Domestic Goddess

I hate to drive to the library alone even though it's only a 5minutes drive from where I stay. Somehow I just dislike it. I like to do things t-o-g-e-t-h-e-r. You know, "together forever" type of concept? Hmmm.. which is why when my boy is ultra sticky especially to mummy, I actually feel a tinge of happiness and enjoys sticking to him too much to the dismay of Hubby.

Anyway, back to the library business, I was driven to the library and with the kid in the car, I was given only 10 minutes to return my overdue library books and borrow a few more. Hence, I can only rush to my favorite cookery section and grab what I find when I find them. This is one of them - Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking.

After going through the recipes, I realized why she is so popular. Her recipes are of the no-fuss category and looked effortlessly casual. It's like how Japanese office ladies are everyday. They looked so casually made up without looking like they tried too hard. Well, Nigella's recipes are like that.

This is the first one that I tried - Chocolate Mousse Cake. As I only had 2 eggs left in the fridge, I quartered the recipe yet used a 6 inch tin for this. Slightly overbaked I think. Nevertheless, easy and good. As usual, this is a keeper and I will try again.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Adapted from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess

(Makes a 25cm round cake)

Ingredients
300g best dark chocolate
50g best milk chocolate
175g unsalted butter
8 large eggs, separated
100g light muscovado sugar (can use less sugar)
100g caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and put the kettle on to boil. 
2. Line the tin with foil to prevent water from seaping in.
3. Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler or microwave, let it cool.
4. In another bowl beat the egg yolks and sugars until pale, thick and creamy like mayonnaise or ribbon stage.
5. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form then fold gently into the chocolate mixture in batches (about 3).
6. Pour the cake batter into tin.
7. Place tin in a large roasting tin and add hot water from the kettle to come about half way up the sides of the tin.
8. Place in oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The inside of the cake will be damp and mousse-like but the top should look cooked and dry.
9. Let it cool completely on a cooling rack before removing it from the tin.

You can simply chill the entire cake after step 6 if you want a non-bake mousse cake. Very flexible recipe.