Chocolate Mousse Royale Ice Cream Cake for a 14th Birthday

Ahh, how time flies. My little boy is no longer a boy and is now a 14 year old young man! His birthday this year fell on a Sunday and we started the day off by going to church. We were running a little late so we didnt wake him up to open his presents as we usually do. I managed to quickly place his presents under the bed just as he left his room and then we went back in and wished him.

He got a Chelsea t-shirt and a lego mini figure. We were supposed to get him a pair of sneakers that he wanted but there wasnt time to go shopping so hopefully we can go get it soon. After church we went for lunch the grandparents and then headed home to cut the cake.






On Saturday, he had taken two of his friends out for a movie and lunch and then the friends had come back home to play. I had started making the cake in the evening and finished just in time to take him and his friends out for dinner as well. Michael had asked me to surprise him with a nice cake, something chocolate.

I had thought long and hard about what to make him. I knew it had to be something chocolate as thats what he likes and also asked for. He loves the Chocolate Mousse Royale Ice Cream from Baskin and Robbins and so I figured why not make him a homemade Ice Cream cake!





I"ve done Ice Cream cakes before and while planning for the cake, I tossed up between a sponge base and a dacquoise base. I figured a dacquoise base would not only be tastier but easier to make as well so I did that. For the ice cream, I basically made a mousse and freezed it. This time around, I made the mousse slightly differently where I whisked the egg yolks with sugar over a pan of simmering hot water - like a sabayon. Then I added in the chocolate and as expected it kind of seized up and beating it with a mixed smoothened it out but it was still very thick. Adding in a little whipped cream a little at a time made it all smooth again.

I reckon I should have added the egg to the chocolate and not the other way around. I have amended the recipe to show that. Also, I think I should have whipped the cream a little thicker but I knew that the chocolate would set the cream anyway and I was afraid that the cream would separate as it was a very warm evening.

This is the recipe

Chocolate Mousse Royale Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients
Dacquoise Base
120 g finely ground almond
250 g sugar
30g flour
4 egg whites


Mousse
4 egg yolks
400ml cream
200gm good quality darkchocolate
100g castor sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
50g chocolate shavings

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Line two 9" round pans with greaseproof paper. Beat egg whites till foamy. Add in sugar and continue beating till thick and glossy. Whisk together flour and almond meal. Add into egg white mixture and mix well. Divide into two pans and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, make the mousse. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof pan over a pan of simmering water. Whisk egg yolks and sugar over another pan of simmering water till yolks are thick and sugar has dissolved. Add in the eggs to the melted chocolate, beating all the time till smooth. Mixture may seize or thicken but keep beating till smooth. Add in the vanilla. Whip cream in a separate bowl till fluffy then slowly fold into the chocolate mixture till smooth.

Assembly
Place one dacquoise into bottom of a 9" ring or springform. Cover with half the mousse. Place second dacquoise over mousse. Add in shaved/chopped chocolate into remaining mousse and spread over top of cake. Place in freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Allow to thaw slightly before cutting and serving.

The cake doesnt look very pretty as it is just a brown cylinder but boy does it taste good! The dacquiose base lent a very nice flavour and texture and complemented the mousse really well. The chocolate pieces in the top layer of the mousse was just like the Baskin Robbins ice cream. In fact, my son kept going on about how it tasted just like a CMR (his short form for the Choc Mousse Royale).




He was very pleased with his cake although he only had one slice after lunch as he was rather full.

Later at night, we went for a quiet Japanese dinner at Rakuzen. He had mentioned that he didnt feel he had celebrated his birthday properly and I suppose that was in some way due to the fact that he didnt have any kind of party like he has had for the last few years. Or maybe it was the lack of presents since there was no party. Or maybe its just coz he is growing up!

Dinner at Rakuzen was fun with just the four of us and they gave us a complimentary ice cream platter.





We came home and devoured more of the cake and TLW remarked that she really enjoyed the cake.









I'm the one that usually takes the photos so I end up not being in many pictures. This one however was taken by my princess, Sarah. I think its a great photo!




Happy, Happy Birthday my son. I'm glad I managed to make a cake that you really liked!