Showstopper Desserts

• recipe

  Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse Cake

  Chocolate mousse cake runs the gamut from fluffy, insubstantial layer cake to dense-as-a-brick, and fudge-like slab. Could we make one that maintained the qualities of a perfect chocolate mousse--rich, creamy, and full of chocolate flavor?

• recipe

  Chilled Lemon Souffle

  This dessert, an American take on the classic Bavarian cream, runs the gamut from rubbery orb to lemony foam. The perfect version, however, is a divine marriage of custard and soufflé.

• taste test

  Unsweetened Chocolate

  We wanted to see if all the fuss over premium chocolates is based on quality or hype.