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This is the most amazing and dreamy Chocolate Mousse Cake! This is truly any chocolate lover's dream and rich in chocolate flavor! It has three delicious layers of chocolate. A soft and moist chocolate cake, topped with an airy chocolate mousse, that is finished with a glossy chocolate ganache.
This chocolate mousse cake recipe is for any chocolate fans! This cake has an incredible soft and moist chocolate cake, a dreamy and airy chocolate mousse layer, that is covered with a rich and luscious chocolate ganache.
For more chocolate cake recipes, try Chocolate Fudge Cake, Matilda Cake and Chocolate Ganache Cake.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Chocolate cake: The chocolate cake is incredibly soft, moist and so quick and easy to make.
- Chocolate mousse: This chocolate mousse is dreamy, airy and so delicious!
- Chocolate ganache: The mousse is topped with a beautiful and glossy chocolate ganache.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour: Gives a light and airy cake. I prefer using all-purpose flour with a protein amount that is between 10-11%
- Cornstarch: Helps give a light and soft cake
- Sugars: The granulated sugar helps sweeten, as well as give moister to the cake. The brown sugar helps add extra toffee flavor to the cake.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Help leaven and rise the cake, so it has light and fluffy texture.
- Salt: Helps enhance the flavor of the chocolate cake.
- Egg: Take it out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking, so it comes to room temperature. (depending how warm your kitchen is).
- Coffee: Use freshly brewed coffee. The coffee helps boost the chocolate flavor. It can be replaced with hot water if you don't want to add coffee to the cake. For the coffee I recommend using espresso or instant espresso coffee.
- Oil: Use a flavor neutral oil, such as canola oil.
- Sour cream: Sour cream gives lots of moister to the cake, as well as helps give the cake a great structure. It is also used in the frosting for a creamy texture.
- Unsweetened Cocoa powder: I use high quality dutch process cocoa powder for the best flavor, my favorite is from Valrhona.
- Dark and milk chocolate: Use a good quality chocolate for the chocolate mousse like Lindt or Callebaut chocolate .
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CHOCOLATE CAKE
Here is how to make and bake these Chocolate Mousse Cake. This recipe needs an electric mixer, three bowls, a whisk and two spatulas.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Preheat the oven at 170ºC/340ºF conventional oven and prepare a 23 cm/9-inch springform with parchment paper.
STEP 1: In a large bowl, add all of the dry ingredients. Give it a stir to make sure everything has been combined. In another mixing bowl add all of the wet ingredients, and with a hand whisk, whisk them together until combined.
STEP 2: Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry while gently stirring it all together. Make sure there are no lumps left in the batter.
STEP 3: Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake it for 20-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a wire rack.
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
STEP 1: In a small bowl, bloom the gelatin and set it aside. Use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, to whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until a pale and fluffy consistency and set it aside.
STEP 2: In a second heat proof bowl, melt the chocolate over a pot of simmering water, to gently melt the chocolate. When there are a few pieces of unmelted chocolate left, take it off the heat and let the residual heat melt it all completely.
STEP 3: Then heat up 100 g of heavy cream in a small saucepan on medium heat until it starts to form small bubbles around the edge of the saucepan. Take it off the heat and add the gelatin. Stir it in until the gelatin has dissolved.
STEP 4: Pour the heated heavy cream over the melted chocolate and stir it together until smooth. Add the chocolate ganache to the whipped egg yolks and gently fold it together with a rubber spatula until combined.
STEP 5: In a third bowl, whip the remaining 350 g heavy cream until soft peaks. Add half of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, gently folding it together with a rubber spatula until almost combined. Then add the other half of the whipped cream and gently fold it together until smooth and combined.
STEP 6: Pour the mousse over the chocolate cake and give it a slight shake to even it out. Cover it with cling film and place it in the fridge to chill for a minimum of 4 hours or preferably overnight.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
STEP 1: In a heat proof bowl, melt the chocolate over a pot of simmering water, to gently melt the chocolate. Once melted add heated heavy cream and gently stir it together until smooth. Pour the ganache over the chocolate mousse. Place the cake back in the refrigerator for the ganache to set and it’s ready to be served.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
Yes, substitute it 1:1 with full-fat Greek yogurt.
Yes, it is best to make a day ahead, as the mousse has to set.
I recommend using a cake tester or a toothpick. Once the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the middle of the cake and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, then it's done.
HOW TO STORE
Store the chocolate mousse cake in the fridge in an airtight container. It's best enjoyed within a 2-3 days.
Other Cake Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Chocolate Mousse Cake
Ingredients
CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 120 g warm coffee or water
- 120 g all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 50 g dark brown sugar
- 25 g unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 55 g vegetable oil
- 90 g sour cream room temperature
- 1 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
- 1 teaspoon gelatin
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 2 pasteurised egg yolks
- 4 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 100 g 70% dark chocolate chopped
- 50 g milk chocolate chopped
- 450 g heavy cream
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 100 g 70% dark chocolate chopped
- 15 g butter
- 125 g heavy cream
Instructions
CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYERS
- Preheat the oven at 170ºC/340℉ conventional oven. Release the ring of a 23 cm/8 inch springform and add a piece of parchment paper on the bottom plate. Place the ring on top and close it over the parchment paper.
- Start by making the coffee and weigh it out so it can cool down a bit while preparing the other ingredients.120 g warm coffee or water
- In a bowl, sift all of the dry ingredients together. Give it a stir to make sure everything has been combined.120 g all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon cornstarch, 100 g granulated sugar, 50 g dark brown sugar, 25 g unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In another mixing bowl add all of the wet ingredients, including the coffee, and with a hand whisk, whisk them together until combined.55 g vegetable oil, 90 g sour cream, 1 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry while gently stirring it all together. Make sure there are no lumps left in the batter.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared springform and bake it for 20-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool on a cooling rack. Once the cake has cooled down, gently slide a knife along the edge of the ring and release the ring from the cake, and clean it. Level off the cake, using a serrated knife.
- Place the ring back over the cake and bottom plate. Then, wrap an acetate collar (cake collar) around the cake, positioning it between the cake and the ring. Gently close the ring so it holds the acetate in place. Set the cake aside while preparing the mousse. Check the notes below for instructions on using parchment paper.
DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
- In a small bowl, bloom the gelatin by mixing it with the cold water and set it aside.1 teaspoon gelatin, 1 tablespoon cold water
- Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until a pale and fluffy consistency, takes about 2 minutes, and set it aside.2 pasteurised egg yolks, 4 tablespoon granulated sugar
- In a second heat proof bowl, melt the dark and milk chocolate over a saucepan of simmering water, to gently melt the chocolate. When there are a few pieces of unmelted chocolate left, take it off the heat and let the residual heat melt it all completely.100 g 70% dark chocolate, 50 g milk chocolate
- Then heat up 100 g (½ cup) of the 450 g in a small saucepan on medium heat, until it starts to form small bubbles around the edge of the saucepan. Take the saucepan off the heat and add the gelatin. Stir it until the gelatin has dissolved.
- Pour the heated heavy cream over the melted chocolate and with a rubber spatula stir it together until smooth.
- Add the chocolate ganache to the whipped egg yolks and gently fold it together with a rubber spatula until combined.
- In a third bowl, whip the remaining 350 g (1 ½ cup) heavy cream until soft peaks. You don’t want to over whip the heavy cream as you’ll continue mixing it when you add it together with the chocolate mixture.
- Then add half of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, gently folding it together with a rubber spatula until almost combined. Then add the other half of the whipped cream and gently fold it together until smooth and combined. Be careful not to over mix the mousse, so it doesn’t split.
- Pour the mousse over the chocolate cake and give it a slight shake to even it out. Cover it with cling film and place it in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or preferably overnight.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- In a heat proof bowl, melt the chocolate and butter over a saucepan of simmering water, to gently melt the chocolate. When there are a few pieces of unmelted chocolate left, take it off the heat and let the residual heat melt it all completely.100 g 70% dark chocolate, 15 g butter
- Once melted, add the heavy cream to a small saucepan and let it heat until it starts to steam. Pour the heavy cream over the melted chocolate and with a rubber spatula gently stir it together until smooth.125 g heavy cream
- Remove the springform ring and acetate from the mousse cake. Pour the ganache over the chocolate mousse and then place the cake back in the refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes for the ganache to set and it’s ready to be served.
- Tip: I recommend using a knife, that has been heated under the hot water tap, to easily cut beautiful slices.
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