This super moist dark chocolate mousse cake combines unsweetened natural cocoa powder and dark cocoa powder for an extra rich flavor. Fill the cake with a simplified chocolate mousse and cover the whole dessert with semi-sweet chocolate ganache. If needed, you can prepare the ganache and mousse ahead of time.
Chocolate mousse is simple divinity in its own right, but when paired with chocolate cake, it’s downright decadent. And then add chocolate ganache to the mix? Have mercy.
This spectacularly rich chocolate cake is such a personal and reader favorite that I knew I had to include it in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101 (which has become a New York Times Best Seller!). The cakes chapter just would not have been complete without it!
It’s actually the first recipe in that chapter, and in the book it’s titled “Chocolate Ganache Cake: 2 Ways,” because I include a second filling option—peanut butter frosting instead of chocolate mousse, just like this recipe for dark chocolate peanut butter cake. Both versions of ganache-topped chocolate layer cakes have received such glowing reviews on my website, I simply couldn’t choose between them… so I found a way to include them both!
This cake basically demands a huge gathering because—trust me—you don’t want to be left alone with its temptation. It WILL call out your name each time you open the refrigerator.
Taunting you.
One reader, Judy, commented: “Don’t make this cake unless you want everyone who has a bite to request that you make it for every special occasion for the rest of time 🙂 I do four layers and follow the recipe exactly, and it has come out perfectly every time. I’ve already made at least ten of these cakes. Fabulous! ★★★★★“
One reader, Cecilia, commented: “OMG! This cake is absolutely divine! It’s a chocolate lover’s dream. The chocolate mousse is heavenly. I made it for my niece’s birthday and ended up making a four-layer cake. There were no leftovers. I don’t need any other chocolate cake recipe. This is it! Definitely the best! ★★★★★“
One reader, Brittney, commented: “This cake turned out amazing! I made it for a birthday party… and it was requested to be the new ‘party cake’! ★★★★★“
3 Parts to Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake
Let’s break down each component of this intensely rich cake:
- Dark Chocolate Cake: This is actually a variation of my tuxedo cake, which originated from my chocolate cake recipe. In recent years, I’ve found that replacing sour cream for some of the buttermilk gives the cake more structure.
- Chocolate Mousse: I researched simplified ways to make a fluffy chocolate mousse filling without the use of eggs or gelatin. This chocolate mousse filling combines real chocolate and homemade whipped cream. Or our whipped frosting would make a wonderful alternative filling if you don’t want to make the chocolate mousse!
- Chocolate Ganache: Top the whole cake with 2 ingredient semi-sweet chocolate ganache. You should be a chocolate ganache pro by now!
Video Tutorial: Chocolate Mousse Cake
Stick-to-the-back-of-your-fork moist. This is every chocolate lover’s dream!
Dark Chocolate Cake
Use this chocolate cake as the starting point. For a sturdier, yet moister crumb, swap some sour cream in for the buttermilk and reduce the hot liquid. The acidity in both sour cream and buttermilk is a must to properly leaven this cake. (If desired, see my posts on Baking Powder vs Baking Soda and Baking with Buttermilk for more information.) This cake has a natural dark chocolate taste, but to deepen that flavor, use a mix of natural cocoa and Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder. A touch of espresso powder and hot coffee further enhances the chocolate flavor. The cake will not taste like coffee. Rather, the two add depth to the cake’s chocolate flavor.
- Why hot liquid? The hot liquid encourages the cocoa powder to bloom and dissolve. If you don’t drink coffee, you can use hot water.
You have options! You can make this cake into 2, 3, or 4 layers. I highly recommend 3 or 4 layers because there’s over 4 cups of chocolate mousse to spread inside. You can use 8 inch or 9 inch pans. The bake times are similar, see recipe notes.
A cup of chocolate chips adds even more chocolate flavor. I used 1 cup (180g) of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips in this pictured cake, but left them out in the video. They’re optional, but definitely worth the addition!!
You can also see this exact cake batter baked as three layers in both my chocolate peanut butter cake and chocolate raspberry cake (try one of those next!).
Simplified Chocolate Mousse
The chocolate mousse adds a creamy and light contrast to the dark chocolate layers. You need 6 ingredients:
- Hot Water
- Cocoa Powder – natural or dutch-process
- Melted Chocolate – use two 4-ounce chocolate baking bars found in the baking aisle
- Heavy Cream
- Confectioners’ Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
Whisk the hot water and cocoa powder together. Pour into melted chocolate. The hot water breaks up the chocolate, adding to the airy mousse consistency. Cocoa powder creates additional chocolate flavor. Fold this chocolate mixture into whipped cream—a combination of heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract.
Whipped cream + our chocolate mixture. ↑
Fold them together to make our chocolate mousse filling. ↓
Baker’s Tip: The chocolate mousse must chill in the refrigerator before using, so it’s a good idea to make it ahead of time or as the chocolate cake layers are cooling. The mousse is best cold, so I actually recommend serving the cake cold. (Additionally, the cake is much easier to assemble if the mousse is cold!)
By the way, this chocolate mousse also makes for a wonderful alternate filling in homemade eclairs!
Chocolate Ganache
I won’t go into a lot of detail about the chocolate ganache because I have a complete chocolate ganache tutorial for you! Like the chocolate mousse, it’s imperative to use pure chocolate. Wait about 20 minutes for the ganache to thicken before pouring onto the cake.
How to Assemble & Decorate Chocolate Mousse Cake
Chocolate ganache enrobes 4 cake layers and 3 mousse layers. Place bottom cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Using a large icing spatula, evenly cover the top with about 1.5 cups of chilled chocolate mousse. Top with 2nd cake layer and another 1.5 cups of mousse. Top with the third cake layer, then spread another 1.5 cups mousse evenly on top. (Save a large spoonful of mousse for a thin crumb coat.) Top with final 4th cake layer. Spread any remaining mousse around the sides as a crumb coat. Run a bench scraper around the cake to smooth it out. Refrigerate cake for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Chocolate mousse is pretty fluffy, so the cake won’t hold its shape unless it’s properly chilled.
Pour ganache on top then run a bench scraper around the sides to smooth it out. You can serve the cake immediately or wait for the chocolate ganache to set. 🙂
What About Cupcakes?
Instead of a big cake, you can make chocolate mousse cupcakes. Use my chocolate cupcakes recipe and halve the chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache recipes below. Fill the cupcakes with chocolate mousse using my Sugar Plum Fairy Cupcakes as an example. Drizzle cooled cupcakes with ganache. Eat your heart out!
You can also use the chocolate mousse instead of pastry cream in homemade mille-feuille!
More Indulgent Chocolate Desserts
- Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding
- German Chocolate Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Black Forest Cake
- Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Chocolate Mousse Pie
- Mint Chocolate Cake
Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours, 55 minutes (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This super moist dark chocolate cake combines unsweetened natural cocoa powder and dark cocoa powder for an extra rich flavor. Fill the cake with a simplified chocolate mousse and cover it with semi-sweet chocolate ganache. If needed, you can prepare the ganache and mousse ahead of time (see Notes). This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (64g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder* (see Notes)
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)*
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (180g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113g/120ml) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) hot water or black coffee*
- 1 cup (170g) semi-sweet mini chocolate chips tossed in 1 Tbsp flour (optional)
Chocolate Mousse
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) hot water
- 1/4 cup (21g) unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 8 ounces (226g) quality semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped*
- 2 cups (480g/ml) heavy cream, cold
- 2 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
- 8 ounces (226g) quality semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup (240g/ml) heavy cream
- optional, for garnish: fresh berries and/or chocolate shavings
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease four 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- In another large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or you can use a whisk) mix the sour cream, oil, and eggs together on medium-high speed until combined. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and mix until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, add the hot water/coffee, and whisk or beat on low speed until combined. Fold in the floured mini chocolate chips, if using. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans.
- Bake for 19–23 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Run a knife around the edges to help loosen the sides, remove the cakes from the pans, peel off the parchment, and place on the rack to finish cooling. The cakes may slightly sink in the middle as they cool—that’s expected.
- Make the chocolate mousse: In a small bowl, whisk the hot water and cocoa powder together until smooth. Melt the chopped chocolate in a double boiler or use the microwave. If using the microwave: place the chopped chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Microwave for 20-second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Pour hot water/cocoa mixture into the melted chocolate and stir until thick and smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract together on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks. Pour in the chocolate mixture and gently fold together with a spatula. Do not overmix, as this could deflate it. Cover the mousse and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Makes about 4.5 cups (about 900g).
- Assemble the cake before preparing chocolate ganache: First, level the cakes (if needed): using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Using a large icing spatula, evenly cover the top with about 1.5 cups (200g) of chocolate mousse. Top with the second layer, upside down, and evenly cover the top with the same amount of chocolate mousse. Top with the third cake layer, right side up, and again cover with the same amount of mousse. Top with final cake layer. Spread the remaining mousse on top and around the sides of the cake as a crumb coat. Run a bench scraper around the cake to smooth out the sides. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Prepare the ganache while the cake is chilling.
- Make the chocolate ganache: Place the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat just until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil—that’s too hot!) Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 2–3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. With a metal spoon or small spatula, slowly stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. The finer you chopped the chocolate, the quicker it will melt with the cream. If it’s not melting, do not microwave it. If needed, see Troubleshooting Chocolate Ganache. Refrigerate the ganache for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour to thicken.
- Pour/spoon the thickened ganache on the chilled cake. Smooth the top and sides with an icing spatula. Top with optional garnish such as fresh berries and/or chocolate shavings. Serve cake immediately or chill, uncovered, for up to 4–6 hours before serving. Cake can be served at room temperature or chilled.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cake through step 4. Wrap the individual baked and cooled cake layers tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature, make mousse filling, then continue with step 6. You can prepare the chocolate mousse in advance. See step 5. You can also prepare the chocolate ganache ahead of time too. Refrigerate prepared ganache for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before spreading onto cake. You can freeze cake for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or serve cold. See How to Freeze Cakes for more information.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Round Cake Pans or 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Double Boiler | Cake Stand or Cake Turntable | Large Icing Spatula | Bench Scraper | Cake Carrier (for storage)
- 3-Layer Cake: You can also prepare this as a 3-layer cake. Divide batter between three 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans in step 1 and bake for 24–26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Use about 2 cups of chocolate mousse between each layer.
- Espresso Powder/Coffee: Espresso powder and coffee will not make the cake taste like coffee. Rather, they deepen the chocolate flavor. I highly recommend them both. You can find espresso powder in the baking aisle at many grocery stores or online. If coffee isn’t your thing, you can leave out the espresso powder and use hot water instead of the hot coffee.
- Cocoa Powder: For the best dark chocolate flavor in the cake, I recommend using a blend of unsweetened natural cocoa powder (1/4 cup; 21g) and Hershey’s “Special Dark” cocoa powder (1/2 cup; 43g). Hershey’s Special Dark is actually a mix of natural cocoa powder (an acid) and Dutch-process cocoa powder (a base) and it worked fine in this recipe. This recipe needs acidic natural cocoa powder, so do not use ALL Dutch-process cocoa powder. For best results, use 3/4 cup (64g) natural or the blend of natural/Special Dark I used. For the chocolate mousse, you can use either unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder (or the Hershey’s Special Dark).
- Why Room Temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about why room-temperature ingredients are important. Instead of sour cream, you can use plain yogurt. The cake won’t taste as rich, but it’s a fine substitute.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, lower-fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Chocolate in Mousse & Ganache: Mousse & ganache will only set if the correct chocolate is used. You can use high-quality chocolate chips if needed (I prefer Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips), but I recommend using pure chocolate baking bars. You can find them right next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle. They are sold in 4-ounce (113g) bars. I like Baker’s or Ghirardelli brands.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally,
I would love to make this as a 3 layer 6” cake. Do you have a similar recipe or what if I made half a batch? You gave metric so easy to weigh.
Thank you
Hi Gail, We recommend using this chocolate cupcakes recipe as the batter to make a 3 layer 6 inch cake. See our 6 inch cake recipes post as a guide. Halve the chocolate mousse and ganache from this recipe so there’s just enough. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally,
Thank you for your swift response.
Great. That helps. Halving the mousse and glaze avoids waste and extra calories
Can’t wait to make the Tuxedo Cake as well. Love white chocolate ganache.
Gail
I would love to make this cake for a friend who likes chocolate, but I see the recipe calls for coffee. I don’t have any coffee. I’m a tea drinker. What can I do instead of coffee?
Hi Wendy, You can simply use hot water instead. See the recipe notes for details.
A friend who is a coffee drinker made extra coffee for me. In the future I will keep a jar of instant coffee and make that when I need coffee for a cake.
This is my go to chocolate cake recipe. The cake layers don’t dome very much and it tastes like a dream! Even people who actively dislike cake, love this one. I change the ratio of dark chocolate and add some milk chocolate as I find the mousse and the ganache too chocolatey (bitter) but other than that, this is a WINNER!!
I made this with three layers for my husband’s birthday, and he said that it’s what he’ll want every year now!
I used Ghirardelli milk chocolate for the ganache and it definitely needed to be cooled a lot longer than the semi-sweet chocolate and it was still extremely soft.
It doesn’t say to reduce the amount of cream when using milk chocolate in the Troubleshooting Chocolate Ganache like it does for white chocolate, but it makes sense that you might have to. Is there a recommended amount?
I loved the recipe….can you please tell the egg alternative for this recipe
We haven’t tested an egg-free version of this cake but let us know if you do!
This recipe was easy and extremely flavorful.
Thank you Sally for this recipe. I made it for my mother-in-laws birthday last year and she is now a converted chocolate cake fan. I love this cake, all aspects of it, but I’d like to do a black forest spin to it with a bit of cherry mouse instead, any ideas / suggestions?
Hi Terry, we haven’t tried it, but we can’t see why using the cherry syrup from our Black Forest Cake wouldn’t work. Let us know if you give it a go!
This is a great recipe, thank you. I made it for a birthday on Sunday (today is Friday), will this cake survive until the birthday? Sorry should’ve asked before I made the cake.
Hi Rads, it should be fine if you store it in the fridge until then!
I made this cake this weekend. It was divine. My entire party thought it was made by a high end bakery. The instructions are thorough and clearly explained. I highly recommend reading through all the notes because there are some very important points which could determine the success of your cake. One of the reviews said the cake wasn’t sweet enough for her and I also like my cakes sweet so I upped my sugar amount (4 tablespoons in the mousse and 2 cups in the cake) and it was absolutely perfect. Try this out, you will not be disappointed! Thank you for such a great recipe. It’s a keeper!
this is the best chocolate cake. didnt use buttermilk but this is a 10/10 recipe. all three times this cake came out , moist, flavorful and amazing. definitely way better than storebought.
ive made it 3 times this week, for a birthday, then two days later bc it was so good everyone wanted more, even the picky eaters loved it!
i also just finished baking mine in the oven, again so i can send some to a friend.
im definitely going to be looking at more of your recipes.
thank you for posting this!
Think I was a little ambitious making this cake, I’m no amature but this was a touch out of my league. My mouse was flat since my hot water was too hot, and the ganache didn’t coat the cake very nicely. These are errors on my part, but be fore warned, the devils in the details for this cake. Absolutely delicious taste!
I’m sorry but I can’t find the recommended pan size? So anxious to make this!
You can use 8 or 9 inch cake pans – see step one. Happy baking!
This a totally favorite, works every time without a doubt, especially for an intermediate 15 year old baker!
A question though, would this work okay being a sheet cake and then after completely chilled would it work to be cut out into a letter or number?? ( Birthday plans for my little brother in the making!!!)
Blessings,
Rayel
Hi Rayel, you can make this recipe as a sheet cake (same oven temperature, about 35-40 minutes bake time). The cake itself should hold up cut into a number or letter but we haven’t tested it – let us know if you give it a try!
I wish I could give this more than five stars. This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. It’s time consuming but oh so delicious. Thank you Sally and team 🙂
Oh no! I goofed and used Dutch cocoa (rodelle) for the whole recipe. This despite the fact I have a huge container of black cocoa. It looks amazing and seems ok. OK to serve. I am waiting for mousse layers to stiffen up before I ganache. Dawg gone it!
Hi! I made a version of this recipe for my mom’s birthday and it was a huge hit. I plan on making it again for my dad’s birthday but I’m wondering if I could turn the chocolate mousse into a chocolate hazelnut mousse. I would rather not use Nutella if possible so I’m wondering if I could use toasted hazelnuts. Could I just grind up some toasted hazelnuts and add it to the melted chocolate or would I need to add something to the ground up hazelnuts first so it will mix more smoothly and not result in a gritty mousse? Any advice on this would be helpful. Thank you.
Hi Michelle, We are so happy you enjoyed this recipe! We have not ever tested the mousse that way, but you can certainly try it. If you do a quick search for hazelnut mousse there are many options that use toasted hazelnut instead of the spread. Let us know if you find one you love!
I love the look of the cake and wondering if I wanted to just make the cake (my father just likes plain chocolate cake served with cream), in a 20cm round tin, what temperature and how long would I need to bake it for. Also, does it matter if I use white or brown sugar? thank you so much for your help.
I’m looking to make this but it looks like Hershey’s dark cocoa powder is now 100% dutch process. The note mentions it used to be a mix of regular cocoa powder and dutch process. Do you know what the ratios were before they revamped their formula? I figure I could make my own by combining dutch process with regular?
I bake for family and friends. Recently I was asked to make a chocolate mousse cake for the first time. I decided to bake your cake and the response was that I need to please make another cake as all my friends kids thought it was fabulous. I haven’t tasted it yet but will surely be making one for myself. Thanks so much Sally. Appreciate the recipe and tips
Friends, some of you out there may be like me. You may read this recipe and think “gosh it seems like a lot of work, but very tasty!” You may think about making it for your girlfriend, who has mentioned really enjoying mousse cake. You may, in the one stroke of genius I had this evening, think you want to practice before trying to make it for your lovely partner.
In that one instance, be like me.
You may also look at the instructions to put parchment in your cake pans and groan. It’s so much extra effort and the parchment paper is so fiddly and you have NO idea where the scissors are. Surely you can get away with just greasing and flouring the cake pans?
Do not be like me, in this case. This is the devil tempting you to folly.
I stand before you all, the lovely recipe writer, and my crumbling, misshapen pile of cake and mousse as a warning. Do not be like me. Take the 5 extra minutes to cut the dang circles. Ten minutes maybe if your scissors, like mine, have a dubious relationship with corporeality, and you must partake in a brief and epic quest to locate them.
Because then your cake will both be lovely to taste and to look at. And you can present it to your girlfriend/boyfriend/partner/spouse/friends/other humans in general. As it is, I am infinitely grateful this was a practice run. And if I must eat the entire thing by myself over the next few days to hide my shame, well, at least my misshapen pile is really tasty.
This comment takes the cake!
I don’t have round baking pans, could I halve the recipe and bake it in a 9×13 pan as a sheet cake? Thank you!
Hi Rebecca! You can use this full amount of cake batter (not halved) to make a 9×13 inch cake. Bake for about 40 minutes in a 9×13 inch cake pan. Same oven temperature.
If I cannot find natural cocoa powder and have only Fry’s brand which has sodium carbonate in it, how can I tweak the recipe?
I’m trying to convert this to 6” cake pans. Can you let me know how many cups the cake recipe yields. I read through the recipe a few times but don’t see it listed. Thanks.
Hi Amy, This recipe yields about 6 cups of batter.
After much research, I decided to try this cake for my son’s birthday. Wow! it was amazing. I had several people tell me it was the best cake they had ever had. One person literally took the empty plate from my hands and proceeded to scrape off every last crumb of cake. I have finally found the perfect chocolate cake. Thank you.
Can I make this recipe into cupcakes? If so how many will it make?
Liz, You sure can! See section titled “What about cupcakes?” for more details.
This was the most delicious cake I’ve ever made. Not the best looking one as I seldom make layered cakes but every element was perfect. Outstanding!
It was my first cake. It worked out beautifully. I made the cake with 3 8″ layers and used salted cream cheese and pecan caramel frostings for the inside. Thanks for the instructions & tips to make me less nervous about the whole project. : )
This recipe is outstanding! I made it for the first time last weekend for my husbands birthday. Our friends and family said “If you ever need to make me a cake for any occasion, THIS IS WHAT I WANT!”. I’ve made quite a few chocolate cake recipes and this is by far the best. I did make the mistake of overwhipping the heavy cream for the mousse and had to start over, but that’s because I’m so used to making stiff peaks and failed to make them soft/medium, which the recipe states. Overall amazing and the most moist cake, ever!
Absolute winner! I didn’t use the espresso, but did use coffee instead of hot water for the cake. Also, I made double the mousse as I wanted more on the cake than called for. I learned a big messy lesson about the Ganache…carefully spoon on instead of pour it on. Less clean up. Everything was very light and nothing heavy …just a great cake!
This cake looks amazing! Planning to make it for my husband’s birthday party.
I love the cake plate you used , is it still available? If it is can you share where you got it? Thanks so much!
Hi Pammijean, The cake stand is from Sur La Table. The exact one is linked in our Gift Guide under “Home and Personal Accessories.”
This cake was terrific. All suggestions in the replies from Sally’s team are extremely helpful. I pretty much followed the recipe and made four layers, baking 2 layers at a time. I was happy with the results of the mousse / ganache and crumb. I do have one question for the team. I prefer to bake by weight. Is this recipe using a ‘standard’ weight to AP flour conversion or was this actually weighed as well during the test baking. There are published weight discrepancies of 1 cup of AP flour ranging from 120 to 140g. I found the ‘spoon and level’ method with my flour tends to be closer to 135-140g / cup rather than the suggest 125g / cup. I did ignore using weight and used your volumes and all was good. One day I may experiment and see what happens on both ends of the AP flour volume to weight spectrum to see the difference in the crumb. I am wondering if your spoon and level method does achieve 125g consistently with your AP flour. Is this a grave concern? Sorry, I am just some physics guy who bakes and is both curious and way to obsessed with accuracy.
Hi Andy, We are so happy that you enjoyed this cake! We test all of our recipes multiple times using both metric weights and cups (since that’s standard where we live). While spooning and leveling our flour does get us 125 grams per cup, we always say that “A cup isn’t always a cup, but a gram or ounce is always a gram or ounce!” Basically, when in doubt go by the weight!
Thank you for your quick reply. I really appreciate your time and the information you have provided here. cheers
Made this for my daughter’s 13 birthday. It was an instant hit with my kids. The recipe is foolproof and beautifully explained. Thank you . This is a keeper.
This was fantastic! I did make the mistake of adding the chips and then pouring them into the pans. This caused the chips to congregate in the middle and stick to the pan. I would recommend sprinkling them in after pouring the batter into each 9” layer.