This triple chocolate brownie mousse cake is made with a brownie bottom, topped with a creamy eggless chocolate mousse, and topped with silky chocolate ganache.
This cake will become your new favorite! We like making it on special occasions or on weekends because it's so decadent and incredibly chocolaty.
The brownie bottom recipe was inspired by our favorite chewy and fudgy brownies recipe. If you like this recipe, you will love our chocolate recipe playlist.
If you like chocolate recipes as much as we do, you should check out our favorite chocolate recipes: no-bake chocolate biscuit cake, 3 ingredients chocolate ice cream, chocolate crinkle cookies, best ever chocolate cake, easy chocolate cupcakes, and our chocolate babka.
Jump to:
Why this recipe is a success:
- Its made with 3 layers of chocolate! So if you're a chocolate lover, you will love this recipe!
- Its a super impressive cake that fits any occation! The best part is that it really easy to make too!
- This cake is made with a fudgy one bowl brownie bottom!
- It has a fluffy and silky chocolate mousse.
- Perfect to make when you need a dessert to impress.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this brownie mousse cake recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
For the brownie 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 brownies because we like the deep and rich chocolate taste, but the natural cocoa powder will work great as well!
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Eggs– To give the brownies a good structure. Make sure you’re using room-temperature eggs. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven. You will need 3 large eggs.
Egg yolk- for extra fudginess.
Vanilla extract– Vanilla extract Is an essential ingredient for brownies.
Salt– We used kosher salt for this recipe. Salt doesn’t give the brownies a salty taste, it helps to enhance the chocolate flavor.
Salt– We used kosher salt for this recipe. Salt doesn’t give the brownies a salty taste, it helps to enhance the chocolate flavor.
Dark chocolate- use the best quality dark chocolate for the best flavor.
Butter- use refrigerated unsalted butter.
For the mousse layer:
Dark chocolate- use the best quality dark chocolate for the best flavor.
Heavy whipping cream- use cold heavy whipping cream.
Nutella- you will need Nutella for this recipe. We like using Nutella for this recipe, but if you don’t like Nutella or are allergic to one of the ingredients, you can use any kind of chocolate hazelnut spread.
Gelatin powder- we use gelatin powder to stabilize the cake and the mango topping.
Cold water- we mix the gelatin powder with cold water in order to activate the gelatin.
For the chocolate ganache:
Chocolate- use the best quality semisweet or dark chocolate bars for the best flavor. using the best quality dark chocolate is very important in this recipe.
Heavy cream- use full-fat heavy cream for this recipe. the heavy cream makes this french hot chocolate extra creamy and silky.
Instructions
Make the brownie layer:
Step 1: Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a parchment paper-lined 9-inch baking pan.
Step 2: In a small mixing bowl, add the butter and the dark chocolate. Melt completely in the microwave or on a ben Marie. Let the chocolate mixture cool completely.
Step 3: In a medium mixing bowl, add the sugar, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir with a whisk until the mixture is combined. Pour the chocolate mixture into the wet mixture and mix well.
Step 4: Sift the cocoa powder and flour into the mixture and lightly fold the dry ingredients into the wet batter. Don't overmix! You don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have fudgy and moist brownies and not dense and dry brownies.
Step 5: Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined baking pan and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the tops of the brownies are crinkly. Let the brownies cookie to room temperature.
Make the chocolate mousse:
Step 1: Activate the gelatin by adding the gelatin powder and water into a small mixing bowl. Let the gelatin sit for 10 minutes. Microwave for 10 seconds and set aside.
Step 2: Into a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the heavy cream, Nutella, and dark chocolate. Melt in the microwave or on the stovetop and mix until you get a smooth mixture. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Add the gelatin and mix.
Step 3: Into a big mixing bowl, add the cold heavy cream and mix with an electric hand mixer until soft to medium peaks form. (pudding consistency)
Step 4: Add the melted chocolate mixture into the cream mixture and fold highly with a spatula until the mixture is combined and homogenized.
Step 5: Pour the chocolate mousse on the room temperature brownie bottom and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Place the cake in the fridge to set for 4-5 hours.
Make the chocolate ganache:
Step 1: Melt dark chocolate and heavy cream in a small to medium mixing bowl in the microwave for about 50 seconds.
Step 2: 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.
Assemble brownie chocolate mousse cake:
Remove the cake from the fridge and top it with the silky chocolate ganache. Spread it around with a spatula or by moving the pan in a circular motion.
Place the cake in the fridge to let the ganache harden a little bit so you won't be in a ganache mess.
Top the cake with sliced strawberries for garnish, slice, and enjoy!
FAQ:
We use all-purpose flour for brownies, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
We like to use Dutch prosses cocoa powder because it gives the cake a deeper rich chocolate taste, but the natural cocoa powder will work! It’s just a personal preference.
This cake will last up to 5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out.
Yes! this cake freezes great, you will need to wrap the whole cake in plastic wrap or foil, and freeze it for up to 2 months. When ready to thaw, place the cake in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.
Substitutions
You can change this recipe in a few ways. Here are our most popular options:
- Less sugar - If you dont like extra sweet desserts, you can simply decrease the sugar in the brownies. Remove ⅓ cup of the sugar from the brownie bottom recipe.
- Eggless - Many people dont eat eggs. So for the brownie bottom, use an eggles brownie recipe.
- Dairy free - If you are dairy free, replace the heavy cream with vegan heavy cream or coconut milk. Also replace the butter with vegan butter. Not margarine.
Expert tips:
These tips will help you master this recipe and make the best chocolate mousse cake ever!
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have fudgy and moist brownies and not dense and dry brownies.
- Mesure you 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 a back of a knife.
- Add some of your favorite add-ins! Make this recipe your own and add your favorite brownie add-ins: chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, chocolate chunks, M&M, caramel sauce, white chocolate, kinder, toffee, and more! Be creative!
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to top these brownies with mousse as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these brownies cool for at least 20 minutes so the mousse wouldnt melt.
- Don’t overbake your brownies! to have super fudgy brownie bottom, we like to underbake the brownies a little bit.
- Make sure you line your baking pan with parchment paper to prevent the brownies to stick to the pan.
Chocolate Brownie Mousse Cake
Ingredients
For the brownie layer:
- ¾ cup Flour
- ⅓ cup Cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Egg yolk
- 1 ½ cups Granulated sugar
- 150 g Butter
- 200 g Dark chocolate
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
For the chocolate mousse:
- 200 g Dark chocolate
- 150 g Heavy cream for melting
- 2 tablespoon Nutella
- 500 g Heavy cream for whipping
- 10 g Gelatin
- 50 g Water
For the chocolate ganache:
- 150 g Dark chocolate
- 150 g Heavy cream
Instructions
Make the brownie layer:
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a parchment paper-lined 9-inch baking pan.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the butter and the dark chocolate. Melt completely in the microwave or on a ben Marie. Let the chocolate mixture cool completely.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the sugar, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir with a whisk until the mixture is combined. Pour the chocolate mixture into the wet mixture and mix well.
- Sift the cocoa powder and flour into the mixture and lightly fold the dry ingredients into the wet batter. Don't overmix! You don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have fudgy and moist brownies and not dense and dry brownies.
- Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined baking pan and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the tops of the brownies are crinkly. Let the brownies cookie to room temperature.
Make the chocolate mousse:
- Activate the gelatin by adding the gelatin powder and water into a small mixing bowl. Let the gelatin sit for 10 minutes. Microwave for 10 seconds and set aside.
- Into a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the heavy cream, Nutella, and dark chocolate. Melt in the microwave or on the stovetop and mix until you get a smooth mixture. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Add the gelatin and mix.
- Into a big mixing bowl, add the cold heavy cream and mix with an electric hand mixer until soft to medium peaks form. (pudding consistency)
- Add the melted chocolate mixture into the cream mixture and fold highly with a spatula until the mixture is combined and homogenized.
- n the room temperature brownie bottom and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Place the cake in the fridge to set for 4-5 hours.
Make the chocolate ganache:
- Melt dark chocolate and heavy cream in a small to medium mixing bowl in the microwave for about 50 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 cake from the fridge and top it with the silky chocolate ganache. Spread it around with a spatula or by moving the pan in a circular motion.
- Place the cake in the fridge to let the ganache harden a little bit so you won't be in a ganache mess.
- Top the cake with sliced strawberries for garnish, slice, and enjoy!
Amy
I made this cake for my son’s birthday and everyone went crazy for it! A true success.
Dina
This cake turned out amazing!
Molly
This cake is one of the best cakes I’ve ever had.