Samoas Chocolate Mousse Cake with Biscuit Flourless Chocolate Cake and Toasted Coconut

There is something about toasted coconut, chocolate, and caramel that make it an irresistible combination. Girl Scouts have picked up the combo with their top selling cookie, Somaos, which are also Caramel deLites depending on where you live.

This cookie was next on my list for ‘Girl Scout Cookies To Make Desserts With’ challenge my two girl scouts gave me. For this dessert, I made dark chocolate mousse and layered it with two large disks of biscuit flourless chocolate. I used chopped up Samoas cookies for the base rather than grinding them up in a food processor to keep their crunchy texture. I didn’t want it too fine. The caramel and chocolate bound nicely together when I pressed them in the bottom of the mold.

The recipe below was formulated for a 9 1/2 inch diameter by 2 3/8 inch high pastry ring. There are a few components to this dessert, as are with all layered cake recipes, and some can be done ahead of time (biscuit flourless chocolate, cookie base, toasted coconut) to make production easier.

Two down (Thin Mints, Samoas), four more cookies to go (Do-si-dos, Tagalongs, Savannah Smiles, Trefoils).

Samoas Chocolate Mousse Cake with Biscuit Flourless Chocolate Cake and Toasted Coconut

This dessert comprises of several elements. Each are listed below. Use a 9 1/2 inch x 2 3/8 inch pastry ring. A 9-inch or 10-inch ring that is 2 1/2 to 3 inches high will also work.

Ingredients:

Toasted Coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)

Biscuit Flourless Chocolate:

• 5 yolks
• 2 ounces sugar
• 5 whites
• 2 1/2 ounces sugar
• 2 1/2 ounces cocoa powder (Dutch processed is best), sifted

Crust:

• 1 box Samoas Girl Scout Cookies (also called Caramel deLites), 15 cookies

Dark Chocolate Mousse:

• 1 pint whipping cream (2 cups)
• 2/3 cup milk, plus 1/2 cup
• 2/3 packet plain gelatin
• 4 egg yolks (large eggs), beaten
• 2 ounces sugar, divided
• 12 ounces finely chopped dark chocolate, or 1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ganache:

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Simple Syrup:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Procedure:

Biscuit Flourless Chocolate:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using the pastry ring as a guide, make an outline with pencil onto a sheet of parchment paper large enough to fit inside the bottom of a half sheet pan. Repeat with another sheet. Lightly coat with cooking spray.
2. Whip the egg yolks with 2 ounces of sugar in the bowl of a stand up mixer until light and thick ribbons form, about 10 minutes.
3. When the yolks have finished beating, whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until starting to peak. Slowly spoon in the 2 1/2 ounces of sugar into the whites, and continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form.
4. Mix the egg yolks, cocoa powder, and 1/3 of the meringue mixture together until incorporated. Fold in half of the rest of the egg whites until no egg whites are present, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
5. Spoon half the biscuit mixture into a reusable bag fitted with a plain pastry tip that has a medium-large opening (807). Pipe in the outlined circle, coming to within a half inch from the edge of the outline. Repeat with second sheet pan.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until the sponge cake springs back when lightly touched, about 8 to 12 minutes.
7. Completely cool, then use in the recipe below.

Crust:

1. Chop the Samoas cookies until finely chopped.
2. Place a 9 1/2″ x 2 3/8″ pastry ring on a parchment lined flat half sheet pan. Sprinkle the chopped cookies and cookie crumbs on the bottom and press down using the bottom of a flat, heavy glass. Continue until you have a flat, even crust, with no gaps or lumps.

Dark Chocolate Mousse:

1. Place the chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl with a fine mesh sieve setting on top (to strain the vanilla sauce). Reserve.
2. Sprinkle the unflavored gelatin powder over the 1/2 cup of  milk. Stir, then let stand until bloomed, about 15 minutes.
3. In a saucepan, heat the 2/3 cup milk with half the sugar until very hot and slightly bubbly. Meanwhile, whisk the other half of the sugar with yolks until smooth. Temper half of the hot milk into the beaten egg yolks, then transfer this back into the saucepan. Continue cooking until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, and is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin, and stir until the mixture is smooth and the gelatin has completely dissolved.
4. Strain the vanilla sauce over the chocolate and shake the bowl to completely cover all the chocolate. Let stand for a minute, then whisk until the chocolate has melted. Stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, let the mixture cool. The mixture will thicken slightly.
5. When the chocolate and vanilla sauce mixture has cooled, whip the cream until peaks form, then fold into the chocolate mixture.
6. Use in the cake.

Ganache:

1. Heat the cream to boiling, then pour over the chocolate. Shake to completely cover the chocolate. Let set for a minute, then whisk the ganache until smooth. Strain if desired to completely remove any small chocolate pieces.

Simple Syrup:

1. Heat the water and sugar to boiling, and stir until dissolved. Let cool completely before using.

Assembly:

Take the cookie crust lined pastry ring and ensure the ring is on a flat sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Place about 1/3 of the chocolate mousse over the top. Spread evenly with an offset spatula. Place one biscuit flourless disk upside down over the top and press to center. Lightly brush with simple syrup to moisten. Add another third of the chocolate mousse and the last biscuit disk, also upside down. Lightly brush with simple syrup. Transfer the last third of the chocolate mousse over the top, and spread flat using an offset spatula.

Place the finished mousse cake in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight to set the chocolate mousse. When ready to finish the dessert, remove the ring from the parchment paper and place over a cake board the same size as the ring. Using a hand held blow torch, lightly warm the ring and lift to remove. Place the cake over a rack set over a sheet pan to catch ganache drippings. Heat the ganache until just melted, stirring as little as possible to prevent air bubbles from forming. Do not ice the mousse cake with hot ganache and let cool if necessary.

Pour the ganache on the top of the cake beginning at the center and allowing it flow down the sides. Using an offset spatula, gently spread until the top is evenly coated. Spread gently on the sides to evenly coat. Press the toasted coconut on the sides. Chill the mousse cake to set the ganache.

Slice and serve.