Chocolate mousse rainbow cake /joan cake

This cake was made to celebrate a birthday in my family .I think a cake made from scratch  is the best way to express your love to your  loved ones.The original recipe is a part of this months baking partners challenge by Swathi .

A celebration is incomplete with out chocolate so I have replaced the pistachio layer(as suggested by the recipe) with chocolate layer and frosted with chocolate mousse instead of whipped cream.

There is minimal use of artificial colours just to enhance the colour provided by fruits in this cake unlike other rainbow cakes.Its a three layer cake  of strawberry ,chocolate ,orange .Chocolate and orange are made for each other and hence the cake was perfect with chocolate mousse.

This recipe is off to the baking partners challenge.

1 C Cake flour = 1 C APF(maida) - 2 tbsp APF+2 tbsp corn starch /flour

FOR STRAWBERRY CAKE 

• 1 C cake flour (c.f)
• 2 tsp  bakingPowder (b.p)
•  3 -4 tbsp strawberry preserve
• 1/2 C sugar 
• 1 egg 
• 50 gms butter
• red colour a few drops

FOR ORANGE CAKE

• 1 C cake flour (c.f)
• 2 tsp baking powder (b.p)
• 1/2 C sugar
• 50 gms butter
• 1 egg
• 3/4 C fresh orange juice
• 1 tsp orange rind 
• orange colour few drops

FOR CHOCOLATE CAKE 

• 1 C cake flour (c.f)
• 2 tsp baking powder(b.p)
• 1/2 C sugar
• 50 gms butter
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp cocoa
• 7 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

FOR ICING/FROSTING

• 500 ml whipping cream 
• 120 gms dark chocolate 
• 2 tbsp Castor sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 10 gms gelatin
• 120 gms chocolate
• fresh kiwis for decorating 
• ice cubes for cold tub

METHOD

STRAWBERRY CAKE

1. Sift cake flour and b.p 3 to 4 times .butter your cake pan or line it with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl beat butter, sugar until creamy with a hand blender
3. Add egg and beat until the mixture doubles.
4. Now add strawberry preserve ,red colour and give a nice blend .
5. Preheat oven at 180 c.
6. Slowly fold flour into this mixture in 3- 4 batches.
7. Pour the batter in greased cake tin and bake for 30- 35 mints or until skewer comes out clean .
8. Remove from the cake pan and cool it on a wire rack .

ORANGE CAKE

1. Sift cake flour and b.p 3 to 4 times .butter your cake pan or line it with parchment paper.
2. Squeeze juice from  orange 
3. In a bowl beat butter, sugar until creamy with a hand blender.
4. Add egg and beat until the mixture doubles.
5. Preheat oven at 180 c.
6. Add orange rind and orange colour to it.
7. Slowly fold flour into this mixture along with the orange juice in 3- 4 batches.
8. Pour the batter in greased cake tin and bake for 30- 35 mints or until skewer comes out clean .
9. Remove from the cake pan and cool it on a wire rack .

CHOCOLATE CAKE

1. Sift cake flour ,cocoa powder and b.p 3 to 4 times .butter your cake pan or line it with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl beat butter, sugar until creamy with a hand blender.
3. Add egg and beat until the mixture doubles.
4. Preheat oven to 180 c.
5. Slowly fold flour into this mixture in 3- 4 batches.add milk to get the required batter consistency 
6. add vanilla extract.
7. Pour the batter in greased cake tin and bake for 30- 35 mints or until skewer comes out clean .
8. Remove from the cake pan and cool it on a wire rack .

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE FROSTING 

1. Add gelatin to 3 tbsp of water and leave it to bloom for 4- 5 mints .
2. Microwave for 30 secs.allow it to cool completely.
3. Melt chocolate in a double boiler and cool completely .
4. In a  deep bowl add whipping cream ,place it on  a bowl of ice cubes.
5. Whip the cream on high while adding sugar and vanilla.
6. When soft peaks are formed add chocolate whip it .
7. Now add gelatin and whip until stiff peaks are formed .
8. It takes around 12 - 14 mints .

TO ASSEMBLE

1. Trim the edges of the cake to a desired shape .
2. Place a generous dollop of chocolate mousse on the cake board or plate .
3. put the chocolate cake on it .
4. spread an even generous coat of chocolate mousse 
5. Now  place the strawberry cake .
6. spread an even generous coat of chocolate mousse .
7. And lastly place the orange cake .
8. spread an even generous coat of chocolate mousse .
9. Coat the entire cake with chocolate mousse and smooth it with a spatula or a palette knife .
10. Take a piping bag with star nozzle and pipe the design as in pic .
11. decorate with kiwis .
12. Refrigerate for 3 -4 hrs .

NOTES

1. I could  not find fresh strawberries so I have used preserve ,if you want to use fresh strawberries  you will need 220 gms of it .
2. combine strawberries, 2 tbsp sugar , water  a little and cook until soft , cool it and puree it .
3. Now add the puree to cake batter .
4. You can use simple whipped cream for frosting. 

Linking this to Babis first event giveaway