BA Bake Club Has Your Holiday Showstopper Covered

Lucky you: We’re sharing December’s BA Bake Club drop early so you can get started on holiday planning right…now!For members of Bon Appétit Bake Club, every month is filled with special treats, but the holiday season calls for something bigger, grander, even more spectacular. This Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake ticks every box. And it’s just enough of a challenge to ensure you feel accomplished. The one-bowl chocolate cake is dense and deeply fudgy; the mousse is airy and light; and the thin slip of ganache on top brings it all together. No matter what kind of year you’ve had, this dessert is the way to cap it all off. Here’s how to make it:1-2-3 mousseThis mousse has three foundational pastry techniques hidden in plain sight. It starts with a crème anglaise, a lusciously pourable custard. Adding that to a bowl of chopped chocolate yields a crémeux, a velvety and dense emulsified custard. Folding in whipped cream finally turns it into a fluffy mousse. Magical.Bitter makes it betterIt’s important to use a 70% chocolate here. It’s intense enough to shine through the heavy cream and has enough cocoa butter to provide structure and stability, ensuring the mousse doesn’t slump.Gear checkA springform pan is a worthy and necessary investment, ensuring an anxiety-free presentation. It also allows you to bake and build the cake in just one tin.Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Micah MortonFat Daddio'sSpringform PanClean cutsFor an architectural slice that looks like it strutted out of a fancy patisserie, dip the blade of your knife in hot water, then wipe it clean with a dry kitchen towel between each cut.Make the recipe:No matter what kind of year you’ve had, this dessert is the way to cap it all off.View RecipeMore BA Bake Club favoritesEach soft Salt Bread bun holds a rich secret: a nub of salted butter bundled within the shaped dough.Making these chubby little Glazed Apple Fritters may be even quicker than a drive to the orchard.These Chocolate Chip Cookies With Olive Oil and Sea Salt are accidentally vegan. The oil keeps the cookies soft and moist for days.An ethereal holiday dessert designed to wow: Boozy Cherry and Chocolate Pavlova.Like a float in a Thanksgiving parade, this Giant, Gooey Cinnamon Roll impresses through sheer size alone.