February is #chocolatelove month! I am joining a group of amazing bloggers in hosting this chocolate blog hop. Please join in on the #chocolatelove fun by linking up any chocolate recipe from the month of February 2012. Don’t forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #chocolatelove event! The twitter hashtag is #chocolatelove 
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.This is a redo of a post from the early days of my blog…in fact, I was such a novice, I didn’t even post a photo. Who does that??? Not sure if it was a flop, but I was willing to try again for the Chocolate Love Blog Hop. A layer of flourless chocolate cake topped by semisweet, then white chocolate mousse is surely chocolate love. Bill told me how fabulous this was at least three times. This would be perfect for your Valentine…it was for mine!
Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake…adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
For the bottom layer:
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces (plus extra for greasing the pan)
7 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs, separated
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
For the middle layer:
2 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
5 tablespoons. hot water
7 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1½ cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
For the top layer:
¾ teaspoon powdered gelatin
1 tablespoons water
6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1½ cups heavy cream
For garnish:
Chocolate curls
To make the bottom layer, butter the bottom and sides of a high sided, 8-inch springform pan with 4 inch sides (9 inch diameter is OK, too). Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 325˚. Combine the butter, chocolate, and espresso powder in a large heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Stir occasionally until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk vanilla and egg yolks into chocolate. Set aside.
With stand or hand mixer, beat the egg whites and salt on medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Crumble half of the brown sugar into the mixing bowl with your fingers to remove any lumps. Beat until incorporated, then add the remaining brown sugar and continue to beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites gently with a rubber spatula until completely incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake until the cake has risen, is firm around the edges and the center has just set but is still soft (should spring back after pressing gently with a finger), about 23 minutes (14-18 minutes if using 9 inch pan). Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 1 hour. Cake will fall. Do not remove the cake from the pan.
To make the second layer, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water in a small bowl; set aside. Melt the chocolate gently in microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth. Once melted, remove from the heat and let cool slightly, 2-5 minutes.
Whip the cream, sugar and salt on medium speed until the mixture begins to thicken, then increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form. Whisk in the cocoa powder mixture until smooth. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently with a rubber spatula until completely incorporated. Pour the mousse into the springform pan over the cooled cake and tap gently on the counter 3 times to remove air bubbles. Carefully smooth the top with a spatula. Wipe down the inside edge of the pan to remove any chocolate. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes while preparing the top layer.
To make the top layer, sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small bowl and let stand at least 5 minutes to soften. Place the white chocolate in a medium bowl. In a large Pyrex measuring cup, microwave 1/2 cup of the cream till it starts to boil. Add the gelatin mixture to the cream and stir until dissolved. Pour the hot cream mixture over the white chocolate and let stand about 1 minute. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool to room temperature, about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Whip the remaining 1 cup of cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken. Increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the whipped cream to the white chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently with a rubber spatula until well incorporated. Spoon the white chocolate mousse into the pan over the middle layer. Smooth the top with an offset spatula. Return the cake to the refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2½ hours.
To serve garnish with chocolate curls or cocoa powder.
Here are all my fabulous co-hosts:
A Little Bit of Everything ~ Roxana ~ @RoxanaGreenGirl
ASTIG Vegan ~ Richgail ~ @astigvegan
Badger Girl Learns to Cook ~ Kimberly ~ @BdgrGrl
Baker Street ~ Anuradha ~ @bakerstreet29
Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves ~ Becky Higgins
Baking Extravaganza ~ Samantha
BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker
Bon a croquer ~ Valerie ~ @Valouth
CafeTerraBlog ~ Terra ~ @CafeTerraBlog
Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess
Cooking with Books ~ Marnely ~ @nella22
Creative Cooking Corner ~ Karriann ~ @KarriannGraf
Easily Good Eats ~ Three Cookies
Elephant Eats ~ Amy
Georgiecakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakes
Hobby And More ~ Richa ~ @betit19
Java Cupcake ~ Betsy ~ @JavaCupcake
Kitchen Belleicious ~ Jessica
Mike’s Baking ~ Mike ~ @mikesbaking
Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk
Rico sin Azucar ~ Helena ~ @ricosinazucar
Savoring Every Bite ~ Linda ~ @Spicegirlfla
Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem
Smart Food and Fit ~ Lisa ~ @LisaNutrition
Soni’s Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood
Sprint 2 the Table ~ Laura ~ @Sprint2theTable
Teaspoon of Spice ~ Deanna ~ @tspbasil
The Dusty Baker ~ Jacqueline ~ @dustybakergal
The Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd
The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian
Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack
Vegetarian Mamma ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma
You Made That? ~ Suzanne ~ @YouMadeThatblog
Linked to Valentine’s Blog Hop~
Linked to Sweets for a Saturday~
{ 123 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow! Its yummm! I love this cake. Chocolate cake is one my weakness in foods. First time I see triple chocolate cake.
It’s beautiful! it looks so decadent and yet so yummy!
I’ll save the recipe for later
Always a beauty!! Chocolate should be the food of every month.
One word : AWESOMENESS !!!! I think I’ve died and gone to chocolate heaven hahaha Your Bill is right ;D
This does look fabulous! You did an amazing job with the layers and I know it is not an easy task. I am sure that one bite is just heavenly. I look forward to all the chocolate link ups on this blog hop!
Enjoy the weekend Liz!
Simply perfect! a gorgeus layer cake, fantastic job!
Have a sweet weekend
This is gorgeous! The layers look so elegant, this would be the perfect company dessert.
wow lizzy this is so awesome !
It is the month of Love! I’m in Love! In Love with this gorgeous, gorgeous cake!
the last two pics are the best, Lizzy! And thanks for not killing is totally with a quadruple chocolate layers
I could eat a nice slice of this for breakfast
. Thanks for hosting – I linked up 
ButterYum
oh girl its so pretty! I love it. My first time in this bloghop and I am so proud to be in it with you! The layers are perfect and it looks utterly divine!
This cake is chocolate perfection! All the layers of chocolate and mousse, so delicious and gorgeous!
Happy chocolatelove!
Lizzy! I dont have words to this beauty and amazing mouysse cake look amazing (ah dear my daughter is on diet and Icant make a lot of things, she say dont tempting me:(
She has 17 you know this age:)
That is an amazingly gorgeous cake. Holy cow. I’ll take the top layer please. All of it!
Amazing! so much chocolate, I could die for this!
Oooh this looks gorgeous!Droolworthy
They look delicious..Bookmarked
Aarthi
http://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/
Liz, this cake is very impressive!! I love the different colors of chocolate mousse. I will definitely be trying this!
Liz, this looks beautiful and creamy, delicious. Small pieces, I think, would do
. Gorgeous cake!
OMG I am drooling as I read this. It looks so amazing. Will be giving this a go. How long did it take you?
OMG I am drooling as I read this. It looks so amazing. Will be giving this a go. How long did it take you?
I’ve actually never had Chocolate Mousse anything
wow super…duper chcolate mousse its droolling me..mouthwatering..
Liz, thank you so much for posting this again! (Otherwise I wouldn’t even know it’s here). Chocolate mousse is the only dessert I never refuse, no matter how rich the dinner was, so this cake sounds like a triple heaven for me! It is also on of the most beautiful and elegant desserts I have ever seen.
That is a very elegant cake! Thanks for the recipe. Looking at all those creations make me think that I may be able to bake something too…:)
Googly Moogly! That’s like bakery gorgeous. I’m super jealous of your cooking skills right now
Can’t wait to see more chocolate recipes this month
oh boy, I could see eating that whole cake!
ooohhh…this looks deliciously decadent!
this cake looks simply perfect, so decadent and gorgeous
my god! so pretty and surely delicious
go chocolate!
Egads, Liz! That is perfection on a cake stand. It looks SO good.
Oh my this looks rich, and chocolatey!!! Great job!
This cake is heaven. If someone was seeing a bright light, this cake would be the centre. It is one of your most exquisite creations
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Lizzy, this cake is ahhh-mazing! You are an amazing baker! Now pass a slice
Have a wonderful weekend, my friend!
OHHHH so febbrary is my month,there is also my birthday
))
i want it!
really decious
vale
it’s 11pm and i show my hubby this recipe… he insists we run to the kitchen to make this RIGHT NOW. hehehe
So excited to be BlogHopping with you this month!
Er okay I can no longer wait till one of your kiddies moves out. I’m packing now and I’ll just live in a tent in the backyard. That’s cool right?! Oh my Liz, this is so stunning. I am blown away.
Wow, wow, WOW! That is seriously one of the most gorgeous chocolate cakes I’ve ever seen!!
Beautiful cake, perfect for Valentine’s too! I wish I had a huge slice of this right now! Great recipe
Beautiful Liz! I love this use of chocolate, mousse is always so elegant but I love the cake presentation!
Gorgeous! This looks outstanding. YUM!
This is outstanding… you are truly amazing and creative
I love chocolate mousse!! I am going to try this recipe! Sending you some #chocolatelove from http://samsbakery.blogspot.com/!!
I don’t know whether or not to park myself outside your home until you give me this cake or make sure I am on the opposite side of the country from you so I don’t partake and waddle away. Wow!
I’ll be camping out w/Claudia waiting for a slice. How cute you didn’t post a photo 1st time. AMAZING again:)xx
Lizzy… you need to work as a caterer or something. Your desserts and dishes need to be admired by the masses.
This is simply beautiful! Have a great time tomorrow watching the Super Bowl! 
This is so elegant! I’m so glad you decided to make it again- I’m putting it on my list of things I must try. That creamy chocolate decadence is calling my name!
Oh, Lizzy-an absolutely amazingly stunning chocolate mousse cake. So elegant, and yummylicious:DDD
Congratulations, on your rustic Mediterranean salad, on Top 9!
So exciting, that they are holding the Super Bowl in your city…yeayyy!
Are you going to the Super Bowl game?
What a fantastic indoor stadium. I’m sure you are so proud of your city!
xoxo
Fabulous, Lizzy! Looks like it came from a professional bakery!
Liz, you’re ready to open up your own bakery! This is so pretty and I bet it is so decadent and delicious!!
This looks gorgeous!
It’s just awesome! I don’t know if I would be able to share it even with my Valentine
you had me at chocolate!
OMG that looks amazing!
OH My GOD!!!!! You are killing me here Lizzy , that is one gorgeous looking cake , Oh my I am so drooling here *slurp*.
Thanks, everyone!!!
Nessie, it took a couple hours in the morning to make and cool the base layer, then another hour or so in the afternoon to make the top two layers. I hope you will try it!
Lots of patience went into this beauty. Chocolate Nirvana!
Thumbs up this time for the perfect layering done and the rolls of chocs on top. The cake sure looks heavenly and tempting for me.
Thanks for the comments on my blog Lizzy and I should be back by Wed home. Till then or if I can, will drop by to your blog.
This is incredible, triple the goodness. Actually triple plus 1 if we also count the garnish. There is probably no such thing as too much chocolate:)
GORGEOUS, Liz! Every layer is perfect! That is most certainly a 5-star dessert that would cost $$ per slice at most restaurants in NYC! My #chocolatelove post will be up tomorrow
This is an absolutely gorgeous cake!! And, even better, it’s already gluten-free so I can make it without any adaptations
. Fabulous #chocolatelove post!!
The cake looks fabulous. I like mousse cakes because they have less or no flour at all.
Wow…this one is definitely not a flop!! Glad you reposted as this is a show stopper dessert!
This is such a beautiful cake. I think it would be perfect for any occasion.
Perfection on a plate.
OOO, My!
Just added this “”sin”" to my faves.
Just one question: How do you stay skinny, Skinny Chick? Xxx
Absolutely stunning! Love the layers. fab co-hosting #chocolatelove with you
delicious looking mousse cake
That is some serious chocolate love!
That’s a stunner!
THAT looks delicious and beautiful!
This looks so creamy and dreamy. Just a beautiful presentation. What a great idea for a whole month of chocolate. I certainly will be staying tuned. Dark chocolate is my favorite. BAM
Oh, sweet, dark, chocolatey master – this looks incredible! My favourite dessert, in cake form?
Would I even need to cut a slice, or could I just spoon it out directly, like a mousse from a cup?! 
What a gorgeous desert…Since I love chocolate mousse…I think I would have to eat most of it by myself. Great idea for Valentines day!
perfectly made cake…looks absolutely delicious !
Spectacular.
Can’t have too much chocolate! This cake is beautiful, and I’ll bet it taste just as marvelous as it looks!
This is crazy good looking! I love the combination of chocolate flavors and chocolate textures… I can tasteit now… Mmmmm! You would have a gorgeous beautiful bakery, I would stair at your widow and drool I’m sure.
Wow, what a showstopper dessert, I love it! Can’t wait to see all the chocolate goodness this month
Wait. There’s a chocolate blog hop and you’re kicking it off with that incredible-looking cake? Oooohhhh….I might not make it through this….delicious.
Chocolate blog hop! I hope that I won’t miss this one.
Your cake looks very chocolate-icious! Yum!
It looks STUNNING! You are amazing!
i love chocolate nice work for that cake
that is one gorgeously scrumptious mousse cake.. swoon!
Oh liz! Your cake is gorgeous and I bet it tastes delicious too!
I don’t think I can even make this. Might need to head out and buy a few new pans first.
This cake is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Looks sooo good! I love Chocolate Mousse Cake, but have yet to attempt one, but I think I might have too, because this looks so great!
Oh what a gorgeous cake. I love all of the stiations.
seriously, WOW, lizzy, this is so schmancy and professional. i am soooo impressed. this looks fabulous! sending some #chocolatelove to you!
What a great round-up, Lizzy! Glad u dropped by my blog. Love the dessert!
Gorgeous! Your cake looks like chocolate heaven!
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Wow… what a sophisticated cake! Well done!
Its beautiful!!!!!
Delicious and Gorgeous
Love it.
OMG, how did you know? This is one of my favorite cakes ever. A pecan bottom crust with it is amazing too. Gorgeous my friend.
Oh, you cruel, cruel lady. How can I ever be complete again without a slice of this? Mmmmmmm.
Everything you make is so beautiful! And though I am not a huge chocolate fun, I feel I must have a slice of this now! Great post, Lizzy!
Thanks for sharing!
This is amazing! I love this cake – so, so beautiful. Sending you lots of #chocolatelove this month!!
This cake is so beautiful… it looks professional! Love it!
The question when faced with such perfection is, to eat it or to rub it on oneself?! xx
My first time visiting your site! Very pretty chocolate cake and impressive too! Glad to be co-hosting with you this month!
The minute I saw the pic I knew it had to be yours Lizzy because you always make such gorgeous desserts! What an awesome #chocolatelove recipe!
Stunning! Have you failed to make a cake? Maybe a long time ago… My family will be so happy if I can whip up cakes and all kinds of desert after every dinner.
If one day I become skinny like you, it might be possible to make dessert every night! Heehee.
What a stunning presentation!
Amazing presentation and looks like it tastes amazing! I am drooling.
nice photos and i’m sure this is delish too! i bet this has never been a flop…
nice meeting you via bloghop
Wow, this Mousse cake is truly a sight to behold. It’s utterly gorgeous! Great job on the #chocolatelove post, I’m honored to be in the same bloghop as you!
Lizzy, your cake is incredible! It’s so sophisticated and elegant – and just makes me want to eat the whole thing! I have featured this post in today’s Friday Food Fetish roundup. Let me know if you have any objections and thanks for the inspiration
Wow, this looks fantastic… love a triple choc dessert!
Ali xx
I watched the episode on America’s Test Kitchen when they made this cake. It looks sublime & would be a fabulous treat for Valentine’s Day!
I’m all for anything with triple chocolate in the title! Love the chocolate blog hop, off to link up some recipes.
Absolutely beautiful and must be outrageously delicious! I’ll be posting mine this weekend. Great event and great recipe!
This looks beyond amazing! Thanks for linking up at my v-day blog hop
Also pinned!
Hope you have a wonderful week and a special Valentine Day. Thanks for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and come back soon!
Miz Helen
this is beautiful looking…=)
#chocolatelove
Jen
Lizzy, this looks beautiful! I’d love for you to stop over and share at my new party called Mix it up Monday:
http://flourmewithlove.blogspot.com/2012/02/mix-it-up-monday_12.html
I hope to see you soon
how beautiful is this?! YUM
This cake is beautiful and sounds absolutely delicious. I’d love it if you would stop by and share it at my Feb. linky. http://acraftycook.blogspot.com/2012/02/1-month-of-fun-february-link-party.html
Beautiful mousse cake! I bet it tastes heavenly too
Your cake is gorgeous! What a show stopper! I bet it was delicious.
mickey
I’m a behind on my linky party features, but just wanted to let you know that you’ve been featured on my blog today. http://acraftycook.blogspot.com/2012/04/1-month-of-fun-april-link-party-and.html
Thanks for the wonderful step by step tutorial on how to make this awesome cake!! I just tried this last weekend and it came out really well.
Happy Baking!
I have a question though- how and when did you remove the cake from the springform pan? I couldn’t think of moving the cake in 1 piece after it was all set in the pan. All I did was remove the side of the springform pan and serve it on the springform bottom.
Thanks again for the detailed & wonderful recipe! Only comment I have is the white chocolate layer was a bit sweet for me. Oh and I came across your cake/blog through pinterest!