Triple Chocolate Mousse Torte - A baJillian Recipes (2024)

Supremely moist chocolate cake, light and creamy layers of milk AND white chocolate mousse, and a velvety blanket of rich chocolate ganache!

Aside from having the perfect excuse to inhale desserts week after week, what I love about having this food blog is the fact that I get to make pretty little works of art. Not to mention, pretty little works of art that are DELICIOUS.

After seeing how elegant my Lemon Strawberry Mousse Cake turned out, I couldn’t wait to make another beautifully-layered mousse cake. I also knew EXACTLY which flavor I wanted to tackle next…CHOCOLATE.

This Triple Chocolate Mousse Torte contains layer upon layer upon layer UPON LAYER of chocolicious goodness. Starting from the bottom and working our way up, we have a deliciously moist layer of the BEST chocolate cake in the entire world (I’m not exaggerating!). Then we have TWO light and airy layers of chocolate mousse–white AND dark chocolate. Finally, this torte is topped with a smooth and lusciously rich blanket of dark chocolate ganache.

Now, you might be wondering how this drop-dead-gorge dessert comes together. Well first, let’s start with the cake…

Since I wanted this torte to be a showstopper for both the eyes AND the tastebuds, I went with my most FAVORITE chocolate cake recipe from my Miss Trunchbull’s Chocolate Cake post. It’s also the most popular recipe on my blog, and for good reason! I’ve never in my life had a chocolate cake that was as moist and deeply flavorful as this one. It’s alsobrimming withlusciously rich, dark chocolatey flavor, thanks to the fact that it contains both chopped semi-sweet chocolate AND cocoa powder.

To amplify the chocolate flavor even more, a little instant espresso powder is incorporated into the batter. Instant espresso powder is a must-have pantry item when it comes to most chocolate desserts. However, if you don’t have it on hand, simply replace the 1/2 cup of water and instant espresso powder with a 1/2 cup of strongly-brewed coffee.

Now let’s discuss the mousses…or is it meeses?

Although traditional chocolate mousse recipes contain eggs, I decided to eliminate some of the more finicky steps by leaving the eggs out altogether. This chocolate mousse contains much fewer ingredients and is SO much easier to make!

The first thing you’ll do is heat a 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a saucepan until it just begins to simmer. Then pour it over a bowl of chopped semi-sweet chocolate. You can also use chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes.Once the chocolate has had some time to soften and melt in the hot cream, remove the plastic wrap and stir until smooth.

Next, you’ll combine 2 teaspoons of gelatin powder with a tablespoon of cold water. Allow the gelatin to absorb all of the water (this should take about a minute), then heat it in the microwave for about 10 seconds, or until liquified. Pour the gelatin liquid into the melted chocolate, stirring everything together. Allow this mixture to cool completely while you repeat the same steps with the white chocolate.

Once both your semi-sweet and white chocolate mixtures have cooled, whip up 2 cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold half of the whipped cream into the semi-sweet chocolate, and the other half into the white chocolate.

As far as assembling the cake goes, you can either use an 8-inch springform pan lined with parchment paper along the sides (this is how I did my Lemon Strawberry Mousse Cake), or you can use an adjustable cake collar lined with acetate. Either method works great, but the second method leaves a smoother appearance.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake:

½ cup boiling water
¾ teaspoon instant espresso powder
1.5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
¾ cup + 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
7 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
½ cup buttermilk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Mousses:

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chips or chopped
3 cups heavy cream, divided
4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin, divided
2 Tablespoons cold water, divided
6 ounces white chocolate, chips or chopped

Chocolate Ganache:

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chips or chopped
½ cup heavy cream

For Decorating:

White, Milk, and Dark Chocolate Curls*

Instructions

Make the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line an 8-inch springform pan** with parchment paper and grease with butter or nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together the boiling water, espresso powder, and semi-sweet chocolate until chocolate has dissolved and mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until combined.
In another bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Add the cooled espresso-chocolate mixture, stirring until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in the oven for 31-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with few crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Once completely cool, wrap either acetate or parchment paper (about 6 inches wide) around the edges of the cake to create a "wall". Secure cake with the sides of the springform pan or an adjustable cake ring.

Make the Chocolate Mousses:

Place semi-sweet chocolate into a medium bowl; set aside. Pour 1/2 cup of the heavy cream into a saucepan and heat until it begins to simmer. Immediately pour hot cream over the semi-sweet chocolate and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 5 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and stir until completely smooth.
In a small bowl, sprinkle 2 teaspoons gelatin over 1 tablespoon cold water; let stand 1 minute. Heat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds until gelatin is completely dissolved and liquified. Stir gelatin liquid into semi-sweet chocolate mixture; allow to cool completely.
Place white chocolate into a medium bowl; set aside. Pour 1/2 cup of the heavy cream into a saucepan and heat until it begins to simmer. Immediately pour hot cream over the white chocolate and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 5 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and stir until completely smooth.
In a small bowl, sprinkle 2 teaspoons gelatin over 1 tablespoon cold water; let stand 1 minute. Heat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds until gelatin is completely dissolved and liquified. Stir gelatin liquid into white chocolate mixture; allow to cool completely.
In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat 2 cups of the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
Fold 2 cups of the whipped cream (about half) into the cooled semi-sweet chocolate mixture; spread evenly over cake. Chill in the freezer until set, about 15-20 minutes.
Fold the remaining 2 cups of the whipped cream into the cooled white chocolate mixture; spread evenly over semi-sweet chocolate mousse layer.
Refrigerate torte, covered, until set, about 4 hours.

Make the Ganache:

Place semi-sweet chocolate into a medium bowl. Pour heavy cream into a small saucepan on the stove and heat over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Immediately pour hot cream over the chocolate, cover bowl in plastic wrap, then allow to sit for 4-5 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool and thicken slightly.
Pour ganache over the cake, using an offset spatula to evenly smooth out the top. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow ganache layer to set up.
If desired, sprinkle chocolate curls along the border of the cake. Slice, serve and enjoy! Cake will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

*To make chocolate curls, run a vegetable peeler along the side of a chocolate bar.

**Make sure cake pans are at least 2.5-3 inches deep to prevent spillover.

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