Passion Mousse Recipe

Prepare

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan with parchment; lightly grease the parchment.

Combine dry ingredients

Whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 0.75 cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp baking powder and 0.25 tsp fine salt in a medium bowl until evenly combined.

Combine wet ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk 0.5 cup whole milk, 0.25 cup vegetable oil, 1 large egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth.

Mix batter

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.

Bake

Pour batter into prepared 8-inch pan and smooth top. Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely. Once cool, trim to 8-inch round if needed and return to pan bottom as the base layer.

Bloom gelatin

In a small bowl, sprinkle 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin over 2 tablespoons cold water. Let sit 5 minutes to bloom.

Make passion concentrate

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup passion fruit pulp and 0.25 cup granulated sugar. Warm over low heat, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is warm (do not boil). Remove from heat.

Dissolve gelatin

Stir the bloomed gelatin into the warm passion fruit mixture until fully dissolved. If the gelatin does not melt completely, return briefly to very low heat while stirring. Cool slightly (5–8 minutes). Reserve 2 tablespoons of seeds/pulp for garnish if desired.

Prepare egg yolk sabayon

In a heatproof bowl, whisk together 3 egg yolks and 0.25 cup granulated sugar until pale. Set the bowl over (not in) a simmering pot of water (double boiler) and whisk continuously until the mixture is warm and slightly thickened, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and continue whisking briefly to cool slightly.

Combine yolks and passion

Temper a few tablespoons of the warm passion fruit-gelatin mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the remaining passion fruit mixture and whisk to combine. Stir in 0.5 tsp vanilla extract. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature (but not set).

Whip cream

In a chilled bowl, whip 1.5 cups cold heavy cream to soft peaks. Be careful not to overwhip; you want a light, billowy texture.

Fold mousse

Gently fold about one-quarter of the whipped cream into the cooled passion mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream in two additions until homogeneous and airy. Do not overfold.

Assemble mousse layer

Pour or pipe the passion mousse over the cooled vanilla cake layer in the 8-inch pan, smoothing the top. Tap the pan gently on the counter to remove large air pockets. Chill in the refrigerator 1.5–2 hours, or until mousse is set but still slightly soft.

Prepare batter

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) if not still warm. Lightly grease an 8-inch round pan or use the same pan if the mousse is already chilled and you plan to bake a thin layer separately. In a bowl, whisk together 0.75 cup all-purpose flour, 0.25 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 0.75 tsp baking powder, 0.25 tsp baking soda, and 0.25 tsp fine salt.

Wet mixture

In a separate bowl, combine 0.75 cup granulated sugar, 0.25 cup vegetable oil, 1 large egg, 0.5 tsp vanilla extract and 0.5 cup hot coffee (or hot water). Whisk until combined.

Mix and bake

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. Pour into prepared 8-inch pan (or a slightly smaller round if you prefer a thicker top layer) and bake 12–18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool completely on a rack.

Top the mousse

If the mousse layer is chilled and set, carefully place the cooled chocolate cake layer on top of the mousse (crumb side up or down depending on desired texture). If assembling in a ring or springform: remove outer ring to transfer top cake layer gently, or invert top cake and place on mousse.

Chill the assembled cake at least 30 minutes after adding the top layer to help everything settle. Before serving, dust the top lightly with 1 tsp cocoa powder. Spoon the reserved passion fruit seeds (2 tbs) over the top for bright, crunchy pops of flavor and add mint leaves for color.

Slice with a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts for clean slices. Store refrigerated for up to 2 days; mousse texture is best on day of serving.