This incredible chocolate mousse cake is made with a tender chocolate cake, topped with creamy chocolate mousse, and a chocolate ganache shell.
The indulgent chocolate flavor is complemented by the smooth texture of the mousse, creating a luscious treat for any chocolate lover.
This dessert is finished with a glossy ganache topping for an elegant presentation and an additional layer of chocolate and creamy goodness.
Perfect for special occasions or simply as a sweet indulgence, this chocolate mousse cake is sure to satisfy even the most discerning palates.
For more delicious chocolate cake recipes, check out my chocolate Oreo cake, chocolate brooklyn blackout cake, chocolate caramel cake, Matildas chocolate cake
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Why this recipe works
- Chocolate flavor- this cake is full of chocolate flavor from the chocolate cake layer, chocolate mousse layer, and decadent chocolate ganache shell.
- Texture- this cake has a soft and moist crumb from the chocolate cake, creamy and silky smooth melt in your mouth texture from the fluffy chocolate mousse, and rich and creamy texture from the chocolate ganache. This creates the most delicious bite ever!
- Mousse layer- this cake is made with a super delicious chocolate mousse that is made with a few simple ingredients and made with no eggs!
- Moist chocolate cake layer- my favorite recipe for moist chocolate cake is the base for this delicious cake, and its amazing on its own, but even better with the rich mousse on top!
- Chocolate ganache topping- you will need two ingredients to make a silky and rich chocolate ganache: heavy cream and high quality dark chocolate.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
For the chocolate cake layer
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Dutch cocoa powder– we like to use Dutch-process cocoa powder for our chocolate cake because we like the deep and rich chocolate taste, but the natural cocoa powder will work great as well!
Sour cream- any percentage of fat will work for this. You can use Greek yogurt instead.
Baking powder and baking soda – to allow the cake to rise.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Vegetable oil – we used vegetable oil for this recipe. canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Eggs- To give the cake a good structure. Make sure you’re using room-temperature eggs.
Buttermilk- gives the cake extra moisture. You can make your own buttermilk if you don’t have one on hand. Simply mix a cup of milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
Hot coffee- make a strong hot coffee, you can use espresso or instant coffee, both will work.
Vanilla extract- Vanilla extract Is an essential ingredient for chocolate cake.
Salt- We used kosher salt for this recipe. Salt doesn’t give the cake a salty taste, it helps to enhance the chocolate flavor.
For the chocolate mousse layer
Dark chocolate- use the best quality dark chocolate for the best flavor.
Heavy cream- make sure that your heavy cream is cold. Cold heavy cream whips better and quicker.
Dutch cocoa powder– we like to use Dutch-process cocoa powder for our brownies because we like the deep and rich chocolate taste, but the natural cocoa powder will work great as well!
Powder sugar- you will need powdered sugar for this recipe. you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Gelatin powder- we use gelatin powder to stabilize the chocolate mousse.
Instructions
Make the chocolate cake layer
Preheat the oven to 180 (350f) and prep a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray and parchment paper.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, kosher salt, granulated sugar, sour cream, sift the cocoa powder, and mix with a whisk until well combined.
Sift the flour, add the baking powder, and baking soda, and mix until almost combined.
Add the hot coffee and mix until the batter is smooth and there are no large lumps of flour visible.
Pour the cake batter into the baking pan and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely to room temperature.
Make the chocolate mousse cake
In a small bowl, add the water and the gelatin and allow it to sit for 10 minutes for the gelatin to bloom.
Melt the dark chocolate and heavy cream in a medium mixing bowl. You can do so in the microwave for 20-10 second pulses and mix between every pulse. Or melt it in a bain marie method.
Mix the melted chocolate and heavy cream with a whisk or with an immersion blender to ensure it's smooth and the emulation is perfect.
In a large mixing bowl, add the cold heavy cream, sifted cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract, and whip to soft peaks, resembling a yogurt consistency.
Melt the gelatin in the microwave for 5 second pulses until it's fully melted, do not overheat it! Add the melted gelatin to the melted chocolate and heavy cream mixture and mix until well combined.
Add about ½ cup of the mousse mixture into the melted chocolate mixture and mix it until smooth and combined.
Add half of the chocolate mixture to the whipped cream mixture and gently fold it with a rubber spatula until it's mostly combined.
Add the other half and fold it until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous and doesn’t have streaks of chocolate. Try not to fold it too much to retain the air in the whipped mixture.
Once the cake has cooled completely, remove the ring from the cake and level off the top of the cake with a serrated knife or a cake leveler.
Line the cake pan with a sheet of acetate to create a cake collar, which will hold in the mousse and ensure clean sides once the cake has chilled.
Slide the acetate down the sides of the pan until it reaches the bottom, gently nudging it between the cake and the pan wall.
Then pour the mousse over the cake, filling it to the top of the springform pan. The cake collar must extend about an inch above the pan.
Smooth it out with an offset spatula and allow it to set in the fridge for at least 5 hours, ultimately overnight.
Melt dark chocolate and heavy cream in a small to medium mixing bowl in the microwave for about 70 seconds.
Let the chocolate and the cream sit for 10 minutes for the chocolate to melt, then mix until the chocolate ganache is smooth and silky.
Assembly
Remove the ring and the acetate sheet pour the slightly warm ganache on the middle of the cake, and smooth it out with an offset spatula to nudge it to the sides and over the edge of the cake.
Chill the cake in the fridge for another 30 minutes, to allow the ganache to set, slice, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and buttermilk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Make sure that you are using fresh ingredients like baking soda and baking powder. If they are expired your cake will not rise up beautifully.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure that you have a homogeneous mixture that is smooth.
- Make sure that you are using high-quality dark chocolate for this parfait. It will make the flavor of this parfait super delicious, and it doesn't have to be expensive! There are a lot of affordable high-quality dark chocolate brands.
- Use COLD heavy cream for this. Cold heavy cream whips faster and holds its shape beautifully. Room temperature cream will whip as well, but will take way longer!
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- When combining the whipped cream with the chocolate mixture, gently fold them together to maintain the mousse's fluffiness.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Allow your mousse cake to chill in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours to set properly and enhance flavors.
- Allow the chocolate cake to cool completely before adding the chocolate mousse on top to prevent the chocolate mousse from melting.
Faq's
Chocolate mousse consists of melted chocolate, whipped cream, sugar, and sometimes egg yolks, and egg whites for added richness.
Mousse cake consists of a layer of moist chocolate cake, followed by a rich and creamy mousse filling. The mousse is made from a combination of whipped cream, dark chocolate, and sugar.
It is finally topped with a silky smooth chocolate ganache layer that ties it all together.
The texture should be light and airy, achieved through careful folding of whipped cream or egg whites into the base mixture.
The flavor should be rich and decadent from using high quality ingredients, the chilling time is crucial for setting the mousse properly and allowing the flavors to meld.
No! you can’t taste the coffee. Adding the coffee simply enhances the chocolate flavor. So, don’t skip the coffee on the cake!
I used 60% dark chocolate for a rich but not too overpowering chocolate flavor. You can also use 50% or 70% dark chocolate.
Storing
This cake will last up to 5 in the fridge. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out.
Freezing
You can freeze this cake after it cooled completely in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months, some people find the cake tastes better after freezing it.
You can freeze the whole cake or slice it into slices and then freeze it.
If you are freezing individual slices of the cake, I would recommend storing them in a ziplock bag and then transferring them to an airtight freezer-friendly container.
Make it ahead of time
You can make this cake a day or two ahead of time and store it in the fridge in an airtight container so it doesn’t soak up the fridge flavors.
You can also make the cake and freeze the whole cake 1 month ahead in an airtight container and thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Substitutions
Egg-free- to make this cake egg-free, replace the eggs with ⅓ cup of applesauce.
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Coffee- if you don’t like the flavor of coffee, don’t worry! You can't taste it, it just helps elevate the chocolate flavors. Decaf coffee can also be used if caffeine is a concern. Otherwise, substitute hot water instead.
Variations
Raspberry layer- add a raspberry layer on top of the chocolate cake before adding the mousse by topping the cooled cake with ½ cup of raspberry puree, raspberry compote, or raspberry sauce.
Then add the chocolate mousse and follow the rest of the instructions correctly.
Hazelnut crunch- for a textural contrast, sprinkle crushed hazelnuts between the layers of chocolate mousse. The nutty flavor adds depth to the rich chocolatey goodness.
Orange- incorporate 1 teaspoon of orange zest into your dark chocolate mousse for a citrusy twist. The combination of orange and dark chocolate creates a sophisticated and decadent dessert experience.
Serving Tips
Pair with a Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream- Elevate your cake by serving each slice with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.
Whipped cream- serve a slice of this cake with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- You will need a 9-inch springform pan for this cake. I love this set from Amazon.
- Cake leveler
- Acetate sheets- to get a perfect cake.
- Offset spatula for smoothing out the mousse in the pan.
- Rubber spatula to fold the mixture and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- I also recommend using an electric hand mixer to make sure your mousse mixture is smooth and perfect. You can also use a stand mixer for this.
More mousse recipes
Mango Mousse- This incredibly delicious mango mousse has a smooth and creamy texture and a sweet and tangy taste of fresh mangoes.
Peanut Butter Mousse- This delicious peanut butter mousse has a rich, creamy mousse texture with the irresistible flavor of peanut butter.
Chocolate Parfait- This chocolate parfait is made with layers of rich chocolate mousse, velvety whipped cream, and crunchy chocolate cookie crumbs.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Most Amazing Chocolate Mousse Cake
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake
- ¾ cup Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg yolk
- ⅓ cup Sour cream
- ⅓ cup Buttermilk
- ⅓ cup Cocoa powder Dutch processed
- 1 cup Flour
- ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ cup Coffee hot
For the chocolate mousse
Melt together:
- 7.05 oz Dark chocolate 60%
- 4.2 oz heavy cream
Whip together
- 1 ¾ cups Heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon Cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoon Powdered sugar
Gelatin:
- 7 g Gelatin powder
- 42 g Water
For the chocolate ganache
- 5.2 oz Heavy cream
- 5.2 oz Dark chocolate
Instructions
Make the chocolate cake layer
- Preheat the oven to 180 (350f) and prep a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray and parchment paper.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, kosher salt, granulated sugar, sour cream, sift the cocoa powder, and mix with a whisk until well combined.
- Sift the flour, add the baking powder, and baking soda, and mix until almost combined.
- Add the hot coffee and mix until the batter is smooth and there are no large lumps of flour visible.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking pan and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely to room temperature.
Make the chocolate mousse cake
- In a small bowl, add the water and the gelatin and allow it to sit for 10 minutes for the gelatin to bloom.
- Melt the dark chocolate and heavy cream in a medium mixing bowl. You can do so in the microwave for 20-10 second pulses and mix between every pulse. Or melt it in a bain marie method.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cold heavy cream, sifted cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract, and whip to soft peaks, resembling a yogurt consistency.
- Melt the gelatin in the microwave for 5 second pulses until it's fully melted, do not overheat it! Add the melted gelatin to the melted chocolate and heavy cream mixture and mix until well combined.
- Add about ½ cup of the mousse mixture into the melted chocolate mixture and mix it until smooth and combined.
- Add half of the chocolate mixture to the whipped cream mixture and gently fold it with a rubber spatula until it's mostly combined.
- Add the other half and fold it until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous and doesn’t have streaks of chocolate. Try not to fold it too much to retain the air in the whipped mixture.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, remove the ring from the cake and level off the top of the cake with a serrated knife or a cake leveler.
- Line the cake pan with a sheet of acetate to create a cake collar, which will hold in the mousse and ensure clean sides once the cake has chilled.
- Slide the acetate down the sides of the pan until it reaches the bottom, gently nudging it between the cake and the pan wall.
- Then pour the mousse over the cake, filling it to the top of the springform pan. The cake collar must extend about an inch above the pan.
- Smooth it out with an offset spatula and allow it to set in the fridge for at least 5 hours, ultimately overnight.
- Melt dark chocolate and heavy cream in a small to medium mixing bowl in the microwave for about 70 seconds.
- Let the chocolate and the cream sit for 10 minutes for the chocolate to melt, then mix until the chocolate ganache is smooth and silky.
Assembly
- Remove the ring and the acetate sheet pour the slightly warm ganache on the middle of the cake, and smooth it out with an offset spatula to nudge it to the sides and over the edge of the cake.
- Chill the cake in the fridge for another 30 minutes, to allow the ganache to set, slice, and enjoy!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and buttermilk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Make sure that you are using fresh ingredients like baking soda and baking powder. If they are expired your cake will not rise up beautifully.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure that you have a homogeneous mixture that is smooth.
- Make sure that you are using high-quality dark chocolate for this parfait. It will make the flavor of this parfait super delicious, and it doesn't have to be expensive! There are a lot of affordable high-quality dark chocolate brands.
- Use COLD heavy cream for this. Cold heavy cream whips faster and holds its shape beautifully. Room temperature cream will whip as well, but will take way longer!
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- When combining the whipped cream with the chocolate mixture, gently fold them together to maintain the mousse's fluffiness.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Allow your mousse cake to chill in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours to set properly and enhance flavors.
- Allow the chocolate cake to cool completely before adding the chocolate mousse on top to prevent the chocolate mousse from melting.
Jane says
Outstanding recipe. Made it for a special birthday and everyone raved about it. Possibly the best cake I ever made?? If you love chocolate, you will love this mousse cake!
Thank You for the recipe!
Jane says
Rave reviews from the birthday crowd. Excellent step by step instructions for us newbies. Thank you for the recipe!
Miranda says
Made this cake and it’s a 100/10