As many of you may know, I use only a hand mixer for my baking. I had everything set out and ready to make this cake, but when I tried to start the mixer, it was completely dead! It was too late to run out and buy another one, so I frantically looked around for an alternative. I noticed the whisk attachment for my immersion blender which I had never tried, so I decided to give it a shot. It actually seemed to work much to my surprise! Here are the results:

The cake is light with a rich chocolate taste and a subtle fruity/berry flavor. Delicious to eat chilled on a warm summer evening!

Wow! That cake looks amazing! Good for you that you were able to find a solution to your hand mixer problem. What ingenuity.

Gorgeous!  My Kitchenaid hand mixer has lasted for 20 years.  The first two years of marriage, I went through three hand mixers.

OMG - you have outdone yourself again. This is so perfectly wonderful, perspective, piano cover, texture, halo fruit - well, who needs a mixer - I can’t get them right with two KAs, 4 bowls, immersion beater, and hand mixer. And you go putting this glorious thing up here. Inspirational, to say the least. j

Amazing!! and I agree with Joan, truly inspirational.

Oooooo, gorgeous!!!  Truly beautiful, Matthew, I agree with the others, inspirational. 

Thanks for the tasting and temp notes.  Did you make your own blackberry puree?

Matthew, this is the cake that I have been waiting for someone to make.  Such an elegant cake!  The mousse looks divine. Simply Beautiful, Matthew.

You never fail to amaze! It’s jaw droppingly gorgeous…  So, now that your hand mixer has given up the ghost, are you going to come over to the dark side and get a stand mixer? Or are you a staunch hand mixer only kind of guy? I have a KA stand but last week gave into temptation and bought a hand mixer…it was a tough choice between the chrome Cuisinart or the KA, but in the end I went with the KA because it was a few ounces lighter. Maybe I should start using it exclusively and put the stand mixer in storage, if it will help my cakes look more like yours!

Stunning.  Breathtaking.  Gorgeous!!!!!!!  Really, really beautiful.

Loopy—re the choice of KA and Cuisinart:  I’d say you made a better choice purchasing KA.  I love the products I have from both companies, but I’ve found KA’s customer support is much better than Cuisinart’s.

Thank you everyone! Loopy, I don’t have any objection to stand mixers, I just don’t have counter space for one. My kitchen is very small, but I do hope to get one sometime in the future when I move. In the meanwhile, I will need to get another hand mixer. Julie, yes, I made the puree from frozen blackberries, and used the fresh for garnish.

It’s breathtaking Matthew. Love the picture and the slice of the cake.

That is so beautiful.  So impressive as always for your items.

That looks great, Matthew! How did you get your chocolate to stay shiny? My chocolate always turns dull after it has cooled.

MP, it is Rose’s lacquer glaze from the new book—it stays shiny, even in the fridge!

Your cake is amazing!!! And that was a very ingenious idea!

Beautiful, Matthew! Comparing the size of La Bomba to the berries I take it it’s a half recipe (sorry if you answered this before, I didn’t see it when I skimmed through the comments).