Christmas Dessert: Chocolate Mousse Cakes!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, I know I did! This Christmas I was in charge of dessert at my mom's and at the in-laws. I love chocolate brownies, and I love chocolate mousse, so I thought: chocolate mousse cakes. I browsed online and found a magnificent recipe for mini chocolate mousse cakes!
The recipe was a little complicated, but after two attempts I made some changes that made it way easier, and more visually appealing. At first I tried to hold the cakes together in the cans with parchment paper, but found it easier to cut the cakes, spread the mousse, and just let it sit in the fridge. I also extended the cooking time for the cakes, but my oven runs hot, so adjust accordingly.
Blah, blah, blah, here's the modified recipe!


Chocolate Cake:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour and cocoa.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter with water and oil; bring to boil. Remove from heat and pour over dry ingredients; mix well. Add egg, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla extract; blend thoroughly.

Pour batter into a 10-inch x 15-inch cake pan. Bake approximately 13 minutes or until tester or toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes in pan. Continue cooling on a wire rack.

Chocolate Mousse
11 ounces semi-sweet chocolate*
3 ounces melted butter, unsalted
4 eggs, separated
1 cup whipping cream

* Use a good-quality of chocolate (I used Hershey's!)

In a medium-size saucepan, melt chocolate and butter together.

To the melted chocolate, immediately beat in egg yolks; remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peak form; fold into whipping cream. Fold egg white/whipping cream mixture into cooled chocolate mixture. Let cool before using. *Note that this recipe calls for a lot more mousse then you actually need for the cakes, which is great in case extra guests show up and you run out of creations!

To assemble: On a flat surface spread mousse on cake half. Place other cake half on top, smooth any mousse coming out, and your done!

Tips: To melt chocolate and butter smoothly, without ruining it, melt at extremely low temperature. Start at low, and never go above medium-low.
To make good peaks with the egg white use a KITCHEN AID! I love my kitchen aid, it saves so much time and energy.

Giada's Balsamic Steak with Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

I used Giada's (on of my role models) BBQ sauce on some New York steak, and it was delicious! Steak, salad, and potatoes, now that's a meal!

For the Balsamic BBQ sauce:

* 1 cup balsamic vinegar
* 3/4 cup ketchup
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by 1/3, about 15 to 20 minutes. Coat steak with BBQ sauce, and toss on the grill. Coat steak twice more with sauce while it's cooking.

I also made this recipe with chicken drumsticks and it was just as great!

For my Parmesan Potatoes:
* 2 pounds small potatoes
* 2 large eggs, beaten
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place potatoes in large pot, pour in enough water to barely cover them, and bring to a boil. Cook until just tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly. Strain the beaten eggs into a soup plate and season lightly with salt. In another plate, combine the Parmesan with the cayenne pepper. Working in small batches coat the potatoes with the beaten egg, shaking of the excess, then toss them in the Parmesan mixture. Set the potatoes on the baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, or until golden. Serve hot or at room temperature.