From afternoon coffee runs in our slippers, to giant lap dogs, to couch cocoa and peanut butter from the spoon. A few things that have been happening in our world
lately
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Grateful – for the community of people we love. After this weekend's Spaghetti Saturday we felt like we'd gotten the kindest, warmest bear hug ever
Realizing – as our counter filled with salads, appetizers, and rice pudding(!) Something beautiful happens in the kitchen; when we shift from consuming online to gathering offline
Inspired – By the spirit of our neighbor, who suffers from multiple sclerosis. With his wife by his side, he ever so slowly made his way from their house across the street, to ours. It took an hour. May I never find even one thing to complain about
Waiting – For the results of my husband's sleep study. He got to sleep-over at the hospital last week and said he felt like Frankenstein with a million electrodes taped to his body
Cooking – With hints of spring in the air, I've put my soup pot away and have been reaching for our salad bowls more and more
Excited – To start on my fresh cookbook stack from the library
Happy – For meandering Sunday walks with the puppies, surprise flowers in my office, blueberry-stained lips, finallllly remembering our neighbor's cat's name, and beef jerky in my backpack
Wishing – I'd gotten involved with the blogging community earlier in my journey. This past year I've gone to events, workshops, and lately, have joined a few online groups. I'm amazed by their talent, inspired by their creativity, humbled by their kindness, and thankful for their support
Wondering – The best way to keep a ninety-pound puppy calm and quiet – for six weeks(!) Tomorrow morning, a road trip date with Harry to meet with a surgeon. An older injury that isn't healing properly requires far more attention than we ever imagined
Watching – My children parent theirs. I'm aware that I know enough now to know that I really know very little. There's nothing that truly prepares us for babies, for children; for these old souls toddling around in tiny bodies, requesting apples and attention
Remembering: A spritz of lavender, and an ice-cold drink of water on even the most frenzied of days. Also sunshine, a warm shower, and a kiss from your husband. Simply don any air mask you've got and breathe it all in
Chocolate mousse; there aren't many desserts that give you such dreamy results with such little work. No wonder it's a classic.
This cake definitely lives up to its name. It's chocolaty intense, with the surprise addition of greek yogurt, along with many other healthier, whole food ingredients
A crust filled with hazelnuts, coconut, dates, and cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder). The chocolaty greek yogurt and cream mousse that is light and creamy. Topped with ganache, it's chocolate heaven
It made an appearance at Spaghetti Saturday, topped with roasted hazelnuts and a few dried rose petals for fun. The perfect finale to a beautiful evening
A few notes about the recipe
The cake is really chocolatey and not too sweet. If you're someone who likes dessert on the sweeter side, you'll want to make a few adjustments
If cacao powder is unfamiliar, know that it's quite bitter. You'll probably want to add some additional sweetness for balance. Instead of 2 Tbsp honey in the mousse, I'd increase it to 1/4 cup and taste. Alternately, use regular cocoa powder
When making the ganache, use any chocolate, depending on your taste. A lot of people find dark chocolate far too bitter. If that's the case, semi-sweet is a great choice
Enjoy!
xoxo
ps: More fun recipes and stories from Spaghetti Saturdays
— — —
~ Adapted from Half Baked Harvest
Chocolate Lovers Hazelnut Mousse Cake
Ingredients
- Crust
- 1 cup hazelnuts (or nuts of your choice)
- ½ cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
- 1 ½ cups pitted dates packed (~ 10 oz)
- ½ cup cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
- flaky sea salt
- Chocolate Greek Yogurt Mousse
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt (plain whole milk is best)
- ½ cup cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
- 1-2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- Chocolate Ganache
- ¾ cup full-fat canned coconut milk (or heavy cream)
- 5 oz chocolate, chopped
- Topping
- chopped hazelnuts (roasting is optional, but it sure does make them better)
Instructions
- Crust
- In the bowl of your food processor, add the ingredients and pulse until they're finely ground and the mix begins to form a ball.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of an 8 or 9" springform pan (making sure to pack it tight)
- Chocolate Greek Yogurt Mousse
- To the bowl of your stand mixer, add the heavy cream and whip until stiff peaks form.
- Using a spatula, gently fold the Greek yogurt into the whipped cream.
- Add the cacao powder, honey, and vanilla
- Spread the mousse evenly over top the crust.
- Cover and place in the fridge for 1½ hours
- Chocolate Ganache
- In a small saucepan over low heat, add the coconut milk and chocolate.
- Stir continuously until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Let cool five to ten minutes before pouring over the top of the mousse. (Test the ganache first. You're going for something pourable and spreadable, but not hot enough that it will melt the mousse)
- Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts.
- Chill 30 minutes or until ready serve.
- Run a knife around the inside of the springform pan and then release the cake from the pan. Slice and serve!
48 Comments
It looks like you’re lookng forward to a lot of good things. I love the positivity in this post. I like desserts that aren’t too sweet. This is perfect! Thank you for the recipe.
Ok, so are aware that I just want to lick my screen. How do you come up with these beautiful creations? As I said already its are house day so now just have to decided on what to make x
Wow this looks amazing. I’d probably sweeten it a bit more if I made it as I have quite a sweet tooth but a lovely dish x
At first glance, you might think this Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Cake looks over-the-top decadent and would be much too rich for a non-chocolate lover.
The first picture itself speaks how divine is your Chocolate Lovers Hazelnut Mousse Cake! It looks incredibly delicious and mouth-watering! Wish I could grab it right now inside my mouth!
That looks amazing! I need to make this soon. I love a great mousse cake like this one!
A lot of good things going on there with you and yes your neighbour with the MS ….we most certainly do have a lot to be thankful for. I love the choc mousse cake ..anything choc for that matter and the rose petals are a lovely touch.
I love chocolate! This looks and sounds like an amazing recipe!
This chocolate cake seems to be very yummy. I am fond of chocolates and will sure try this one. Thanks for sharing this tempting recipe.
I love all your recipes – I’m on such a strict medical diet that there’s not much I can have but all your recipes really fit the bill – this looks divine! Love the contest of the chewy crunchy base and the smooth mousse!
Wow! That looks amazing. I haven’t had hazelnuts except for Nutella. I am sure it isn’t the same. lol
I always have a crazy sweet tooth. It needs to go away.
This looks absolutely delicious! And this looks so decadent I don’t even think I could more than one piece!!
This recipe is perfect! I love that it is not too sweet so I can have a slice and not feel guilty. I’m saving your recipe and will try my best making it this weekend! Can’t wait to see the smiles on my family’s faces. 🙂
What a nightmare! I lost a years worth of work and it still eats at me. Most of the time I do keep a copy in another location, but the loss of the comments hurts.
“Ok, you just can’t do this to me (a pregnant woman) – this looks so decadent and delicious and you are making me very very hungry! I want to try some of this yummy-goodness now! 🙂
xx, Kusum
It looks like you’re lookng forward to a lot of good things. I love the positivity in this post. I like desserts that aren’t too sweet. This is perfect! Thank yoi for the recipe.
Ok, so are aware that I just want to lick my screen. How do you come up with these beautiful creations? As I said already its are house day so now just have to decided on what to make x
Wow this looks amazing. I’d probably sweeten it a bit more if I made it as I have quite a sweet tooth but a lovely dish x
At first glance, you might think this Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Cake looks over-the-top decadent and would be much too rich for a non-chocolate lover.
The first picture itself speaks how divine is your Chocolate Lovers Hazelnut Mousse Cake! It looks incredibly delicious and mouth-watering! Wish I could grab it right now inside my mouth!
That looks amazing! I need to make this soon. I love a great mousse cake like this one!
Wow! That looks amazing. I haven’t had hazelnuts except for Nutella. I am sure it isn’t the same. lol
I always have a crazy sweet tooth. It needs to go away.
A lot of good things going on there with you and yes your neighbour with the MS ….we most certainly do have a lot to be thankful for. I love the choc mousse cake ..anything choc for that matter and the rose petals are a lovely touch.
This looks absolutely delicious! And this looks so decadent I don’t even think I could more than one piece!!
I love chocolate! This looks and sounds like an amazing recipe!
This chocolate cake seems to be very yummy. I am fond of chocolates and will sure try this one. Thanks for sharing this tempting recipe.
I love all your recipes – I’m on such a strict medical diet that there’s not much I can have but all your recipes really fit the bill – this looks divine! Love the contest of the chewy crunchy base and the smooth mousse!
This recipe is perfect! I love that it is not too sweet so I can have a slice and not feel guilty. I’m saving your recipe and will try my best making it this weekend! Can’t wait to see the smiles on my family’s faces. 🙂
Awesome photos are so good yet can’t convey how freaking insane this tastes!
I feel terrible, I simply thought it was just a case of a server error. I didn’t know that you lost a lot. I’m sorry that you have to experience all of this. I really enjoy your blog and it’s so nice that you’re putting everything back together. You can do it!
Awesome photos are so good yet can’t convey how freaking insane this tastes!
Ok, you just can’t do this to me (a pregnant woman) – this looks so decadent and delicious and you are making me very very hungry! I want to try some of this yummy-goodness now! 🙂
xx, Kusum
I keep trying to sneak my husband greek yogurt, but he can always tell. It is driving me crazy. Maybe he won’t be able to tell if I make this delicious cake!
Chocolate-lovers’ heaven – a dessert cake with a squidgy, mousse-like centre. And it’s gluten-free if you want it to be.
Oh Me Oh My!! This looks like chocolate heaven on a plate. Absolutely decadent and delicious!
this is heaven! i can only destroy this and eat it madly, thanks for sharing thisrecipe. looks like i have a great reason to put on!
This looks like such a delicious dessert! All the ingredients are things I have in the house, so hopefully this will be on the menu tonight. YUM!
An easy and delicious dessert! Definitely decadent! Will have to try this myself.
This looks so yummy. I really want to start cooking deserts and sweets. Thank you for the recipe. This looks great and easy. – yolonda
I’m trying to work on getting back into shape. Looking at amazing food like this is NOT helping me at all. You’re spot on about the darker chocolates being bitter for some people’s taste, it surprises a lot of people.
This looks dreamy as all get out! Seriously, my kids would love it too. I feel like this would be perfect on a Sunday afternoon (or any afternoon) with a cup of tea.
That looks sooo yummy! I love chocolate mousse, but have never had it in a cake. I definitely can’t wait to give this recipe a try. And your pictures are just gorgeous 🙂
I swear this is going to be the end of any diet plans I may have had lmao. That’s looks absolutely delicious!
This looks so good! I am going to pin this recipe and make it for my birthday cake or a birthday cake.
OMG. That looks absolutely yummy and mouth watering. I have become a fan of yours..awesome!
The dessert cake here does look amazing. I am sure I would love to try it out. And as far as the sleep study I completely sympathize with your husbands. I had to do it myself. And I couldn’t sleep all night long. The electrodes made it so uncomfortable that I couldn’t sleep. And I am a person who my friends say can sleep anywhere. So it was strange.
This hazelnut mousse cake recipe looks so amazing and yummy at the same time. Found your post so easy to follow along when preparing them yesterday. So mesmerized by this. Thanks for sharing!
That Chocolate Lovers Hazelnut Mousse Cake just looks so incredibly delicious and I am so craving a slice right now! Can I post it on my blog?