Fake Out! Black Tie Mousse Cake

Living in Hawaii definitely has its perks. First of all, the lowest temperature I've seen since living here is like 64 degrees. Also, 80 degrees here is sooo different from 80 degrees in New England. New England is super humid and you feel the need to take a shower the minute you walk out your door. Hawaii is breezy and hot, not humid.

Also, we have such a diverse array of delicious food here it is ridiculous. The one category Hawaii could work on is Italian cuisine. Which of course, is my favorite kind of food. In a way, this is a blessing because I have had to experiment in the kitchen. This has undoubtedly saved me a truckload of cash from how much I spent going to Italian restaurants. I know that Olive Garden to "real" Italian chefs is frowned upon. I really don't care. I love Olive Garden. I would give up my left foot to have some breadsticks with an alfredo boat and 23 tiramisus right now. Jon would give up his left eye right now to have the breadsticks and 44 black tie mousse cakes.

 

I'm always forcing Jon to try recipes he would never agree to if I didn't have this blog. I decided he deserved a reward for all the spinach, mushrooms and onions he'd been consuming in the name of Cooking With Cait. That reward was a Black Tie Mousse Cake. I immediately turned to google with the search "Olive Garden Black Tie Mousse Cake". I landed on this recipe. I am sure this mousse cake is delicious and very close to Olive Garden's, as most of her reviews say it is. I, unfortunately, came up with this idea at 8pm and was not about to go through that long of a baking process. I decided to pick up some instant puddings, mix it with homemade whipped cream and get this thing in the fridge to set within an hour. I hope you all enjoy this as much as Jon and I did.

1 box Butter Fudge or Devil's Food Cake mix

Chocolate Mousse:

5.9oz instant chocolate pudding

1 1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache:

1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp almond extract

Vanilla Mousse:

5.9oz instant vanilla pudding

1 1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
2 cup whipped cream (such as cool whip or homemade*recipe follows*)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Homemade Whipped Cream (yields 4-5 cups)
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

For Whipped Cream, put metal or glass bowl in freezer for 5-10 minutes. Whip cream, sugar and vanilla extract on high with electric mixer until it forms stiff peaks.
You're going to make TWO 9 inch cakes. One will be used for this Black Tie Mousse Cake, the other... Well, use your imagination ;). I ended up making a Pistachio Mousse Cake with it. You could also do some epic sundaes with cake in the bottom of the bowl. Yummm. Anyways, bake cakes as directed on box in a deep springform pan. Remove from oven when knife comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

Using a medium bowl, combine chocolate pudding mixture with milk and heavy cream until soft set. Add in cream cheese and vanilla extract.

Using a medium bowl, combine vanilla pudding mixture with milk and heavy cream until soft set. Add in cream cheese and vanilla extract. Fold in whipped cream gently until well combined.

Using a double boiler, melt chocolate chips, heavy cream and almond extract until smooth.

In the springform pan, pour chocolate pudding over cake base evenly and spread until smooth. Pour half of the ganache mixture over the pudding and spread until smooth. Then, pour vanilla pudding over ganache and spread until smooth. Add remaining ganache by rounded teaspoons "polka dotted" throughout vanilla pudding mixture. Use a knife to create a marble look. Set in refridgerator for 2-4 hours or overnight. Enjoy!