chocolate domed chocolate raspberry cake make chocolate mouse make genoise liberally spread softened butter up sides of a stainless bowl, then coat with flour, before pouring in genoise batter, 2" below rim -- it will rise. genoise must cool 2 hrs till cold or make a day ahead in a small to medium metal mixing bowl, line it with saran cut your genoise into thirds layer one genoise, soak with mixture of oj, sugar to taste and grand marnier, brush on liberally. put on mouse put on fresh raspberries repeat and on last layer just soak refrigerate until set 2 hrs or overnight wet counter or marble lay out piece of saran that will fit back in bowl go get cake melt some chocolate remove your cake and place upside down. ladle out chocolate in circle that will cover bowl onto saran saran goes into bowl cake goes back in refrigerate 3 hours or over night you can coat leaves, too at this point and refrig. remove cake, and slowly remove saran as not to break chocolate. from here, you can dust with cocoa, attach leaves with melted chocolate, affix raspberries atop with chocolate, put raspberries around bottom, put raspberry sauce around raspberries, cut with hot knife serve with raspberries and raspberry sauce To make the layers, after the cake has cooled, Pierre trims the top so that it is nice and smooth, using a large, serrated bread knife. Wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap, the génoise will last for several months in the freezer. Recipe Genoise Makes one 9-inch cake 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, plus more for pan 6 large eggs 1 cup sugar 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for dusting To make the batter: 1. Center a rack in the oven and heat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9-inch pan, dust the interior with flour, and tap out the excess. Set aside. 2. Pour a few inches of water into a skillet large enough to hold the bowl of your electric mixer. Bring the water to a gentle simmer. Melt butter, and set it aside to cool—it should be just warm when you’re ready for it. 3. Hand-whisk eggs and sugar together in the mixer bowl. Place the bowl in the skillet of simmering water and, whisking steadily, heat the mixture about 4 minutes, until it is foamy, slightly pale, and reads between 130° and 140° on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the bowl from the water. Fit the electric mixer with a whisk attachment, and beat the mixture on high speed until it cools to room temperature and triples in volume, 5 to 8 minutes. You’ll know it’s just right if, when you lift the whisk, the batter falls back into the bowl and forms a ribbon that remains on the surface for 10 seconds before it dissolves. 4. Stir about 2 tablespoons of batter into the slightly cooled butter, and set it aside. With a large flexible rubber spatula, gently fold flour into the batter in two or three additions (you might find it most convenient to add the flour to the bowl by shaking it through a strainer), taking care to handle the batter gently in order to maintain its bubble structure. The batter will lose volume as you fold in the flour and later the butter. This reaction is inevitable and shouldn’t jeopardize the success of the finished cake. Still working with the spatula, fold in the butter mixture. At this point, the batter must be used immediately. To bake the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared 9-inch pan, and bake for 28 to 33 minutes, or until the top is golden and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack; unmold after 5 minutes. Turn the cake right side up to cool to room temperature on the rack. Chocolate Mousse 8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped 3 tablespoons water 3 large egg yolks 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1/2 cup ground toasted hazelnuts 2 tablespoons Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) 1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Cool briefly. Meanwhile, combine water, yolks and powdered sugar in large metal bowl. Set bowl over simmering water in base of double boiler and whisk until mixture is frothy and candy thermometer registers 160°F, about 6 minutes. Remove from over water. Using electric mixer, beat until thick and cool, about 3 minutes. Fold cooled chocolate, then ground hazelnuts and Frangelico into yolk mixture. Beat cream in medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Raspberry Sauce 10-ounce package frozen raspberries in light syrup 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 tablespoon eau-de-vie-de framboise or raspberry liqueur In a saucepan, simmer raspberries and granulated sugar, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes and stir in eau-de-vie or liqueur. In a blender, purée mixture until smooth and strain through a sieve into a heatproof bowl. Chill sauce, covered, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.