Chocolate Brownie Mousse Cake
Heavy clouds float high above me. They push and prod at the sky, hiding the sun from reaching me miles below them. Cold blasts of wind shake trees bare and scare away the green. Winter brings with it the dull, drab days the beg to be wrapped in handed-down quilts, fluffy sweaters and scarfs of all colors. It also brings with it holidays, get togethers, special meals and birthdays.
This weekend was my mother’s birthday. I baked this for her. We may not get snowy days here in Texas but that doesn’t stop us from having snow-dusted cakes.
Like most of my recipes, this one has quite a few parts – we’ll call it a special occasion recipe. That being said, it is well worth it. The dense brownie-like chocolate cake with the light and fluffy chocolate mousse play so well together. The sweet, chocolate icing brings it all together! If you’re a chocolate lover, then you need to make this cake. Not to mention, the diamond and triangle pattern formed will impress your family and friends. And they don’t need to know how easy it is to do.
Chocolate Brownie Mousse Cake a
y 1 6″ Layer Cake
d Intermediatet 2 hours
o Tools:
2 cake rounds
Sharp Pointed serrated knife
Icing spatulai Ingredients:
2 layers Chocolate Brownie Cake (recipe below)
1 pound Chocolate Mousse (recipe below)
1 pound Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (recipe below)Powdered sugar, for dusting
n Instructions:
1. Bake the cake and prepare the mousse and buttercream and set aside. Store the mousse in the refrigerator.
2. Remove the cake layers from the pans. Place them on 6 inch cake rounds.
2. Using a sharp pointed serrated knife, cut a cone out of the center of both cake layers so that you have a cone-shapped recess in each cake layer. Be sure to leave enough cake around the sides and at the bottom otherwise it may not be able to stand. Also make sure the cones are the same sizes so when assembled a clean diamond mousse filling will form.
3. Fill each recess with the mousse. Use an icing spatula to make the mousse level with the top of the cake.
4. Place the mousse-filled layers in the fridge and let chill until firm, about 1 hour.
5. Remove the layers from the fridge. Carefully invert one layer onto the other, making sure the edges of the cake, and the mousse line up. Remove the cake round from the top of the cake.
5. Ice the cake with the prepared buttercream frosting. Tip: Completely the top of the cake first, then the sides by placing extra icing on the top and moving it down over the sides of the cake.
6. Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar for a snow-dusted effect.
r Store in the refrigerator. This cake should last up to a week in the fridge.
a Mix and match your favorite cake batters, mousse fillings and frostings to create any number of diamond cakes.
Diamond-filled cakes: While this wont work with all fillings and cakes, it works well with fillings like mousse that, when refrigerated, become firm and able to support the weight of the cake on top. Below is a diagram on how to achieve the affect.
Chocolate Brownie Cake: The very high moisture and fat content in this recipe makes a very dense, brownie-like cake. It is normal if the center collapses or does not rise fully.
Chocolate Brownie Cake n
y 2 6″ layers
d Easyt 1 hour
o Tools:
2, 6″ cake pans
Mixer with the paddle attachment or a bowl and spoon
Bowls & wooden spoon
Toothpicki Ingredients:
6 ounces all-purpose flour
12 ounces sugar
2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup hot coffeen Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour both cake pans. Set aside.
2. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt) together. Set aside.
3. Mix the buttermilk, sour cream and melted unsalted butter together.
4. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix until a thick batter forms.
5. While mixing, add the coffee and vanilla. Mix until the mixture is homogeneous.
6. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans.
7. Bake the cakes in a preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Let cool before handling.
r Store in the refrigerator. This cake should last up to a week in the fridge.
n Avoid adjusting the ingredients in this recipe
Chocolate Mousse: Chocolate mousse is fairly easy to make. This recipe, adapted from Bo Friberg, uses boiled honey to cook the eggs and create structure in the mousse. Anytime you melt chocolate, you want to make sure to do it over barely simmering water in a bain marie or a large glass bowl placed over a pot. Take care not to heat the chocolate too much.
Rich Chocolate Mousse n
y 1 pound mousse, enough for 1, 6″ cake
d Intermediatet 30 minutes
o Tools:
Mixer with the whisk attachment or Bowls & Whisks
Heavy-bottomed pot
Bain-marie or a bowl over a poti Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 ounces honey
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
2 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanillan Instructions:
1. Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Set aside in the fridge.
2. Heat the honey just to the boiling point.
3. In the meantime whip the egg yolks until they are thick and reach the ribbon stage.
4. While whisking, pour the honey into the egg yolks. Continue to whip the mixture until it is cool and thick.
5. In a bain-marie or a bowl placed over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate.
6. Pour the chocolate into the egg mixture and mix until completely mixed. Add the vanilla and stir in.
7. Fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream until completely mixed together. Take care not to overmix or deflate the mousse during this step.
r Store in the refrigerator. Mousse should be used right away
n Avoid adjusting the ingredients in this recipe though you may use any chocolate you prefer.
Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting: Making chocolate buttercream is almost as easy as making buttercream. There is just one extra step of melting chocolate and adding that into the buttercream. Anytime you melt chocolate, you want to make sure to do it over barely simmering water in a bain marie or a large glass bowl placed over a pot. Take care not to heat the chocolate too much.
Milk Chocolate Buttercream a
y 1 pound frosting enough for 1, 6″ cake
d Easyt 2 hours
o Tools:
Mixer with the paddle attachment
Bain Marie or a bowl over a poti Ingredients:
8 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
6 ounces milk chocolate, choppedn Instructions:
1. Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla togther until a thick frosting forms.
3. Pour in the chocolate and mix until the frosting comes together and is evenly mixed.
r Store in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
a Feel free to use any chocolate of your preference.
Absolutely stunning, Russell! You have me drooling.
That’s my kind of mousse-to-cake ratio! This looks absurdly delicious!
Wow! A gorgeous cake Russell, you’ve served your Mother’s birthday with stylish honor. It’s so easy to get lost in your words. Visits here are like a little getaway…time well spent.
This cake is gorgeous..and I can only imagine it is delicious too! I bet your mom loved it!
This is beautiful. I can’t even get over that mousse.
Wow! This cake looks Heavenly!!!
Ohmahgoodness. I hath died and gone to dessert heaven. This looks AMAZING.
I can’t even. Wow. Well done. Wow.
Russell – it’s brilliant! The flavors, the intensity of chocolate, the mousse, the texture and layers. The cake stand – love it!! Gorgeous cake! Pinning!
That mousse filling looks to-die-for! Gorgeous cake and what a wonderful birthday treat for your mother!
Russell, this cake looks like an absolute dream! Just stunning :)
Whoa. This is all kinds of fabulous. Love that mousse!!
Chocolate? Brownies? Mousse? And cake? YES PLEASE!! That looks awesome :)
It’s beautiful! I’m so envious of anyone who can make a cake that doesn’t look like a blob of frosting just dripping off a cake.
Special occasion, indeed! Although I’m pretty sure this cake would make a day special just by being there.
Looks very delicious!! :)
Looks delicious! Have you considered adding a Pinterest link to each post so that viewers can add your recipes to their Pinterest boards? Thanks.
Oh my goodness. I feel so stupid. I see the Pinterest link now. I was looking for something red and did not notice it in grey. :(
What an awesome rich looking cake. I could list this to be one of my Birthday cake (hint hint :P) My mom’s Birthday was last weekend, and I baked her something too. Have not posted it up just yet. So can you bake me a cake for my birthday? It’s coming up in less than 2 weeks. LOL.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your Mom!! xo
GOOD LORD. Merry Christmas to all, and to all, go away because I need to be alone with this cake.
nice…amazing cake =)
How awesome! I would so love to try some. I am sure it tastes amazing.
Now this is truly a thing of beauty. And for the record, as a northeasterner…I’d take a dusting of powdered sugar over snow any day!
Wow, that is such an incredibly cool effect! Wishing a very happy birthday to your mom! :-)
Wow what a special cake for your mom’s birthday Russell! She is so lucky to have a son like you. I hope one day my boys can bake me a cake as nice as this.
I need this!
Really, I just love chocolate mousse and well of course I love cake.
Beautiful photos!
You’ve totally outdone yourself here – this looks incredible! Love the hidden segment of mousse inside and all that chocolate? You can’t go wrong :-)
It makes me think of what other cut outs one could do! Beautiful and yummy looking.
I love your blog. Every time I come here I’m delighted.
This cake is heavenly and very original.
I’ll take to make Christmas for my famíia
Happiness and kiss.
I would be pretty happy to live on this cake and this cake alone for the rest of my life. All of my favourite things in one!
Okay, the flipping part freaks me out. That is bound to be where I mess up and get mousse all over the counter! I will just leave such amazing things to you. :)
I am so jealous of your baking skills. I can hardly get a pan of brownies to turn out right and you’re putting DIAMONDS OF CHOCOLATE MOUSSE(!!!) into your cakes. I might just have to attempt this for Christmas…
This looks GORGEOUS- and reading the ingredients I am going to just assume that it also tastes awesome. I really love when cakes have buttermilk.
This cake looks decadently delicious! My recipe highlight of the day… Thank you!
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RUSSELLLLLL! This cake is a jaw-dropper! And I love that you get to snack on the cone shaped section you take out as you make it. ;)
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Mousse-to-cake ratio here is excellent. I loooove lots of mousse!!
I’m going to be drooling over this cake all week! Will you make one for my birthday too?!
This is just so creatively done! Looks delicious!
What a beautiful cake! Whenever I come here I’m inspired. Thanks for the detailed instructions!
Happy Birthday to your mom, I bet she was one very happy woman with a gorgeous cake like that to celebrate!
OMG..this looks sensational. I knew a chocolate heaven existed! ;D
This cake is simply stunning! Too pretty to eat!
Happy Belated Birthday to you Mom. A gorgeous cake to celebrate her special day
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I love this cake. Perfect on my holiday table.
I made this for dinner guests! Easy, beautiful and delicious! I added heavy whipping cream while making the frosting, made it really smooth.
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This is the most amazing thing I ever saw… yum!!!!
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I imagine that you could just put the mousse in the middle , or cut each cake into two pieces and make this a four layer cake. might be easier to do, but would taste the same. don’t think i am that talented to cut the cone out and do it the way the recipe says. just sayin.
Stumbled upon your site, and it’s beautiful :) That’s a very good looking cake.
I can not wait to make this beautiful cake. Can you tell me where you got the cake stand?
Wow! The chocoholics in my house would go nuts for this baby!!! Every component sounds spectacular!
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Georgeous,must try.
This is my first time to your blog and I am so impressed, great lay out. Wonderful diagrams easy to follow and beautiful pictures. Thank you for doing what you do. Looking forward to making this cake for my husbands birthday…he says he doesn’t want a cake, but I know his chocolate loving ways will adore this!
I am trying to make this cake, but there are no eggs listed. Is that correct? in the cake, I mean
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Question – How deep do you need the 6″ pans? 2″? 3″? Thanks!