing sugar

 

1/4 cup (60 g) vanilla fromage frais (Frûche) or Greek-style yogurt

1 tablespoon cherry jam

1–2 tablespoons kirsch or rum (optional)

 

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line the bottom of a 23 cm round deep cake tin with baking paper.

 

2 Sift the flour, cocoa powder, half of the sugar and the salt into a bowl.

 

3 In another large bowl, which is perfectly clean and grease-free, whisk the eggwhites until they are foamy. Continue whisking until they hold a soft peak. Add the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and the vanilla extract, while you continue to whisk the eggwhites. Whisk until they are glossy and smooth, and hold a firm peak.

 

4 Sprinkle the flour and cocoa mixture over the eggwhites and fold in gently but thoroughly, taking care not to deflate the eggwhites too much. Spoon the mixture into the tin. Smooth the surface gently. Sprinkle the cherries evenly over the top of the cake.

 

5 Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the cake has risen and is just firm to the touch yet still moist on top (a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean). Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

 

6 Sprinkle the cake with the icing sugar before serving. If you want to serve with the fromage frais or yogurt accompaniment, simply combine the fromage frais or yogurt with the cherry jam and optional kirsch or rum to taste.

 

Each serving (cake alone) provides 754 kJ, 180 kcal, 6 g protein, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 34 g carbohydrate (27 g sugars), 2 g fibre

Eggwhite still provides protein (9 g per 100 g), but has none of the fat found in egg yolk.

 

Cocoa powder contains less fat than plain or milk chocolate, and five times as much iron. This iron is not as well absorbed as the iron found in meat, but the vitamin C in the cherries will help the body to absorb it.