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Chocolate Mousse Cake

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This easy chocolate mousse cake recipe makes a moist dark chocolate cake that’s topped with a yummy chocolate mousse.
Chocolate Mousse Cake

I’ve been in a chocolate mousse kinda mood lately.

At first, I thought I’d make a French Silk Pie. I wanted something rich and chocolaty, and French Silk Pie came to mind.Chocolate Mousse Cake

Since my birthday was coming up, I finally ended up settling on this Chocolate Mousse Cake. And it was an awesome decision.

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This cake is moist and intensely chocolaty. It’s topped with a super rich and creamy chocolate mousse for the ultimate chocolate dessert!

And all of that chocolate in one little piece of cake meant a very happy birthday for me.

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Chocolate Mousse Cake Video

If you’ve tried this chocolate mousse cake recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes! You can SUBSCRIBE to receive my latest recipe newsletters or FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for even more delicious food.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Moist dark chocolate cake that's topped with an easy chocolate mousse.

Author: i heart eating
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate mousse cake, homemade, recipe, sheet cake
Servings: 20
Chocolate Mousse Cake
4.85 from 13 votes
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Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

  • 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 c. granulated sugar
  • 3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 c. buttermilk low-fat ok
  • 1/2 c. vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 c. hot water not boiling

Chocolate Mousse

  • 1 1/2 c. mini marshmallows
  • 8 oz. semisweet baking chocolate chopped
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 2 c. heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Set aside.

  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

  3. In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk and vegetable oil.

  4. Whisk in eggs one at a time.

  5. Stir in dry intredients until just combined.

  6. Add hot water and vanilla.

  7. Whisk until just combined.

  8. Pour batter into prepared baking dish.

  9. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

  10. Cool to room temperature.

Chocolate Mousse

  1. To make the chocolate mousse, add mini marshmallows, chocolate, and milk to a large, heavy saucepan.

  2. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and well-combined.

  3. Remove from heat, and cool completely.

  4. In a large bowl, beat whipping cream and vanilla together to soft peak stage.

  5. Fold whipped cream into cooled chocolate mixture.

  6. Spread over cooled cake.

  7. Chill for at least 30 minutes, or until ready to serve.

  8. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Recipe Notes

*Nutrition facts have been estimated.

Nutrition facts per serving (1g)

Calories: 449kcal
Fat: 21g
Saturated fat: 13g
Cholesterol: 51mg
Sodium: 279mg
Potassium: 294mg
Carbohydrates: 63g
Fiber: 4g
Sugar: 36g
Protein: 6g
Vitamin A: 8.1%
Vitamin C: 0.2%
Calcium: 7.1%
Iron: 17%

Cake adapted from Food Network.

This easy chocolate mousse cake recipe makes a moist dark chocolate cake that's topped with a simple, easy chocolate mousse. #chocolate #cake #chocolatemousse #dessert #recipe #best #sheetcake
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  1. I made this cake today and let me just say, it was absolutely delicious, moist and the mousse on top was definitely the best part!! Loved it and it will be my go to when I’m craving chocolate! Thank you for a nice recipe

    Reply

  2. This cake is delicious. I made it yesterday and could not stop tasting the mousse while decorating the cake. My family did not like the salt. Was I suppose to grind the salt before placing it in the cake? I poured the kosher salt just like that into the mix. 😊

    Reply

    • Thank you! I love baking with kosher salt, but the salt shouldn’t be noticeable. If you prefer, just use half the amount of table salt (1/2 teaspoon), and that should take care of it. Thanks for coming back to comment! =)

      Reply

  4. Wow! This cake is delicious and very moist. It was my first time ever making a chocolate cake and I was worried somehow it would come out dry. It did not!

    I live at a High Altitude and made these adjustments (below) and it turned out beautifully for anyone else wanting to make them. (*Note, I live in Colorado, which is a mile high, if you live higher or lower, you may need to adjust further.) It does end up looking like a very watery mixture for cake, but the crumb turned out for me.

    I used two 9″ dark cake pans so my temperature stayed the same and for the high altitude I took them out at 25 minutes because that’s when they seemed done with the toothpick test. (The time may vary for where you’re at so just check it sooner.)

    1 3/4 c + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
    1 3/4 c – 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
    3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
    1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
    3/4 tsp. baking powder
    1 tsp. kosher salt
    1 c. + 2 Tbsp buttermilk low-fat ok
    1/2 c. vegetable oil
    2 large eggs + 1 egg white
    2 tsp. vanilla extract
    1 c. 2 Tbsp hot water not boiling

    Reply

    • Thank you so much!! I can’t test high altitude adjustments, so it’s extremely helpful when someone can share what’s worked. And congrats on making your first chocolate cake! =)

      Reply

    • You can! I recommend storing it, covered, in the fridge if you make it the day before. Then, you can either serve it straight from the fridge, or set it out about 10-15 minutes before serving to let the temp come up a bit on it. Good luck! =)

      Reply

  6. I live at altitude 5,000. do I need to adjust any of the ingredients? Would it be ok to use 1 regular egg & 1 egg white and substitute applesauce for oil?

    Reply

    • I’m not sure! I’m hesitant to make suggestions when I haven’t had a chance to try them out. Have you ever tried plain, nonfat Greek yogurt as an oil substitute? If you haven’t, I highly recommend it. I use it all the time, and I find that it gives the cake a more true (less spongy) texture than applesauce.

      Reply

  9. Just wanted to share- I found your recipe on Pinterest over a year ago, and have since made this cake almost a dozen times. My family LOVES it. They request it for all special occasions. Today is my son’s 11th birthday, and I will once again be making your cake! Thank you for a delicious recipe!

    Reply

  10. Thanks for sharing the Choc. Mousse cake. It sounds delicious. This next weekend is our school reunion. I will make it then for my company.

    Reply

  11. Made this for a coworker, huge success! It’s so moist and the mousse frosting is amazing. Everyone loved it including me!

    Reply

  12. Hi Kate,

    Would love to try your chocolate mousse cake, quick question, can I use this mousse to make a layer cake with 2 layers of cake and mousse?

    Reply

    • Hi! I’ve never tried making this as a layer cake, and so I’m not sure how the mousse would hold up between the layers. However, I think it would be ok. I’m just not 100% sure.

      Reply

  13. Absolutely awesome..the cake is super moist and I thought the chocolate mousse would be too sweet bc of the marshmallows but not at all..whole family loved it! Thank you so much..this is going to be a staple in my recipe box!

    Reply

  14. This was the best ‘scratch’ cake I have ever had! I used two different cocoas; Dutch processed (1\2 c) and black cocoa (1\4c). I also used a 10″ square pan for a little thicker cake. This recipe will definitely be my go-to chocolate cake. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    • Yay!! I’m sure your cake was so pretty! I love the way that black cocoa looks in a cake. Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment.

      Reply

  16. Hi! the recipe sounds absolutely delicious but is it possible that you could tel the quantity of marshmallow in grams since I’ll have to use the bigger ones that are available where I live…
    thanks :)

    Reply

  17. Hello, I made this cake and I absolutely loved it. I was just wondering if I could use this recipe to make cupcakes? And If so, how long should I bake it them and what temperature should I them at? Thank you so much

    Reply

    • Thank you! I’m glad you liked it! I haven’t tried, but I would guess that you can. Usually (and I haven’t tested it with this specific recipe to say for sure), you can keep the oven temp the same. The baking time for cupcakes *should* be about 15-25 minutes. Hope that helps! =)

      Reply

    • I think that it would be ok to freeze the cake, but I would freeze it unfrosted. I think the frosting might separate if frozen, so I would wait until you’re ready to serve the cake to frost it.

      Reply

  19. I do not like cake usually because the icing is too sweet or the cake comes out too dry. This is my new FAVORITE cake recipe! The mousse is perfect – I love the texture with the marshmallows. You could also use Cool Whip in place of the fresh whipped cream to save time :) Love it!

    Reply

  20. You have so much patience! Why is it that so many people want to change all of the recipes? Their questions are so annoying! Your recipe appears to be fine as it is printed…

    Reply

  21. I made this and thought it was fabulous. The only negative comments I got were from a few people who thought the mousse was too bitter. Can you use milk chocolate instead of semi sweet? Thanks!

    Reply

  22. i love this recipe, it looks super delicious! i do have one concern though. i cannot eat marshmallows, are they necessary and/or is there is a substitute? thank you :)

    Reply

    • Sorry, but they are necessary. The marshmallows provide a lot of the structure for the mousse, and I’m not aware of any easy subs.

      Reply

      • hi.i plan to make this.so if the cake is frosted in the pan,should i use spring form pan to bake?so i could just put the mousse on the top?

        Reply

        • Hi! I wouldn’t recommend using a springform pan. I’ve only seen 9-inch and 10-inch pans, and those wouldn’t be large enough to accommodate the batter for this recipe. The cake that you see pictured with this recipe was topped with mousse in the pan, and then I sliced the cake to take pictures (and serve).

  24. I made this and it was wonderful. My question is, is the batter suppose to be so thin, like water? I double checked my ingredients and all was accounted for.

    Thank you

    Reply

  25. How essential are the marshmallows and do you have a recommendation for substituting them? A family member doesn’t like them so it would be great to substitute if possible.

    Reply

    • They’re pretty essential because they provide a lot of the structure for the mousse. There isn’t an easy swap that I know of. Is it just a matter of taste? The mousse doesn’t taste like marshmallows at all.

      Reply

  26. I made 1/4 of the recipe just to see how it would turn out and wouldn’t be a waste of Ingredient s incase it was not so good… well it’s safe to say this was amazing … hands down one of the best things I have made.. :) very Moist and soft cake just perfect 👍🏽 Thank you for shearing the recipe
    Wanted to ask you if I did a vanilla version what would I substitute the coco powder in the cake with?

    Reply

    • Thank you! I’m not sure how it would come out, but you can sub cocoa powder with flour. It isn’t a 1:1 substitution, though. You would also want to increase the vanilla, and probably play around with it a bit. Good luck!

      Reply

    • That usually works just fine in cakes. I haven’t tried it in this recipe to say how it will work, though. You’ll just want to adjust the ratio if you sub butter for the vegetable oil (i.e. for every 3/4 cup of veg oil, you’ll need 1 cup of butter).

      Reply

  28. I have a question maybe related to folding in egg whites and whipped heavy cream.
    I make pie filling that starts with a hot custard into which you dissolve unflavored gelatin powder which has been dissolved in water. Then you fold in the beaten egg wites and whipped cream. But when I cut into the pie after refrigeration there,s always a thin layer of colorless gelatin at the bottom. What am I doing wrong?!

    Reply

    • Hmmmm! My best guess would be that the gelatin isn’t fully dissolving, and then it’s settling into a layer. Usually, when you work with unflavored gelatin, it will say that you have to separate the granulates by sprinkling them either over a cold liquid or with sugar. Then, you mix in boiling water to fully dissolve. Is there a liquid in the recipe that you could mix the gelatin in with before you add the hot water?

      Reply

    • I haven’t, but I know people who swear by replacing water with coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor. The closest that I’ve come is replacing water with hot chocolate, which worked nicely.

      Reply

  30. I was wondering if I could make cupcakes instead of a cake. How many cupcakes would it make and how many minutes would I cook them ?

    Reply

    • I haven’t ever made this cake into cupcakes. Usually, a 9×13 cake recipe will yield 24 cupcakes, but since I haven’t made it, I can’t say for sure.

      Reply

    • Folding is a more gentle way of incorporating ingredients. Rather than mixing or beating to incorporate the ingredients, folding allows you to add ingredients like beaten egg whites or whipped cream without losing all of the volume you just created by beating the egg whites/cream. You can google “folding recipe” and find some good videos that illustrate the technique well.

      Reply

  34. This looks so yummy! I’m going to make it tomorrow for my Anniversary. When you beat the whipping creme and vanilla together, do you beat until you get soft peaks? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Thank you! And Happy Anniversary! Yes, you’ll want it at soft peak stage. I’ll make a note of that in the recipe so that it’s more clear.

      Reply

    • First, let me preface this by saying that this is chocolate mousse cake, so it’s not health food. If you’re looking for a healthy (or even healthy-ish) dessert, this isn’t that recipe, and I would suggest my Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake instead.

      The amount of oil really isn’t that much for a cake of its size. If you significantly cut the amount of oil or sub the oil with something like applesauce, it’s going to change what you end up with. Applesauce, for instance, is going to give you a gummier cake. If you’re ok with that, then give it a shot.

      As far as the sugar goes, you could safely cut 1/4 cup or so. If you’re looking to significantly cut the amount of sugar, you’re going to change the structure and taste of the cake, and I wouldn’t recommend doing that.

      Reply

  36. Does the icing thicken while in fridge cause the icing was pretty liquidy after I added the whipping cream. I just put in fridge so I’m hoping it turns out okay.

    Reply

    • It is pretty soft initially, but it sets up quite a bit after it has chilled. When you say that you added the whipping cream, do you mean that you added in the straight liquid whipping cream or the beaten whipped cream? That would definitely make a difference in how the mousse comes out.

      Reply