RECIPE :: Chocolate mousse cake

I do not mind saying this but the idea of this cake seemed absurd when I saw it for the first time, but when I ate it at a restaurant I knew I had to try and recreate the recipe using my own style. It took me quite a few attempts to work this recipe out and to balance the flavours but I was left with a smooth mousse filled with crispy biscuits. One of the most surprising things of this cake is that you can pick it up and eat it with your hands like you would with a more traditional style cake.

Ingredients
Biscuit
250g of ground cashew nuts,
200g of flour,
½ tsp of salt,
1tsp of baking powder,
½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda,
1tsp of ground cinnamon,
60ml of vegetable oil,
125ml of maple syrup,
1tsp of vanilla extract and
1tsp of cider vinegar.

Mousse
100g of butter,
50g of cocoa powder,
250ml of maple syrup,
900ml of unsweetened milk,
1tsp of ground cinnamon,
4tbsp of agar flakes,
2tbsp of arrowroot,
1tbsp of vanilla extract,
½ tsp of salt and
100g of dark chocolate.

Method
1) Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180C / 350F.
2) To make the biscuits; combine the dry ingredients together.
3) In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients together until emulsified.
4) Combine all ingredients to create a moist dough, then spread onto a lined baking tray so that it is no more than 5mm deep.
5) Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the dough has become a golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Then break the cooled biscuits up into 1cm square cubes.
6) To make the mousse; combine the butter, maple syrup, 850ml of milk, cinnamon and agar flakes and bring to the boil under a medium heat then lower to a simmer to cook for a further 10 minutes.
7) Mix the arrowroot and remaining milk then combine with the chocolate mousse. Once thickened remove from the heat.
8) Add the chocolate, salt and vanilla extract to the mouse, stir until everything is combined. Leave to a side for 30 minutes so that it cools slightly.
9) To assemble; whisk up the mousse then mix in the biscuits. Place into a 9" cake tray and put into the fridge to set overnight.