From the Royal kitchen to yours | A decadent delight by Chef Zuki

• 115 g all-purpose flour
• 40 g natural cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 50 g brown sugar
• 110 g light-tasting oil
• 200 g milk, room temperature

• 400 g whipping cream or heavy cream, divided into 200g + 200g
• 200 g dark or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

• 180 g whipping cream or heavy cream
• 170 g dark chocolate, finely chopped

• 10 fresh strawberries, halved, plus more for topping

Prep:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set aside a 9" springform pan. It's not necessary to line the pan with parchment paper but you can if you want to.

Flour mixture:

In a small bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Egg mixture:

In a large mixing bowl, add the egg, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Whisk together until well-combined. Add the oil and whisk again until smooth and combined.

Alternate adding flour and milk: Add half of the flour mixture and mix until barely combined. Add half of the milk and mix again until barely combined. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and milk and mix until just combined into a thick but fluid batter.

Fill pan:

Pour the batter into your springform pan. You can either add cake strips to the outside of the pan to help prevent the cake from doming or just level the cake after it has been baked.

Bake:

Bake for about 30-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

Level the cake (if needed):

Once cooled, if your cake has domed, run an offset spatula around the edges of the cake. Release the cake from the pan. Use a serrated knife and a horizontal sawing motion to cut off the excess cake until you have a flat cake layer. Return the cake to the pan and reassemble the springform pan.

Prep:

Place the chopped chocolate in a small heat-safe bowl. Set aside.

Heat cream:

In a small pan, heat 200g of the whipping cream on medium heat until tiny bubbles start coming to the surface and it's beginning to simmer. You can also do this in a microwave.

Melt chocolate:

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. Stir the chocolate mixture until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. If there are still any unmelted chocolate chunks, gently warm the mixture in the microwave with 10-15 second intervals or on a warming element on your stove. Set aside to cool while you whip the cream.

Whip cream:

In a medium mixing bowl, add the remaining 200g whipping cream. Use an electric hand mixer or a whisk to whip the cream until it becomes just barely soft peaks. Do not whip it further past this point or the mousse will become stiff and dry.

Combine cream and ganache:

Add about ? of the whipped cream to the bowl of chocolate ganache. Fold together with a spatula until combined. Transfer this mixture to the rest of the whipped cream. Fold together until combined and no streaks remain.

Arrange strawberries:

Arrange halved strawberries around the sides of the pan on top of the cake layer, pressing the cut edges to the pan.

Spread mousse mixture:

Transfer the mousse mixture to the pan on top of the cake layer. Use an offset spatula to spread the mousse into an even layer, making sure to get in between each strawberry. Finish by smoothing the top of the mousse as best you can.

Chill:

Cover and chill the entire cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow the mousse to set.

Prep:

Place the chopped chocolate in a small heat-safe bowl. Set aside.

Heat cream:

In a small pan, heat the whipping cream on medium heat until tiny bubbles start coming to the surface and it's beginning to simmer. You can also do this in a microwave.

Melt chocolate:

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. Stir the chocolate mixture until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy. If there are still any unmelted chocolate chunks, gently warm the mixture in the microwave with 10-15 second intervals or on a warming element on your stove. Let the ganache cool slightly and thicken.

Spread ganache:

Pour the ganache on top of the cake. Use an offset spatula to spread it to the edges and smooth the top. Chill the cake in the fridge for another 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set before releasing the cake from the pan.

Decorate:

Decorate the top of the cake with strawberries before slicing. Run your knife under hot water