Light, airy, and oh-so-chocolatey—this chocolate mousse cake is a slice of heaven! The best part? It’s much easier to make than you might think. The cake layer comes together in less than 5 minutes and bakes in just about 12. And the mousse? It’s truly simple to whip up too!
The hardest part is waiting. After assembling, the cake needs to chill for at least 4 hours, and then a bit longer once you’ve spread the luscious ganache over the top. It’s almost torturous to let it sit there in the fridge, looking all perfect and tempting, but trust me, it’s worth it!
I rarely adapt recipes, preferring to create my own from scratch, but this one was an exception. It’s originally from Ricardo Cuisine, and it’s so flawless that I made only a few tweaks. The result is a cake that’s effortlessly impressive, yet easy enough for anyone to make.
I thought about going all out with elaborate decorations but decided to keep things simple. Not only does it make the cake easier to transport, but it also highlights just how achievable it is. A dusting of cocoa, a few fresh strawberries, or a dollop of whipped cream is all you really need. Of course, feel free to add any finishing touches you like to make it your own!
Give this cake a try—it’s sure to be a hit with anyone lucky enough to share a slice. Enjoy! 🍰💫
Let’s get cooking!
Light, airy, chocolatey and absolutely delicious. And you know what?! It's actually not hard to make. The cake layer comes together in under 5 minutes, bakes under 12 minutes. And the mousse is truly easy to put together as well.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Butter 8" springform pan and line the bottom and the sides with parchment. To do the sides, cut a long strip of parchment about 2.5 " wide and line directly against the diameter of the pan, it will stick to the pan due to the butter.
Combine dry ingredients for the cake. Then stir in coffee, oil and lemon juice with a whisk until well-blended. Spread evenly into your prepared pan.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until toothpick comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down completely.
Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer. Place chocolate and a pinch of salt in a heat-proof bowl and set over a pot of simmering water, ensuring the bottom doesn't touch the water. Allow to sit undisturbed for a minute. Then stir with a heat resistant spatula until melted. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle gelatin over warm coffee and let bloom for 5 minutes.
Place egg yolks in a small bowl and whisk gently.
Heat 1/4 cup of cream and sugar in a small pot over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Pour a bit of this warm mixture into the egg yolk bowl whisking immediately to avoid scrambling the eggs. (If you whisk immediately and constantly, gradually rising their temperature, they won't scramble.) Return this back to the cream/sugar pot and keep cooking over medium low heat. You want the sugar to be melted and the internal temperature come to 170°, so that eggs are fully cooked.
Remove from heat and add gelatin. Stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add this mixture to chocolate, along with vanilla, and stir to combine.
The chocolate mixture must be completely cool before adding whipped cream. So take a few minutes to clean the kitchen while this mixture cools.
Whip the remaining 1 3/4 heavy cream until stiff peaks (stiff, but don't overbeat either turning it into butter.) The best way to whip cream is on low to medium low speed with your stand mixer. It will take a bit longer but it will be much ore stable than if you were to whip it on high speed.
Add 1/3 of whipped cream to completely cool chocolate mixture and stir to lighten it. Then fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a rubber spatula gently and carefully, without knocking the air out of your whipped cream and keeping it light and airy.
Pour this mousse on top of your cake into the springform pan. Smooth out the top.
Refrigerate for 4 hours (or overnight.)
The picture below shows how the sides of your pan are lined with parchment.
Heat cream over medium-low heat until hot and bubbles just form on the edges. Pour over chopped chocolate and allow to sit undisturbed for a minute. Add a pinch of salt, then stir into smooth ganache. Pour this over your chilled cake spreading it with an offset spatula and encouraging some of the chocolate to drip down the sides. Refrigerate for an hour for the ganache to set.
Slice the cake while it's cold with a sharp knife that you held under hot water, then wiped with a clean towel between each slice - for nice smooth cuts. Allow slices to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Butter 8" springform pan and line the bottom and the sides with parchment. To do the sides, cut a long strip of parchment about 2.5 " wide and line directly against the diameter of the pan, it will stick to the pan due to the butter.
Combine dry ingredients for the cake. Then stir in coffee, oil and lemon juice with a whisk until well-blended. Spread evenly into your prepared pan.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until toothpick comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down completely.
Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer. Place chocolate and a pinch of salt in a heat-proof bowl and set over a pot of simmering water, ensuring the bottom doesn't touch the water. Allow to sit undisturbed for a minute. Then stir with a heat resistant spatula until melted. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle gelatin over warm coffee and let bloom for 5 minutes.
Place egg yolks in a small bowl and whisk gently.
Heat 1/4 cup of cream and sugar in a small pot over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Pour a bit of this warm mixture into the egg yolk bowl whisking immediately to avoid scrambling the eggs. (If you whisk immediately and constantly, gradually rising their temperature, they won't scramble.) Return this back to the cream/sugar pot and keep cooking over medium low heat. You want the sugar to be melted and the internal temperature come to 170°, so that eggs are fully cooked.
Remove from heat and add gelatin. Stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add this mixture to chocolate, along with vanilla, and stir to combine.
The chocolate mixture must be completely cool before adding whipped cream. So take a few minutes to clean the kitchen while this mixture cools.
Whip the remaining 1 3/4 heavy cream until stiff peaks (stiff, but don't overbeat either turning it into butter.) The best way to whip cream is on low to medium low speed with your stand mixer. It will take a bit longer but it will be much ore stable than if you were to whip it on high speed.
Add 1/3 of whipped cream to completely cool chocolate mixture and stir to lighten it. Then fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a rubber spatula gently and carefully, without knocking the air out of your whipped cream and keeping it light and airy.
Pour this mousse on top of your cake into the springform pan. Smooth out the top.
Refrigerate for 4 hours (or overnight.)
The picture below shows how the sides of your pan are lined with parchment.
Heat cream over medium-low heat until hot and bubbles just form on the edges. Pour over chopped chocolate and allow to sit undisturbed for a minute. Add a pinch of salt, then stir into smooth ganache. Pour this over your chilled cake spreading it with an offset spatula and encouraging some of the chocolate to drip down the sides. Refrigerate for an hour for the ganache to set.
Slice the cake while it's cold with a sharp knife that you held under hot water, then wiped with a clean towel between each slice - for nice smooth cuts. Allow slices to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
