Chocolate Mousse Cake

With layers of cake and semi-sweet and milk chocolate, this Chocolate Mousse Cake is absolute heaven. Glazed with a chocolate ganache, you will be coming back for more.

Cake is one of my absolute favorite things in the world, I really do not care what cake it is I will eat it.

This Chocolate Mousse Cake is a fun and taste cake recipe that layers flourless chocolate cake with alternates of semi-sweet and milk chocolate mousse.

Rich in chocolate, this is the perfect dessert for all those chocolate lovers out there. Especially with the delicious chocolate ganache outside.

Chocolate is one of those flavors that I cannot resist, so this Chocolate Mousse Cake is one of my favorites.

This cake is really great to bring to gatherings and parties because a little goes a long way with this one.

If you are looking for that chocolate dessert that is absolutely indulgent, this Chocolate Mousse Cake is exactly what you need.

Some of my other favorite chocolate desserts that we have on our site include: Better Than Sex Brownies, Easy Chocolate Cake and Brownie in a Mug.

Slice of cake cut and being pulled from cake with cake server.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

This is a super moist cake and holds together really well.
Overloaded with chocolate, this is a great recipe for chocolate fans.
You can swap out dark chocolate for any of the chocolate if you desire.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST):

Eggs
Granulated sugar
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Vanilla extract
Heavy cream
Milk chocolate baking bar
Semi-sweet chocolate baking bar

HOW TO MAKE A CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE, STEP BY STEP:

CAKE:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line 3 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper rounds.
To make the cake: Separate the egg yolks from the whites and place them into two separate bowls.
Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until they form soft peaks.
Slowly add 1/3 cup of the sugar and continue beating until the whites hold stiff peaks. Transfer the egg whites to a bowl and set aside.
Clean the bowl of your stand mixer and add the egg yolks and the remaining sugar.
Beat the eggs until light in color.
Add the vanilla and sift in the cocoa powder. Mix on low speed until combined.
Fold one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, making sure not to deflate the batter. Repeat the process with 2 more additions of egg whites to the batter until it is light and fluffy.
Evenly divide the batter amongst the prepared cake pans and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove the cake pans from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before transferring them to the refrigerator while you make the mousse.

MOUSSE/GANACHE:

To make the mousse: Place the chopped milk chocolate and the semi-sweet chocolate into 2 separate medium-sized bowls.
Bring 2/3 cup of heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 4 Tablespoons of the hot cream to the milk chocolate and pour the remaining hot cream over the semi-sweet chocolate. Let the mixture sit for 1-2 minutes to soften the chocolate, then stir, so the chocolate has a smooth consistency. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream to form soft peaks.
Fold 1 cup of the whipped cream into the milk chocolate mixture and the remaining 1 cup into the dark chocolate mixture. Return the bowls to the refrigerator until needed.
Remove the cake layers from the tins and place one layer on a round wire rack. Dollop the semi-sweet chocolate mousse on top of the cake layer and smooth it out with an offset spatula.
Place the second cake layer over the semi-sweet chocolate mousse and repeat the process with the milk chocolate mousse. Top with the final cake layer and place the cake in the refrigerator while you make the ganache.
Place the semi-sweet chocolate pieces into a small glass bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it reaches a simmer.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, Let the mixture sit for 1-2 minutes to soften the chocolate, then stir, so the ganache has a smooth consistency. Transfer the ganache to a bowl with a pour spout.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator, place the wire rack over a large baking sheet to catch any chocolate drips, and slowly pour the ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Smooth out any divots or bumps using an offset spatula. You can scrape and re-heat any extra dripped chocolate from the baking sheet to reuse.
Slice and serve.

CAN THIS CAKE BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes, in fact the flavors intensify over time. This results in a rich, deep, chocolate-flavored cake.

The cake, mousse, and ganache can be made 2-3 days in advance and assembled when you have time.

WHAT TYPE OF CHOCOLATE IS BEST TO USE?

You are going to want to use baking bars for this recipe. We use a mix of semi-sweet chocolate and milk chocolate.

If you want a richer flavor you can substitute one of the chocolates with dark chocolate if you wish.

MY GANACHE IS TOO THICK, WHAT DO I DO?

If the ganache becomes too thick, heat in 30-second intervals until smooth and pourable.

Usually it will thin out when you let it sit, but if the cream is not warm enough it will not melt it completely, resulting in having to microwave.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO CUT THIS CAKE TO GET EVEN SLICES?

We treat this just like we treat a cheesecake when cutting. You will want to heat a knife with warm water and cut, wipe clean and repeat.

This really gives you nice even cuts with no dragging of the cake or filling!

Slice of cake removed showing the inside of the cake with milk in background.

HOW TO STORE:

This can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze this recipe, we recommend placing on a baking sheet and freeze for a few hours.

Once frozen, wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer container and it will keep for up to 3 months.

To defrost, remove to the refrigerator until thawed and then serve.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Make sure you are using good quality chocolate.
Also make sure that you are using chocolate baking bars.
You can sub dark chocolate for any of the other chocolate in this recipe.
This is a flourless cake but it is still nice, moist and delicious.
If you do not like ganache, you can make a chocolate buttercream to frost this instead.
To melt the chocolate easier, make sure you chop it into smaller chunks.
This can be made ahead of time, see above on how to do that.
You can freeze this cake, see above on how to freeze.

Fork holding a bite of the cake from a slice on a white plate.

With layers and layers of chocolate, it is absolutely hard to resist this Chocolate Mousse Cake. You will want to add it to your baking list as soon as you can.

If you like this recipe you might also like:

If you’ve tried this CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!