Kosher Blog

Death by Chocolate

My wife and I went to a Sheva Brochos the other night, and as we often do, we brought dessert. Our contribution was a Death-by-Chocolate Trifle – a sinfully rich and pareve dessert, comprised of layers of chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and whipped cream. It gets rave reviews every time.

Since there is no standard size for a trifle-bowl, you may have to experiment to figure out if you need more or less of these recipes. The trifle bowl to the left is 10 inches tall and the completed recipe weighed in at 20 pounds (ok, the bowl is heavy – see the 2 Kitchenaid 5 1/2 quart bowls dwarfed behind it?) I’m sure you can handle the leftovers, if your bowl is too small. The cake or the mousse make a fine dessert all by themselves.

Enjoy.

Death By Chocolate
Chocolate Cake
3 cups flour
3/4 t salt
2 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
1 c margarine
2 c sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
3/4 c cocoa powder
2 heaping tsp. instant coffee
2 c boiling water

Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the margarine and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and cocoa and mix well. Combine the dry mixture and the wet mixture and mix well. Add the instant coffee to the boiling water and with the electric mixer on slow, add to the mix. Pour into 9×13 inch pan and bake at 350°F for 1 1/4 hours. Allow cake to cool.

Chocolate Mousse
12 oz. bag pareve, semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 sticks margarine
8 eggs separated
1 1/3 cups sugar

Beat the egg whites with half of the sugar. On a stove-top (or in the microwave), melt the margarine. Add the chocolate chips to the melted margarine and stir until melted. Put the margarine/chips mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer. With the mixer on slow, add in the rest of sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time and allow each one to mix in. Carefully fold the egg-white mixture into the chocolate mixture with a spatula. Keep mousse at room temperature for trifle assembly.

Whipped Cream
2 small cartons non-dairy whipped topping
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

In a electric mixer, whip the whipped topping with the vanilla and the sugar until stiff peaks form. Do not over whip.

To Assemble
Cut chocolate cake into serving-size pieces and press some of them down into the bottom of your trifle bowl. Pour in some of the mousse, covering the cake. Add a layer of whipped cream, covering the mousse. Repeat as needed. Garnish with piped whipped cream and chocolate shavings.