Chocolate Bombe Cakes

I really like it simple and with a lot of chocolate. Probably I am lucky to live in Belgium where chocolate is tradition. You can find incredible combinations and flavors.
Today I tried an easy chocolate bombe cake with yummy Nutella mousse inside. It is really delicious. And if you want to impress that’s the recipe. There’s no way to fail.
So let’s start.
First we’ll do the chocolate shell. You can use dark, milk or white chocolate. I did it with dark chocolate because I wanted the taste of the shell to contrast with the light taste of the mousse.
For 6 bombe cakes you will need around 250g of chocolate.
I did them in a silicone muffin mould.
So melt your chocolate in the microwave and using a pastry brush cover the bottom and the sides with thin layer of chocolate. Then put in the freezer for 5 minutes. Repeat. I did 3 layers of chocolate.
Then start the sponge you will need for the bottom of your bombe cake.
For it you should prepare:
3 eggs + 1 egg white at room t°
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup of flour
1/3 cup of cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
100ml of butter milk
After learning how to make my own butter milk today I’ve learned a new lesson. What we do when we’re out of baking powder. Just mix together one part baking soda with two parts of cream of tartar. And it works great. I really find it genius… And really helpful!
So… go back to sponge.
Preheat the oven at 180°C. Cover a baking sheet with baking paper.
Eggs and egg white + salt goes in a big glass bowl. Take the hand mixer and mix till soft peaks start forming.

Now add sugar and vanilla extract and mix again.
In another bowl sift together flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Add it to the egg mixture and incorporate carefully with a spoon.

Finally add vegetable oil and buttermilk. Mix again. Try to keep it as fluffy as possible.
Bake around 10-15 minutes.
While it’s in the oven move to the Nutella mousse.
Here you will need:
240ml of whipping cream
200g of Nutella
Again the mixer. Mix the whipping cream till soft peaks form.

Put your Nutella in the microwave for around 10 to 15 seconds. It will be easier to mix it with the whipping cream if it’s a little bit runny. Add 2-3 teaspoons at a time and mix carefully with a spoon. You want the whipping cream to keep its volume.
When ready put the muffin mould out of the fridge and fill the chocolate shells with the Nutella mousse.

Now leave it back in the fridge.
Let your sponge cool. Take a glass or a circle shaped cutter with the right size and cut 6 circles from the sponge.

Put each of the on the top (that’s going to be the bottom later) of a chocolate shell. Press lightly and put back in fridge.

Let it set for several hours.
It is really fun to put them out of the silicone mould. But be careful. You don’t want to brake the chocolate shell. Even though it’s thick enough.
To decorate I melted some white chocolate with almond praliné inside. Then simply with a teaspoon poured it over every bombe cake.

Before the chocolate hardens finished with a raspberry on the top.
I am sure you will love it. It is just delicious!
Well… if you eat it directly from the frige (as I did because I couldn’t wait to try it) it will be funny eating it because the chocolate shell is too hard. But it tastes wonderful any way!
Hope you enjoy your bombe cake as I did! See you later!

Bon Appétit!
Christina