My Final: Chocolate Banana Rum Mousse Cake

In a smidgen over 2.5 hours, we were required to construct a chocolate banana rum mousse cake, that consisted of the following components-all required from scratch;

• Chocolate Genoise, cut into 3 layers
• Chocolate mousse, made from Creme Anglaise
• Chocolate band (that is around the cake)
• Chocolate shavings
• Chocolate Sauce
• Stabilized whipped cream
  
• Simple Syrup, made with Rum
• Bananas, of course

I was 2 minutes late delivering my last exam and was determined not to do the same this time. Per Alice Medrich's teachings, I sketched out the final construction of the cake, which was;

• 1 layer of genoise
• Simple Syrup
• Chocolate mousse
• Bananas

This step was repeated once, and the final layer of genoise was placed on top of that. Then one more layer of simple syrup and stabilized whipped cream. For decor, chocolate detail was added.

First, I made the genoise. Then I melted chocolate and spread it over mylar to create the band. When the chocolate settled a bit, I moved the band into an 8" mold and refrigerated it. Then, I made the creme anglaise, reserved 1/2 of it for sauce, and made chocolate mousse. Then, I sliced the cake layers and put the cake together. It really took a while, but I finished with 5 minutes to spare!

This exam encompassed a great deal of what we've learned in class-genoise, mousse, creme anglaise, working with chocolate, and plating. We have one more test before graduation, which is a celebration cake.