Chocolate Cherry Mousse Cake

Do you love chocolate covered cherries? This is a chocolate cake with two kinds of chocolate cake, a cherry filling, chocolate ganache, and is topped with both milk and dark chocolate cherries. Originally this was only going to be a 2 layer cake. However, my 2 year old made me drop one of the layers. When I had to bake more cake to complete the cake I decided to use Hershey cocoa powder as the chocolate in the second cake and to use the black chocolate cake as the middle layer.

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Ingredients-

2 Chocolate Layers-

1 stick unsalted melted butter

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup Hershey unsweetened cacao powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk at room temperature

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 large egg at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Black Chocolate Middle Cake Layer-

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup black cocoa powder or Dutch process cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature

1/8 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 large egg at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cherry Mousse Filling-

1 can good quality cherries in juice, reserve 2 tablespoons juice

4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese

1/2 cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt

1 1/4 ounce packet unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache-

12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream

Decoration–

6 milk chocolate covered cherries

6 dark chocolate covered cherries

Directions-

Black Chocolate Cake–

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray one round 8 inch pan with baking spray or butter and flour.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Mix melted butter, buttermilk, egg, applesauce, vanilla, and 1/4 cup water in a stand mixer.
4. Add dry ingredients 1 cup at a time mixing on low speed.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes.
6. Cool on wire rack for at least 15 minutes.

2 Chocolate Cake Layers-

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray two round 8 inch pans with baking spray or butter and flour.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Mix melted butter, buttermilk, egg, applesauce, vanilla, and 1/2 cup water in a stand mixer.
4. Add dry ingredients 1 cup at a time mixing on low speed.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes.
6. Cool on wire rack for at least 15 minutes.

Cherry Mousse Filling–

1. Cut the cherries in half and transfer to a bowl with 2 tablespoons of juice.
2. Combine the gelatin with 1 tablespoon of cold water. Let stand 5 minutes. Heat the gelatin until it melts completely about 10 seconds.
3. Add cherries, juice, gelatin, cream cheese, sugar, yogurt to stand mixer and mix on medium low.
4. Refrigerate mixture for 5-15 minutes. Do not let it harden too much.
5. Place chocolate cake on cake stand and spread 1/2 of the filling to the edge. Add black chocolate layer. Spread remaining 1/2 of the filling.
6. Refrigerate the assembled cake for at least 1 hour.

Chocolate Ganache-

1. Bring cream to a simmer in a small saucepan.
2. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Let sit 3 minutes.
3. Pour mixture in stand mixer.
4. Use whisk to mix for 2-3 minutes on low.
5. Refrigerate ganache for 10-15 minutes until it thickens to a mayonnaise consistency.
6. Pour the ganache on the top of the cake. Use an off set spatula to spread the ganache over the top and down the sides. A icing scraper helps to spread the ganache on the sides.
7. Refrigerate cake for 10-15 minutes before topping with chocolate covered cherries.
8. Add chocolate covered cherries alternating milk and dark chocolate. Place one cherry in the middle of the cake.