This Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe is made even better by the addition of a layer of Raspberry Mousse! With a brownie layer on the bottom and a decorative jaconde sponge wrapped around the decadent layers, this is a true showstopper dessert! Perfect for Valentine’s Day or any party!
There are multiple steps to this Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake recipe but they are simple steps so don’t be overwhelmed!
This is the perfect make-ahead dessert because it keeps in the refrigerator for several days. I have made it a day or even 2 days in advance and it keeps wonderfully!
The Jaconde Imprime
In a way, I don’t want to call this a cake. The only ‘cake’ is in the jaconde imprime that is wrapped around the cake to make it look super fancy. The chocolate paste is a breeze to whip up and you can use any stencil you would like to create a design. You can also pipe a design with a piping bag instead of using a stencil.
Another design option is to make stripes using a pastry comb. If you aren’t the greatest artist, just print a design on paper and put the paper under a silicon mat or parchment paper so that you can trace the design that is showing through from underneath.
The Jaconde is optional!
If you want the layers of the brownie and mousse to show and if you don’t have the time to make the jaconde sponge that wraps around the outside, you can skip it.
Without the jaconde, you can wrap an acetate cake collar around the cake and peal it off just before serving.
The mousse will set up nicely and cut easily. The acetate is just there to keep the round shape until the mousse sets up in the refrigerator.
This cake is rich, creamy, fudgy, and heavenly!
How to make easy Chocolate Mousse
Mousse seems like an intimidating thing to make. It seems complicated but it really is simple.
It takes about 5 minutes to make each kind of mousse and then about an hour to set chill in the refrigerator so the mousse is the quickest and easiest part of this recipe.
Here are the simple steps for a basic chocolate mousse:
- Heat the chocolate and some cream in the microwave until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Mix the gelatin in a little water and heat briefly until the gelatin is dissolved. Stir into the chocolate.
- Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks.
- Fold half of the cream into the chocolate until it is completely mixed in. Fold in the rest of the cream until smooth.
And that’s it! That is all there is to make a chocolate mousse! It takes about 5 minutes to make each of the mousse layers in this mousse cake. No need to be intimidated!
Check out some of my other dessert recipes that are showstoppers!
Pear and Cranberry Cake with Stained Glass Pears
Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake
16
servings1
hour30
minutes40
minutesThere are multiple components to this cake but none of them are difficult! Plan ahead, make each component, and then put them together. It does take about 5 to 6 hours to complete but most of that time is chilling time for the mousse. Make this a day or even two days before your event and store in the refrigerator. Prepare to knock the socks off your friends and family!
Ingredients
- For the Brownies
113 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
225 grams (1 1/4 cups) granulated sugar
65 grams (2/3 cups) cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs, at room temperature
90 grams (3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
- For the Joconde Imprime (patterned cake wrapped around mousse)
- For the chocolate paste
70 grams unsalted butter
70 grams powdered sugar
2 egg whites
40 grams all-purpose flour
40 grams cocoa powder
- For the Jaconde sponge
2 egg whites
10 grams granulated sugar
60 grams almond flour
60 grams powdered sugar
2 whole eggs
20 grams all-purpose flour, sifted
20 grams butter, melted and cooled
Acetate cake collar
- For the Raspberry Mousse
2½ cups fresh raspberries
9 oz white chocolate, chopped finely
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, DIVIDED
2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
2 Tablespoons water
Pink food coloring, optional
- For the Chocolate Mousse
9 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped finely
1 3/4 cups heavy cream, DIVIDED
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
2 Tablespoons water
- For the Chocolate Ganache Layer
¾ cup (200g) heavy cream
4 teaspoons (25 g) light corn syrup
8 ounces (227g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter, softened
Directions
- Make the Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease, or line with a foil sling, a 9×13″ pan.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add sugar and stir until hot but not bubbling. Remove from heat.
- Stir in cocoa, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Allow to cool slightly so that you don’t cook the eggs. Add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk until incorporated. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the middle is set. Cool completely before cutting.
- Once baked, let cool completely. Once cool, place the bottom of the spring form pan on top of the brownies and cut out a circle with a knife. Remove the pan and trim about ¼ inch more off to ensure your brownies will fit inside the pan with the cake wrapped around it. Set the brownie layer aside.
- For the Sponge
- Grease a 13in x 9in swiss roll pan and line with baking parchment. Cut a sheet of silicon to fit the base of the Swiss roll pan or fold to fit – I used a 13×19 sheet, folded in half. If using a stencil, place stencil on top of silicon.
- Make the decorative paste by creaming the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy and then gradually add the egg white, beating continuously. Fold in the flour and cocoa powder until incorporated. Spread the paste thinly and evenly over the stencil/silicon mat with an offset spatula. If using a stencil, gently lift the stencil to review the pattern. If making stripes, drag a pastry comb or a fork diagonally through the paste to form a stripe pattern, scraping off the excess mixture off the pastry comb after each drag through the paste. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 15 mins.
- To make the joconde sponge, preheat the oven to 400F. Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Add the granulated sugar, one teaspoon at a time, whisking between each addition to make a glossy meringue. Cover with cling film and set aside.
- Whisk together the almond flour and icing sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer and add the whole eggs. Whisk together for 3-5 minutes, or until doubled in volume. Fold in the flour, and then gently fold in the meringue in three separate batches. Pour the melted butter down the side of the bowl and fold in, just until incorporated.
- Remove the silicon sheet from the freezer and place into the base of the lined swiss roll pan. Tip the joconde sponge mixture over the paste design and level the surface with an offset spatula. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until pale, golden-brown and springy to touch.
- Place a sheet of baking parchment over a cooling rack and turn the cake out onto it. Peel off the baking parchment and silicon sheet from the base of the cake and leave to cool completely
- When the sponge is cool, trim the edges and cut out stripes that are the same height as your spring form pan – my pan was 3” high. Wrap the sheet of acetate that was cut to fit your pan and line the pan. Wrap the cake strips inside the spring form pan, patterned side facing out. Gently push and press the ends to meet together to make a seamless You want the joconde to fit very tightly pressed up to the sides of the spring form pan.
- Once the cake is fitted tight around the sides, place the brownie layer in the bottom of the pan and press gently to ensure the brownie and the cake meet all the way around. We don’t want the mousse to leak out the bottom!
- Raspberry Mousse
- Make a raspberry puree by blending 1 cup fresh raspberries in a blender or food processor. Pour them through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds, and measure out 1/2 cup raspberry puree.
- Combine the white chocolate, raspberry puree, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour it into a large bowl, and let it cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Add a few drops of pink food coloring to boost the pink color, if desired.
- While you wait for the chocolate mixture to cool, prepare the gelatin. Whisk together the gelatin and the cold water in a small bowl, and set it aside to let the gelatin absorb the water. When the chocolate is at room temperature, microwave the bowl of gelatin for 15 seconds, until it is melted. Whisk the melted gelatin and chocolate together.
- Whip the remaining 1 cup heavy cream to firm peaks. Fold half of the whipped cream into the raspberry mixture, and once it’s incorporated, gently fold in the remaining whipped cream. If desired, gently fold in up to 1 ½ cups fresh raspberries. Spread the mousse on top of the brownie, making sure that the layer is level. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to an hour for the mousse to set.
- Make the Chocolate Mousse
- When the raspberry mousse has set, combine the chocolate, 3/4 cup of cream, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour it into a large bowl, and let it cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
- While you wait for the chocolate mixture to cool, prepare the gelatin. Whisk together the gelatin and the cold water in a small bowl, and set it aside to let the gelatin absorb the water. When the chocolate is at room temperature, microwave the bowl of gelatin for 15 seconds, until it is melted. Whisk the melted gelatin and chocolate together.
- Whip the remaining 1 cup heavy cream to firm peaks. Fold half of the whipped cream into the chocolate, and once incorporated, gently fold in the remaining whipped cream. Spread the mousse on top of the raspberry layer, and spread it into an even layer. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes,
- Make the Chocolate Ganache Layer
- Heat the cream and light corn syrup in a small pan over medium heat until very hot but not boiling.
- Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Add about 1/3 of the hot cream mixture to the center of the bowl with the chocolate and stir the chocolate and cream in the center together until smooth. Add 1/3 more of the hot cream and stir more chocolate into the cream until smooth. Add the remaining hot cream and stir all of the chocolate and cream together until completely smooth.
- Let stand until cool. Once it is thickened and cooled to room temperature, pour on top of the chocolate mousse and spread evenly.
Notes
- **Note: I use an acetate sheet wrapped around the outside of this cake to ensure that nothing sticks to the pan. You can use parchment paper or wax paper instead.