This post will cover how to make Chocolate Chocolate Mousse Cake. Why the repetition? Simply put, creamy dreamy Chocolate Mousse is spread over a decadent, fudgy Chocolate Cake making this dessert doubly delicious!
This Chocolate Chocolate Mousse Cake can be considered an elegant chocolate cake rounding out a decadent dinner party, a special occasion Chocolate lovers’ Cake, a kid’s party favorite or served up ‘shooter’ style.
What is a Chocolate Mousse Cake?
Chocolate Mousse Cake includes Chocolate Mousse and Cake. Chocolate Mousse is a light airy dessert made from eggs, chocolate and whipped cream. It is a stand alone dessert served usually in a clear glass or parfait dish with a simply garnish. Chocolate Mousse can also be used in place of frosting in cakes and on top of cupcakes.
This is a Belgian Chocolate Mousse Cake. I used Trader Joe’s Belgian Chocolate for the Mousse which proved to be the ideal choice for this recipe. Why use Belgian Chocolate? -because of its high-quality cocoa content sourced from West African cocoa beans. Pure cocoa butter, is extracted from these beans. The result is a fine textured chocolate with a complex flavor profile. This rich taste experience permeates through to any recipe using Belgian chocolate as an ingredient.
The recipe I used for the Mousse topping on the Cake is a typical ‘Mousse au Chocolat’. I made this particular recipe almost every day when I lived and worked in Switzerland. It was served with white and dark chocolate mousses as a trio, but I thought I’d showcase it on top of a densely rich Chocolate Cake.
Speaking of Cake, a moist Chocolate Cake is the base for this sweet treat. It is a cross between a fudge brownie and a chocolate cake. It is intentionally dense but not as dense as a fudge brownie. If you prefer a brownie base, then I recommend using this Easy Fudgy Condensed Milk Brownie if preferred. A boxed brownie recipe will also work.
Chocolate Cake with Mousse Recipe Ingredients
Cake:
- Flour: basic, white, all purpose / plain flour.
- Cocoa powder: either natural or Dutch process cocoa powder.
- Eggs: whole eggs at room temperature.
- Butter: salted.
- Condensed milk: regular 14 oz can, or use this homemade recipe.
- Coffee: strong, either brewed, instant or espresso.
- Sugar: dark brown (optional, not pictured). My desserts tend to contain less sugar, therefore allowing the flavor to come through. If you prefer a little more sweetness, then add sugar.
- Baking soda.
- Baking powder.
- Salt.
Mousse:
- Eggs: fresh.
- Chocolate: I used dark Belgian Chocolate. Use milk chocolate if you prefer.
- Sugar: white.
- Cream: use heavy whipping cream.
Decoration:
- Pretzels: sticks are best, rub off the salt if possible.
- Chocolate: use an extra Belgian chocolate bar or chocolate chips.
- Candy eyes: like these.
- Candy nose: small red decorating balls like these cinnamon balls work, or small red M&Ms.
Instructions How to Make Chocolate Mousse Cake
Chocolate Cake Recipe – Making the Cake Base:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C.
Brush the bottom and sides of a springform pan with oil or melted butter. Optional is to lay a round of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan for added protection.
Melt the butter and add the eggs.
Beat the eggs into the butter and add the condensed milk.
Add in the coffee.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl.
Mix to blend but do not over stir mixture.
Add the cake batter to the baking pan and smooth out evenly. Place in a preheated 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C. oven for about 30 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven when a wooden skewer or cake tester comes out of the center clean.
Making Homemade Chocolate Mousse:
Crack the eggs and allow the white to collect in a clean bowl. Catch the yolk in your hand and trap the white umbilical cord.
Ensure the umbilical cord is detached from the yolk and dispose of it.
Place the chocolate in a bowl and melt in the microwave or over a double boiler.
When the chocolate has melted, add in the egg yolks and mix well.
Whip the cream in a food processor, see the “Tip from Me” to see why.
Add the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture.
Fold the cream gently into the chocolate mixture.
In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks appear (3-5 minutes.)
Add in half the sugar and continue whisking, then add in the remaining sugar and resume whisking until the sugar has dissolved into the egg whites and stiff peaks are showing.
Fold in half the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
Add the remaining egg white and continue to fold in.
Remove the chocolate cake from the ring to ensure it is not stuck to the sides. Replace the ring in preparation for the Mousse.
Add the Mousse to the cake.
Smooth the mousse over the chocolate cake and then refrigerate for at least one hour.
Decorating the Chocolate Chocolate Mousse Cake
Break the pretzel sticks into pieces. Use melted chocolate to join the pieces to form antlers. Once the chocolate has hardened, coat the entire antler with melted chocolate.
Lightly dust the top of the Mousse cake with cocoa powder.
Mark, do not cut, slices in the cake.
Each slice gets two eyes, one red candy for the nose and 2 antlers. Stick the antlers into the cake part for more stability.
Variations of this Recipe
Use this easy recipe and make the suggested adjustments to make something a little different:
Adding Ingredients – such as Cream Cheese, Ganache and Flavorings.
- Cheesecake Chocolate Mousse Cake: add a layer of cheese between the Cake and Mousse layers. This layer of white cheesecake provides a wonderful color variation as well as an alternative flavor. In a bowl, cream 8 oz (225g) of cream cheese with 3oz (85g) of powder sugar. In a separate bowl whip 4 oz (113g) of cream to stiff peaks. Fold the cream into the cheese mixture and apply on top of the Chocolate Cake. Chill for about an hour and then apply the Chocolate Mousse topping.
- Chocolate truffle Mousse Cake: turning this recipe into a truffle Mousse Cake requires a layer of Chocolate ganache on top. To make the ganache, melt 4 oz (113g) of chopped Belgian chocolate in a bowl that fits neatly on a pot of simmering water. Once melted, add 3 fluid oz of heavy whipping cream. Blend and remove from heat. Allow to cool for a few minutes then pour over a chilled Chocolate Mousse Cake. Chill this cake to allow the ganache to set.
- Chocolate strawberry or Chocolate orange Mousse Cake: simply add 2 oz of pulverized freeze dried strawberries or 1-2 tbsp of orange liqueur (Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Triple Sec) to the Mousse for a different flavor outcome.
Adjusting Ingredients and Final Presentation
- White Chocolate Mousse Cake: substitute the same quantity of Belgian Chocolate with white chocolate chips to make a white Mousse topping for the Cake.
- Chocolate tuxedo Mousse Cake: combine the white Chocolate Mousse Cake and the Chocolate truffle, to produce a dense Chocolate Cake base with white Chocolate Mousse covered with ganache. This tuxedo cake can also be considered a triple Chocolate Mousse Cake, with a fudgy chocolate cake base, white chocolate Mousse, then topped with rich chocolate ganache. I dare anyone to refuse this!
- Recreate this recipe as a Chocolate Mousse Cake – no bake version. Use 12 oz (340g) of chocolate cookie crumbs (biscuits) like chocolate graham crackers or Oreos. Combine with 5 tbsp of melted butter. Place the crumb base into the refrigerator for at least one hour to chill and then proceed to make the Mousse and add it to the crumb base. No oven required.
- A completely alternative way to present this dessert is as Chocolate Cake Mousse shooters! Cut out discs from the Chocolate Cake base wide enough to fit in your shot glass of choice. Push the cake disc into the glass and pipe on the Chocolate Mousse topping. Decorate as you wish.
A Tip From Me
Don’t omit the coffee. Its presence lends itself to the overall flavor producing a rich chocolate cake.
Additional sugar can be added to the Cake, but I challenge you to skip the extra sugar and allow the flavor of the Chocolate to shine through.
If you are more interested in an airy Chocolate Cake, then use oil instead of butter. While you forfeit some of the flavor that butter adds, the oil will give the cake loft.
Whipping the cream with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer or even by hand, introduces the maximum amount of air into the cream. The result will be light and fluffy cream which in turn creates a light and fluffy Mousse. If however your goal is to make this Chocolate Chocolate Mousse Cake ahead of time and refrigerate it or freeze it, then I recommend whipping the cream in a food processor. While less air is introduced in a food processor, the cream becomes more stable and it will not separate or ‘weep’. This is turn makes the Chocolate Mousse more stable, with the ability to stand up to prolonged storage.
Separate eggs by cracking the whole egg into an open hand. Allow the liquid white to drain into a clean bowl. Hold the yolk in your hand where your fingers are. Find the white umbilical cord. Trap the cord in between two of your fingers. Hold it tight and move the yolk gently across your fingers into a clean bowl. The umbilical cord should be left on your fingers – dispose of it.
Got Questions?
I’ve got answers – hopefully!
Yes it can be frozen. I recommend, if possible, freezing the Cake and Mousse separately. Wrap the cake up in several layers of plastic film. Freeze the Mousse in a freezer bag with all the air removed. Defrost both of them overnight in the refrigerator. Dry off any excess moisture from the Cake before applying the Mousse topping.
Absolutely, creamy Chocolate Mousse serves as a deliciously light and airy alternative to traditional frosting.
Do you really want to know? There’s 568 calories per slice, this cake yields 12 generous slices.
How to Make Chocolate Chocolate Mousse Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 4 oz flour
- 4 oz cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- 8 oz butter
- 14 oz condensed milk
- 2 oz strong coffee
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
For the Mousse
- 3 eggs
- 2 oz sugar
- 5 oz Belgian chocolate
- 10 oz heavy whipping cream
For the Decoration
- 18 pretzel sticks
- 4 oz chocolate chips
- 12 red candies
- 24 candy eyes
Instructions
Making the Chocolate Cake.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C.
- Brush the bottom and sides of a springform pan with oil or melted butter. Optional is to lay a round of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan for added protection.
- Melt the butter and add the eggs and mix.
- Add the condensed milk and coffee and mix.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl.
- Mix to blend but do not over stir mixture.
- Add the cake batter to the baking pan and smooth out evenly. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven when a wooden skewer or cake tester comes out of the cake center clean.
Making the Chocolate Mousse.
- Separate the eggs and place the egg whites in one bowl and yolks in another.
- Place the chocolate in a bowl and melt in the microwave or over a double boiler. Then add the egg yolks and mix well.
- Whip the cream in a food processor, see the "Tip from Me" to see why.
- Add the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture and fold the cream gently into the chocolate mixture.
- Whisk the bowl of egg whites until stiff peaks appear (3-5 minutes.)
- Add in half the sugar and continue whisking, then add in the remaining sugar and resume whisking until the sugar has dissolved into the egg whites and stiff peaks are showing.
- Fold in half the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then add the remaining egg white and continue to fold in.
- Remove the chocolate cake from the ring to ensure it is not stuck to the sides. Replace the ring in preparation for the Mousse.
- Add the Mousse to the cake and smooth it over the chocolate cake and then refrigerate for at least one hour.
Decorating the Chocolate Chocolate Mousse Cake
- Break the pretzel sticks into pieces. Use melted chocolate to join the pieces to form antlers.
- Lightly dust the top of the Mousse cake with cocoa powder. Then using a knife mark slices in the cake (do not cut the cake.)
- Each slice gets two eyes, one red candy for the nose and 2 antlers. Stick the antlers into the cake part for more stability.
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