Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

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4.6 from 20 votes

This Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake is adapted from America's Test Kitchen, and is the best mousse cake we've ever tasted. It's light yet rich, decadent yet not heavy, and absolutely chocolatey. Use the best quality chocolate you can. May be made a day ahead.

Prep Time

1 hr

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

1 hr 30 mins

Servings: 14

Calories: 389 kcal

Course: Dessert, Cake

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the Bottom Layer

6 TB butter sliced into 6 pieces (plus extra for greasing pan, salted
7 oz bittersweet chocolate finely chopped, high quality
1 tsp instant espresso or coffee powder
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract pure
4 large egg separated yolks vs. whites
table salt
⅓ cup light brown sugar packed, lumps loosened

For the Middle Layer

2 TB dutch processed cocoa powder
5 TB water hot
7 oz bittersweet chocolate finely chopped, high quality
1 ½ cups heavy cream very cold
1 TB granulated sugar
⅛ tsp table salt

For the Top Layer

1 tsp gelatin plain powdered
1 TB water
6 oz white chocolate chips high quality
1.5 cups heavy cream very cold
chocolate for garnishing, or cocoa powder, melted chocolate, shavings

Instructions

For the Bottom Layer

Cup of Yum

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 325F. Butter bottom and sides of a 9 to 9.5 inch springform pan.
In a glass bowl, melt butter, chocolate, and espresso/coffee powder in microwave at 30 second intervals at 50% power. Repeat and stir until very smooth. Alternatively, you can place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
Cool mixture about 5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and egg yolks. Set aside.
In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and pinch of table salt at medium speed until frothy, 30 seconds.
Add half of the brown sugar and beat until combined, 15 seconds. Add rest of brown sugar, beat on high until soft peaks form, 1 minute.
Scrape sides halfway through. Using a whisk, gently fold in one-third of the beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture.
Using rubber spatula, gently fold in the rest of egg whites until no white streaks remain, but don't overdo it.
Carefully transfer batter to greased springform pan, gently smoothing the top. Bake until cake is risen and firm around edges and center has just set but is still soft. Center of cake will spring back after pressing gently with finger, about 14-18 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Do not remove cake from pan.

For the Middle Layer

Combine cocoa powder and hot water in a small bowl and set aside. In a glass bowl, melt chocolate in microwave set to 50% power in 30 second intervals until smoothly melted. Remove and cool 5 minutes.
In the clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip the cream, sugar, and salt at medium speed until mixture thickens, 30 seconds. Increase to high speed and whip until soft peaks form, 1 minute.
Whisk cocoa powder mixture into melted chocolate until smooth. Gently whisk in one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in rest of whipped cream until no white streaks remain - don't overdo it.
Spoon mousse into springform pan over the cooled bottom layer. Gently tap pan on counter to remove large air bubbles, gently smooth top, and wipe inside edge to remove drips. Chill cake while preparing top layer.

For the Top Layer

In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand 5 minutes. Place white chocolate in a bowl and set aside. Bring 1/2 cup cream to simmer in a small saucepan.
Remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture and stir until fully dissolved. Pour cream mixture over the white chocolate and whisk until fully melted and smooth. Cool to room temp, stirring occasionally.
In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip remaining cup of cream at medium speed until it thickens, 30 sec. Increase speed to high speed and whip until almost stiff peaks form, 1 minute.
Using whisk, gently fold a third of whipped cream into the cooled white chocolate mixture. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in rest of whipped cream just until no white streaks remain. Spoon batter into springform pan over chilled middle layer. Smooth top and chill at least 2.5 hours or overnight.
Serve chilled; carefully run thin knife around edges of pan and gently release sides. Garnish as desired (we recommend melted, drizzled chocolate.) Slice to serve.

Notes

The springform pan must be at least 3 inches high for the layers in this triple chocolate mousse cake.
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Use a good nonstick springform pan. This will make it easy to release the cake without damaging its delicate layers.
The springform pan must be at least 3 inches high for the layers in this triple chocolate mousse cake.
When adding the brown sugar to beaten egg whites for the bottom layer, do it in two stages. This will help the sugar to incorporate evenly and maintain the fluffy texture of the whites.
When making the middle layer, make sure your heavy cream is very cold. This will help it to thicken faster and hold its shape when whipped.
For the top layer, be patient and let the gelatin mixture cool to room temperature after dissolving. If it's too hot, it can cause the whipped cream to melt and your mousse won't set properly.
This cake can be completely made a day in advance.
This recipe is part of our Chocolate Recipes Collection.

Nutrition Information

Calories 389kcal (19%) Carbohydrates 22.4g (7%) Protein 5.1g (10%) Fat 31.1g (48%) Saturated Fat 18.4g (92%) Trans Fat 0.4g (20%) Cholesterol 97.7mg (33%) Sodium 32mg (1%) Fiber 3.2g (13%) Sugar 16.1g (32%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 14 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 389

% Daily Value*

Calories	389kcal	19%
Carbohydrates	22.4g	7%
Protein	5.1g	10%
Fat	31.1g	48%
Saturated Fat	18.4g	92%
Trans Fat	0.4g	20%
Cholesterol	97.7mg	33%
Sodium	32mg	1%
Fiber	3.2g	13%
Sugar	16.1g	32%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.