Marbled Blackcurrant and Chocolate Mousse Cake

Not exactly a seasonal recipe, I must admit (it appeared on our Christmas table just over 5 months ago), but I got an email from a reader named Caroline on Monday, requesting the recipe. She'd love to make that for her husband's birthday, you see :) Considering I must translate the recipe anyway, I may just as well blog about it. It's a bit more difficult recipe than most of my other recipes, but IMHO it was totally worth the effort.

Hope your husband likes it, Caroline!

Marbled Blackcurrant and Chocolate Mousse Cake
(Uhke šokolaadi-mustsõstratort)
Adapted from the Finnish Pirkka-site.
18-20 slices

Chocolate sponge cake:
2 large eggs
75 ml caster sugar (5 Tbsp)
75 ml plain flour (5 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
0.5 tsp baking powder

To moisten the sponge cake:
100 ml (2/5th of a cup) undiluted blackcurrant juice or cordial

Blackcurrant Mousse:
3 gelatine leaves
220 g blackcurrants (thawed, if frozen)
75 ml (5 Tbsp) caster sugar
200 ml whipping cream
3 Tbsp undiluted blackcurrant juice or cordial

Chocolate Mousse:
2 gelatine leaves
150 g dark chocolate
200 ml whipping cream
2 Tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp cognac or brandy

To decorate:
chocolate-covered almonds or hazelnuts

Line the base of a Ø 25 cm/10-inch springform tin with a parchment paper. Butter the paper and the sides of the cake tin.

Make chocolate sponge:
Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix the dry ingredients, then sift and gently fold into the egg foam. Spoon the batter into the cake tin and bake in the middle of a pre-heated 175 C/350 F oven for about 15 minutes. Cool in the tin.
Leave the cooled cake in the cake tin and brush the sponge with the blackcurrant juice couple of times, until you've used up all the juice.
Make the mousse layers:
For both mousse layers, put the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water and soak for about 10 minutes.
Melt the dark chocolate. Cool.
Blend the blackcurrants and sugar into a pureé.
For both mousse layers, whisk the whipping cream until soft peaks form, then divide equally between the chocolate and the blackcurrant base (fold in 1/3 of the cream first, to soften the chocolate, then fold in rest of the cream).
Season the chocolate mousse with sugar and vanilla extract.
Take the soaked gelatine leaves out of the water and squeeze them gently to dry.
Heat 3 Tbsp of the blackcurrant juice, then stir in three of the lightly squeezed gelatine leaves. Pour the gelatine mixture into the blackcurrant mousse base.
Heat the 3 Tbsp of cognac, add two of the lightly squeezed gelatine leaves. Fold into the chocolate mousse.
Using a large spoon, add a spoonful of chocolate and a spoonful of blackcurrant mousse onto the cake base, creating a marbled/spotty look. Do not stir!
Smooth the top, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge to set until the next morning.
Transfer carefully onto your cake stand and decorate with chocolate.