Chocolate cake with Vanilla Mousseline.

I didnt use Rose’s recipe, because i didnt know what to do in a 9x13 pan, and i am not a huge fan of the choc buttercake.  So i used the double chocolate cake from epicurious. 
I had an issue with moussline. I made 2 batches. Both worked perfect.  THen, when i cam back to start decorating the 2nd bowl (2nd batch) had a liquid (looked like milk) surrounding the buttercream!  Any idea what happened??

Anyways, here it is.  Dont mind the writing…uh…cookie monster wrote it.

SweetNess14445, your cake looks absolutely fabulous! I’m so envious of your piping skills!

re: buttercream
Did you try re-beating it? I’ve had separation issues when I wasn’t cautious with the ingredient temperatures (too cool) and have had to heat it slightly before re-beating - the emulsion usually forms again.

I see you have your cake on a cake carrier base. If you have room in the fridge for the sealed carrier, that would be an excellent way of storing the cake until tomorrow. I know another forum member disagreed with my suggestion to cover the decorated cake, and it may very well be true that a layer of buttercream seals in the moisture, but cake/buttercream ingredients can very easily absorb odours, so unless you have a fridge dedicated to cakes, it’s extra insurance (or maybe just my paranoia )

hmm the temp of the ingredients for both1st and 2nd batch were the same so this is odd.  I tried re beating it for quite awhile and it looked ok, but still very wet. still looked usable and tasted good. It just created the ‘milk’ all around it and so i decided to trash it. oh, too, i did try to do the crumb coat with it, and it just slid around the cake…so i am thinking it woul dhave been only useable to pipe.

so you think the next time this happens i should re HEAT it and re beat it??

yes, i put the top on the cake carrier and i pop it in the fridge till tomorrow!

SweetNess14445 - 25 February 2012 01:25 PM

so you think the next time this happens i should re HEAT it and re beat it??

Heating with caution if the problem is a too cool mixture. Rose has a description in the sidebar to the mousseline recipe in TCB. It involves holding the bowl over simmering water and stirring “vigorously” by hand when you see it just starting to melt around the edges; then you want to stop the melting by putting the bottom of the bowl in an ice bath/cold water.

If you think temperature wasn’t the issue, perhaps it was ingredients - were they the same in both batches? I’ve had a lemon curd mousseline break with the addition of some gel food colouring.

There’s a lot more detailed information on the forum about this issue from members with far more experience than I….I recommend doing a quick search when you have a chance or perhaps they’ll chime in.

the ingredients were the same…...im at a loss. maybe it was the temperature.  The only thing i didnt do (but i didnt do with the 1st batch either) was let it COMPLETELY cool after adding the sugar mixture. I mean, after 2 minutes of beating and the more minutes of beating on low…the thing NEVER seems to cool down so I just go to the next step (adding butter). Maybe thatss where I am off? (I blame my patience on that)

SweetNess14445 - 25 February 2012 11:23 AM

double chocolate cake from epicurious

Why do you like this cake so much?  I note that it’s an oil based cake.

i liked it because it tasted like a ‘cake like’ brownie.Very dark and chocolatey.

Bautiful cake! Thatis one super-friendly looking Cookie Monster!  Love the cookie, too!  That is going to be one happy 2 year old!!!

BTW, I refrigerate & freeze composed cakes all the time, and, although the buttercream doees seal them, I always cover them, too!

A-DORABLE!! Elmo and Cookie Monster-my fav’s!! Love it!!

Super-cute cake!  Hope she had a wonderful birthday

Re: the mousseline, all I can think of was that it was a temperature issue, but not really sure.  If you saved it, we could try a few things to see…  but I think you didn’t save it, is that right?

The cookie monster cake is the cutest!  I have read about the double chocolate cake on numerous blogs.  I have to try it.  It looks like a lot of batter.  Did it all fit in one 9x13 pan or did you split it up?  Thanks.

no didnt save it…but next time i will be extra sure to watch the temps.  Kathy, the orig recipe calls for 3 10 inch round pans. it fit awesome in a 9x13. Made a nice thick one!