Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 400 °F.
Generously butter the sides of three 4-inch springform pan or one 8-inch springfoam pan.
Line a baking sheet with a parchment paper and put the springform ring on it.
Still holding the bowl over the pan of simmering, add the red wine and whisk until the mixture becomes smooth.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time.
Gently whisk in the sugar and a pinch of salt.
Then add the yolks one at a time and whisk until well combined.
In a large metal or glass bowl with a hand mixer, whip the egg whites with another pinch of salt until they are firm but still glossy.
Stir in one quarter of the egg whites to the velvety chocolate mixture, then using a spoon or rubber spatula gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
You now have 3 cups of batter in the bowl.
In case you are baking in three 4-inch rings, spoon ½ cup of batter into each of the rings and bake for 13 minutes. If baking in a 8-inch ring, spoon 1 cup of batter into the prepared ring and bake for 14-15 minutes.
Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cake cool to room temperature. Then chill the base, still on the baking sheet, for at least 1 hour.
When ready to bake the second layer, preheat oven to 400 ° F.
If baking in three 4-inch rings, spoon ½ cup of batter into each of the rings and bake for 22-25 minutes, until the top is puffed and dry. If baking in a 8-inch ring, spoon 2 cups of batter into the prepared ring and bake for 30 minutes.
Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cake cool to room temperature. Then chill it for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Once thoroughly chilled, run a blunt knife around the edges of the springform pan and remove the ring. Carefully transfer the cake to the serving plate, dust with cocoa and serve with strawberries and ice-cream.
Note: The crust is very soft and delicious and can be made into delicious chocolate red wine truffles. Just shape it into balls, chill the balls and roll over cocoa powder. Using the above recipe, I baked two 4-inch mousse cakes and one 6-inch cake crust and shaped the crust into truffles.
p.s: updated the recipe on 4/21/2014 after realizing from the comments that I had not listed sugar in the ingredient list.
wow that an fantastic mousse cake :) lovely combo !!
Wow! It looks lovely - I want to make a mousse cake now.
I love this little cake - it looks delicious - thanks for linking it to our Marvelous Monday party - pinning!
Red wine and chocolate are a wonderful combination.
It does look 'elegant!' And very delicious. Thank you for linking to the In and Out of the Kitchen Link Party. Hope to see you next time.
This mousse cake looks FABULOUS! :) featuring you today, my dear!
I made this the other day and it wasn't until I was in the middle that I realized the "whisk in the sugar" didn't have any sugar listed in the ingredients. I put in 1/2 cup and tasted then added about 2 tablespoons more - hope that was the right amount. It was a hit at the dinner (two people can't have gluten) and everyone had a piece. I topped it with labna that I mixed with powdered sugar and put a fresh violet on top. The whipped cream and strawberries wasn't an option - this worked very well instead.
I am so glad that you all liked it and so sorry about the sugar. I updated the recipe after reading your comments. Thanks a lot !
You are welcome - and thanks for fixing it! It was really good!