How to Make the Schanknecht Birthday Cake

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This Schanknecht Birthday Cake recipe makes a large double or triple layered Chocolate Mousse Cake. This cake is a birthday tradition from my hubby’s childhood, and one that I am more than happy to continue! The cake itself is dark, rich and moist, with a slightly crunchy exterior. The mousse is the perfect pairing for a chocolate cake. It uses real chocolate and cream to make a rich, luscious layer. It makes every bite sumptuous!

Why is this cake not healthy?

If you have been hanging around here for any length of time, you will have picked up on my *slight* obsession with healthy cakes. I usually make them dairy free and egg free. Dairy free, because I prefer to use my milk for yoghurt, and egg free because, have you SEEN the price of eggs lately?

I also make them sugar free as well, because I do like to have a little smackerel of dessert every night (yes, every night), and I just feel a bit better about my large wedge of cake if it is not laden with highly processed ingredients.

But, a sweet tooth is a sweet tooth and once every so often, you just need the real stuff (check out my counterfeit Chocolate cake here). You know what I mean, the eye-ball rolling, heart-rate racing, tooth-ache inducing sweet stuff that does you in.

This cake, my friends, is it.

Full of refined sugar, flour, eggs and dairy, this cake is not for the faint hearted. But it is so delicious, and so much fun to make!

We bring it out once every year, on my husband’s birthday. It is the best kind of treat. We look forward to it for months, and reminisce for months after. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients in the Schanknecht Birthday Cake

For the Cake

• Flour – I use High Grade flour because, as a breadmaker, that is what I have lying around. I find it fine to use in cakes, although true bakers would use All Purpose (cake) flour. If you don’t have that kind of flour on hand, don’t worry! The cake still turns out delicious.
• Cocoa – The cheapest brand of cocoa at our supermarket actually has a lovely, dark cocoa. Some cocoas are not so dark (Cadbury’s, for example). I would recommend getting a dark cocoa if you can, as this creates a richer, more punchy chocolatey flavour.
• Baking Powder – the main raising agent in the cake.
• Cinnamon – this is a surprising ingredient, but don’t leave it out! The cinnamon enhances and deepens the chocolate flavour. It doesn’t make the cake taste cinnamon-y at all!
• Salt – I am a great herald for salt in baking. It’s just awful if you leave it out!
• Eggs – yes, this is an eggy cake. What are birthdays for, if not for a splurge, and my hubby deserves the best (even if that is not my cheaper sourdough Chocolate Cake).
• Castor Sugar – finely grained, the caster sugar makes for a lighter cake with a better texture. I have subbed the sugar for Truvia, but I wouldn’t do it again. The cake definitely had an inferior texture.
• Oil (preferably Grape Seed Oil) – This cake doesn’t use butter! I prefer using oil in cakes, mostly because the cake batter is easier to prepare when you use oil, and oil-based cakes last longer in the fridge.
• Buttermilk – I use whey or yoghurt instead of buttermilk, because that it what I usually have lying around, and I won’t go out and buy a specialty ingredient that I won’t use ever again. Both the whey and yoghurt work superbly, so I have not missed the buttermilk!
• Vanilla Essence – I usually pour the vanilla essence in, because it is vital for an authentic chocolate flavour.

For the Mousse

I do have a simpler recipe for a vegan mousse, which is actually sublime. However, I would not substitute it for the mousse in these layers, simply because it is not strong enough to make a distinct layer. For this layer cake mousse, you need strength from the eggs and the dairy to make a thick mousse that won’t crumble when you try to spread and layer it.

• Water – I know, it seems a bit out of place here in a list for Mousse Ingredients. But trust me, it stops the chocolate from seizing and makes it easier to combine with the other ingredients.
• Coffee – another reason why this cake isn’t really child-friendly (all the better!). The coffee really helps to deepen the chocolate flavour.
• Dark Chocolate (in blocks) Dark chocolate works best, not only for flavour, but for structure as well. Since dark chocolate does not melt as easily at room temperature, it makes for a stronger, stiffer mousse.
• Eggs (separated) – yip, it’s time to get whisking! Secret’s out: I adore whisking eggs, and I absolutely relish this part of the cake baking process. It makes me feel like a chemist and magician, rolled into one.
• Castor Sugar – just a tad!
• Cream – need I say more?

Garnish Ideas To Decorate

• Nougat – Nougat has an amazing texture, chewy and soft. It worked really nicely. I chopped it into little bite-sized chunks and embedded it in the chocolate mousse layers.
• Peanuts – I used honey-roasted cashews paired with the nougat for my most recent cake. They were delicious, but bear in mind that the nuts soften in the mousse. Still yum, though!
• Freeze Dried Raspberries – a pop of tartness is excellent in this cake. Sprinkle the freeze-dried raspberries on top of the mousse in each layer.
• Berry Coulis – to serve with the cake. It’ll cut through the chocolate in a beautiful symphony on your tongue!
• Ferrero Rochers – pop these like clockwork around the top of the cake. Delicious and stunning! Quite a simple way to make the cake a show-stopper.
• Fresh Strawberries – Instead of the Rochers (or in addition to), nestle a strawberry into a swirl of icing around the top of the cake. The pop of red will look really impressive.
• Candied Orange Peel – If you like Chocolate Orange, then you will love garnishing this cake with spirals of candied orange peel. That pop of citrus will breathe fresh air into the chocolate cake, and make it truly elegant.
• Hokey Pokey (honeycomb) Shards or Crunchie Bar – Who doesn’t love the combination of honeycomb and chocolate. The bitter-sweet caramel flavour, the crunch, the smoothness of chocolate. Delicious!

How to make the Schanknecht Birthday Cake

I would recommend making the mousse first, since it does require time to set in the fridge before spreading onto the cooled cake. Start the cake immediately after you have popped the mousse in the fridge, so that it can cool in time for assembly.

Oh, and a little warning: you will need a lot of bowls for this cake. It definitely is not a one bowl wonder! Since I only make it once a year, I do enjoy all the different techniques (I like to think of myself as a contestant on Masterchef).

For the Mousse

Mix the water and coffee and place with chocolate in glass dish, over a bain marie. Melt and stir constantly to obtain a smooth mixture.

Separate the eggs into bowls. In one bowl, beat yolks until creamy. Stir into the chocolate, and allow mixture to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until soft points form. Add sugar gradually, and beat further until stiff points form.

In yet another bowl, beat the cream until stiff. Fold deftly into chocolate mixture.

Now for the egg white mixture. Fold a quarter of the egg whites with a metal spoon into the chocolate mixture and then the rest of the egg whites.

Place in fridge for two hours to allow it to set

For the Cake

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Line bottoms of 2 pans with baking paper and grease lightly.

Sift flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder and salt together in mixing bowl. Set aside.

Beat eggs and sugar together, then beat in oil in a thin stream. It’s like making a sweet mayonnaise! To this mixture, add the buttermilk and vanilla.

Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until it is only just mixed. Spoon into pans and bake for approximately 40 minutes.

Allow to cool.

Assembly

Both the mousse and the cake are really strong and cope well with layering. It’s a really gratifying process, with an impressive result!

Place first layer of the cake on plate (I like to use a round chopping board) and spread mousse evenly over it. If you have a garnish, add that to the top of the mousse layer.

Firmly place the second layer on top and spread more mousse evenly over the top. More garnishes!

I managed to get four layers out of this cake. I doubled the quantities for the mousse, and was able to get four lovely, thick, mousse layers, plus completely coat the top and sides of the cake.

When it is enshrouded so thoroughly, it makes it all the more theatric to slice in and reveal all those decadent layers!