Ingredients
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 65 percent cacao), chopped
3 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
12 ounces crisp oval butter wafer cookies (20 total)
Good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
Preparation
Make mousse: Put chocolate in a large bowl, and set aside. Heat 1 1/2 cups cream over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan until cream is steaming and small bubbles form on edges.
Pour cream over chocolate. Stir until mixture is smooth. Let cool completely.
Put remaining 1 1/2 cups cream and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture, one-third at a time.
Assemble torte: Line a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on sides. Spread enough mousse (3/4 to 1 cup) over bottom of pan to cover. Arrange 5 cookies on top in a single layer to cover, breaking them to fit as necessary. Spread enough mousse (3/4 to 1 cup) on top to cover; smooth into an even layer. Repeat process with remaining cookies and mousse until pan is full.
Press plastic wrap directly onto surface, and refrigerate torte until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
Remove plastic wrap from surface. Invert torte onto a serving plate; unmold, using overhang to coax it out. Remove plastic wrap. Dust with cocoa.
