Chocolate Mouse Cake is a decadent and elegantly simple dessert that offers a taste of pure bliss with every bite. This recipe is your go-to for creating a show-stopping chocolate cake that’s surprisingly easy to whip up, perfect for any occasion or simply a delightful treat for yourself.
Key Ingredients for Chocolate Mouse Cake
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-processed recommended for deeper flavor)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup milk, room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil (or other neutral oil)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- 8 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (for chocolate mousse frosting)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (for chocolate mousse frosting)
- Optional garnishes: chocolate shavings, fresh berries, whipped cream
How to Make Chocolate Mouse Cake
This Chocolate Mouse Cake recipe is a dream for any chocolate lover, promising a moist, rich crumb balanced by a luxuriously smooth chocolate mousse frosting. It’s surprisingly straightforward, making it an achievable yet impressive dessert. The prep time is approximately 30 minutes, with the baking and cooling taking about 45-50 minutes, and the frosting adding another 15 minutes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
For the Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans, or line them with parchment paper for easy release.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Ensure there are no lumps.
- Add Wet Ingredients (Except Boiling Water): Add the room temperature eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Incorporate Boiling Water: With the mixer on low speed, carefully and slowly pour in the boiling water. The batter will become quite thin; this is normal and contributes to the cake’s moistness. Mix until just combined.
- Bake the Cakes: Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared baking pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Cool the Cakes: Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10-15 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely. It’s crucial that the cakes are fully cooled before frosting.
For the Chocolate Mousse Frosting:
- Melt the Chocolate: Place the finely chopped bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
- Heat the Cream: In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it just begins to simmer around the edges. Do not boil.
- Pour Cream over Chocolate: Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.
- Whisk until Smooth: Gently whisk the chocolate and cream mixture starting from the center and working outwards, until it is completely smooth, glossy, and emulsified. This is your ganache base. Let it cool slightly but not set up.
- Whip the Mousse: In a separate, chilled bowl, beat the slightly cooled ganache with an electric mixer until it thickens to a frosting consistency. You can add the powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract here and continue to whip until light and fluffy, resembling mousse. Be careful not to over-whip, as it can become grainy.
Assembling the Chocolate Mouse Cake:
- Level the Cakes (Optional): If your cake layers have crowned, you can carefully use a serrated knife to level them so they are flat.
- Frost the Cake: Place one cooled cake layer on your serving plate. Spread a generous amount of the chocolate mousse frosting over the top.
- Stack and Frost: Carefully place the second cake layer on top of the first. Frost the entire cake – the top and sides – with the remaining chocolate mousse frosting, creating smooth or swirled textures as desired.
- Garnish: Decorate your Chocolate Mouse Cake with chocolate shavings, fresh berries, a dusting of cocoa powder, or a dollop of freshly whipped cream, as per your preference.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Mouse Cake
Prepare to fall head over heels for this Chocolate Mouse Cake, a dessert that truly redefines chocolate indulgence. Its crowning glory is the incredibly light and airy chocolate mousse frosting, which melts in your mouth, perfectly complementing the moist, deeply flavored chocolate cake beneath. This is a divine step up from a simple chocolate layer cake, offering a sophisticated yet accessible dessert experience.
The beauty of making this Chocolate Mouse Cake at home is not just the incredible taste, but also the rewarding feeling of creating something so special from scratch, often at a fraction of the cost of a bakery-bought equivalent. Plus, the addition of premium quality chocolate for the ganache and a hint of pure vanilla extract elevate its flavor profile beyond compare, making it truly unforgettable. Don’t just admire it – dive in and experience the pure chocolate joy this cake brings!
Storing and Reheating Tips
Proper storage is key to maintaining the deliciousness of your Chocolate Mouse Cake.
- Refrigeration: Store any leftover Chocolate Mouse Cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The mousse frosting will firm up slightly in the fridge, which can make for easier slicing.
- Freezing: While the mousse frosting is best enjoyed fresh, you can freeze unfrosted cake layers or individual frosted slices. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Avoid freezing the entire cake with the mousse frosting on it if possible, as the texture can sometimes be affected by freezing and thawing.
Final Thoughts
This Chocolate Mouse Cake is a testament to the fact that show-stopping desserts can also be wonderfully achievable. Its combination of a tender cake and silken mousse makes it a memorable treat that’s sure to impress. We encourage you to bake this at home and experience the pure joy of a perfectly crafted chocolate dessert.
Chocolate Mouse Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans, or line them with parchment paper for easy release.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Ensure there are no lumps.1.75 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, 0.75 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1.5 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the room temperature eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.2 large eggs, 1 cup milk, 0.5 cup vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- With the mixer on low speed, carefully and slowly pour in the boiling water. The batter will become quite thin; this is normal and contributes to the cake’s moistness. Mix until just combined.1 cup boiling water
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared baking pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10-15 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely. It’s crucial that the cakes are fully cooled before frosting.
- Place the finely chopped bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl.8 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
- In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it just begins to simmer around the edges. Do not boil.1 cup heavy cream
- Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.8 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, 1 cup heavy cream
- Gently whisk the chocolate and cream mixture starting from the center and working outwards, until it is completely smooth, glossy, and emulsified. This is your ganache base. Let it cool slightly but not set up.
- In a separate, chilled bowl, beat the slightly cooled ganache with an electric mixer until it thickens to a frosting consistency. You can add the powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract here and continue to whip until light and fluffy, resembling mousse. Be careful not to over-whip, as it can become grainy.2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
- If your cake layers have crowned, you can carefully use a serrated knife to level them so they are flat.
- Place one cooled cake layer on your serving plate. Spread a generous amount of the chocolate mousse frosting over the top.
- Carefully place the second cake layer on top of the first. Frost the entire cake – the top and sides – with the remaining chocolate mousse frosting, creating smooth or swirled textures as desired.
- Decorate your Chocolate Mouse Cake with chocolate shavings, fresh berries, a dusting of cocoa powder, or a dollop of freshly whipped cream, as per your preference.chocolate shavings, fresh berries, whipped cream