This is the Best Mocha Mousse Cake with layers of chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and white chocolate mocha mousse topped off with a shiny chocolate glaze. It is decadent, chocolatey, light and creamy all in one - and reminiscent of a delicious cup of mocha coffee! Honestly, it's hard to explain how good this cake is in words - you have to try it to get it. The flavors and textures are just out of this world.
Now, I am not going to lie and say that this is an "easy" recipe. It is definitely not as quick and a lot more involved than my usual recipes, since it has a few different elements. However, it is also not highly technical or complicated! I have kept all the individual elements fairly easy to make, so you just need a little bit of patience. And let me tell you, it will 100% pay off. The cake not only looks like a complete show-stopper, it also tastes divine.
Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.
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WHAT IS MOCHA?
Mocha is a popular coffee drink with chocolate in it, and the term is used to describe desserts or drinks with the yummy chocolate and coffee combination. Originating from a port city in Yemen, the name "mocha" pays homage to the city's historical significance in the coffee trade. Today, the drink is popular around the world, with many different variations such as white chocolate mocha, mocha espresso, mocha Frappuccino, etc.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
Let's quickly go over the different ingredients needed to make this mocha mousse cake (all quantities are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, organized by each element of this cake):
- Eggs - these are added to the chocolate genoise sponge cake, but the mousses are egg-free
- Granulated sugar
- All purpose flour
- Cocoa powder
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Water - used for the simple syrup as well as blooming the gelatin
- Gelatin - I use powdered gelatin, which is a lot easier to work with than gelatin leaves. Specifically, I use the brand Rossmoor, which is halal, and sold at select South Asian & halal grocery stores. It is also available on Amazon here
- Heavy cream - make sure to get heavy cream or heavy whipping cream which can be whipped up to a light and fluffy consistency
- Semi sweet chocolate - get good quality chocolate you like the flavor of!
- Instant coffee - I usually use Nescafe but you can use any instant coffee which is soluble in water
- White chocolate - get good quality chocolate you like the flavor of!
- Vegetable oil - a small amount is added to the chocolate glaze to make it shinier
USING ACETATE TO MAKE NEAT LAYERS
The neat layers of mousse in this cake are achieved by using an acetate collar. This is the exact one I use. This holds the mousse in as it sets, and since it is see-through, allows creating even, clean layers. Once the mousse is set, the acetate collar can be carefully removed.
Place the chocolate sponge cake on your serving stand. Then carefully cut the acetate and wrap around the cake. You want a nice snug fit, and make sure the acetate is straight, not tapered. A good way to check this is to flip the collar upside down and see if it gives the same fit around the cake or not!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST MOCHA MOUSSE CAKE
Check out this short video in which I show the process of making this cake:
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An important note: This is a more delicate recipe than my recipes usually are! So please follow all instructions carefully.
The full detailed recipe is in the recipe card below, but let me give you guys a quick overview of what you will need to do:
1. Make the chocolate sponge cake
This is a light and airy chocolate cake that relies on whipping eggs and sugar together for its texture. Make sure to be very gentle when folding the batter so as to not deflate it.
Bake the cake and set aside.
2. Make the simple syrup
This is a *simple* mixture of sugar and water which is brushed onto cakes to keep them moist.
3. Make the chocolate mousse
To keep things simpler, the mousses in this cake are ganache based, not custard based. This means they don't have eggs and don't require cooking, making things a lot quicker and beginner friendly! It does use gelatin, though, as this cake is quite large and the gelatin helps the mousse hold shape. So bloom the gelatin, make the ganache, add the bloomed gelatin, and then fold in whipped cream.
4. Make the white chocolate mocha mousse
This is very similar to the chocolate mousse, but uses a white chocolate ganache, a little more gelatin (since white chocolate is less stable than semi sweet), and has coffee in it. I did try variations of this mousse without chocolate, but they did not set, so the white chocolate is a must.
5. Assemble the cake
For this, you will place the cake on the serving stand, gently scrape off a thin layer on top, and brush with simple syrup.
Then wrap an acetate collar around the cake and tape it up. This will hold all the mousse and also allow you see the layers so they can come out very neat. Add the chocolate mousse and neatly spread it out.
Place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes until the mousse feels set on top, then add the mocha mousse and spread out. Now, transfer to the fridge overnight so the cake fully sets.
6. Decorate with chocolate glaze
Make the chocolate glaze just like a ganache, and let it cool down for just 5 minutes. Carefully remove the acetate from around the cake, and neaten the edges with an offset spatula.
Pour the glaze on top of the cake, and use a spatula to spread it out. I like letting some of the glaze drip off the sides!
7. Serve and enjoy!!
Finally - you are ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor. They will be well worth it! Slice up and serve the cake. This cake is best enjoyed cold, and needs to be refrigerated at all times.
Tip: To keep the clean layers of mousse, hold your knife vertically and move it inwards from the edge of the cake to the middle, then pull back outwards in the same direction. This will make sure the mousses don't mix together and give you beautiful slices!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The only element of this recipe that needs eggs is the chocolate cake. If you don't consume eggs, you can use a different eggless chocolate cake recipe you enjoy. Opt for a light cake, not a dense or rich one.
The chocolate cake is made with a genoise sponge. You need to make sure you whip the eggs and sugar thoroughly, and then use a very gentle folding motion to add the dry ingredients. If you are not gentle, you will knock out the air, resulting in a dense and rubbery cake.
Yes! If you are not a fan of coffee, you can skip it, and make a chocolate mousse cake instead.
Unfortunately, I have not had success with this recipe without gelatin. The mousse layers are thick and don't hold shape properly without gelatin. So I do recommend using powdered gelatin like instructed in this recipe.
I get Rossmoor gelatin, which is halal, from Pakistan any time I travel there, but I know it is also sold in some Indian / South Asian / Halal supermarkets in the US! It is also available on Amazon (although I haven't purchased from there).
If you don't have access to acetate, you can make this cake in a springform pan, but it will likely be a bit more challenging to get the mousse in clean layers and remove it from the pan.
Yes! You can make this cake 2-3 days ahead of time and keep in the fridge. I would recommend removing the acetate collar and decorating with chocolate glaze when you are ready to serve. The collar will protect the cake from drying out.
Store this cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. This cake should not be kept at room temperature or frozen.
MORE CAKE RECIPES
If you're new to Bake With Zoha, you should know we love cakes here! You will enjoy these recipes:
THE BEST MOCHA MOUSSE CAKE RECIPE
- Total Time: 1 day including chilling time
- Yield: 10-12 servings
Description
This is the Best Mocha Mousse Cake with layers of chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and white chocolate mocha mousse topped off with a shiny chocolate glaze.
Ingredients
Chocolate sponge cake:
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (55g)
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour (45g)
- 1 ½ tbsp cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
Simple syrup:
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp sugar
Chocolate mousse:
- 1 tsp powdered gelatin
- 1 tbsp cold water
- ½ cup heavy cream (120g)
- 200g semi sweet chocolate
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream, chilled (360g)
White chocolate mocha mousse:
- 2 tsp powdered gelatin
- 2 tbsp cold water
- ½ cup heavy cream (120g)
- 200g white chocolate
- 3 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 2 teaspoon hot water
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream, chilled (360g)
Chocolate glaze:
- ½ cup heavy cream (120g)
- 100g semi sweet chocolate
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
Chocolate Sponge Cake:
- Pre-heat oven to 350F (conventional) and line a 9” cake pan with parchment paper and non-stick oil spray
- Whisk the eggs and sugar using an electric or stand mixer for 3-4 minutes until they triple in volume and reach the ribbon stage
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, and fold very gently until they are combined. Take care not to knock out the air in the batter
- Transfer the batter to the lined pan, and bake for 13-14 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with light moist crumbs attached
- Let the cake cool down
Simple Syrup:
- Mix the water and sugar in a small saucepan and place on the stove on low heat
- Bring to a boil and simmer just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool
Chocolate Mousse:
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on top of the cold water. Stir, and refrigerate for 5-10 minutes
- Make the ganache by bringing the ½ cup heavy cream to a boil, and pouring over the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl. Cover for 5 minutes, then gently stir until a smooth, shiny ganache forms
- Stir the bloomed gelatin into the hot ganache, and set aside to cool down for 15-20 minutes
- Whisk the 1 ½ cups of cold heavy cream using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer until it reaches stiff peaks
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate ganache in 2-3 additions, taking care not to knock out the air
White Chocolate Mocha Mousse:
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on top of the cold water. Stir, and refrigerate for 5-10 minutes
- Make the ganache by bringing the ½ cup heavy cream to a boil, and pouring over the white chocolate in a heat-safe bowl. Cover for 5 minutes, then gently stir until a smooth, shiny ganache forms
- Stir the bloomed gelatin into the hot ganache, along with the instant coffee mixed with the hot water. Set aside to cool down for 15-20 minutes.
- Whisk the 1 ½ cups of cold heavy cream using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer until it reaches stiff peaks
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the white chocolate mocha ganache in 2-3 additions, taking care not to knock out the air
Assembly:
- Place the chocolate cake on the serving stand, and brush the simply syrup all over it
- Wrap the cake tightly in the acetate cake collar, trying your best to keep it straight. This will allow layering the mousse on top of the cake in neat layers
- Carefully add the chocolate mousse on top of the cake and spread it out evenly, as neatly as possible. Place in the fridge until the chocolate mousse feels somewhat set (about 30-45 minutes)
- Carefully spoon the white chocolate mocha mousse on top of the chocolate mousse in a neat layer. Place in the fridge for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight, until both layers of mousse have completely set
Chocolate Glaze:
- Once the cake has fully set, make the chocolate glaze. bring the heavy cream to a boil, then pour over the chocolate and add the oil. Cover and wait 5 minutes, then gently stir into a smooth, shiny glaze. Let cool down for 5 minutes
- Carefully remove the acetate collar and neaten the edges using an offset spatula
- Pour the glaze on top of the cake and carefully spread it out, allowing some of it to drip off the edges. The cake is ready to serve!
Notes
- If the gelatin does not dissolve fully in the chocolate ganache or the white chocolate ganache, microwave for 20 seconds to heat up the ganache again and then stir
- If either of the two types of ganache becomes grainy, blend with an immersion blender until smooth before folding in the whipped cream
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Note: This post contains affiliate links.
Naima says
Can we make and freeze it?
Elena says
Not very difficult. Great taste ❤️
Zoha says
Thank you Elena!
Anam says
Salaam! Can I make this in a spring form pan or do I have to use the acetate. I have also seen where you can line the springform pan with parchment so it’s higher.
Mahwish says
Hi, I am a silent follower and this is my first review ever on a page but I feel like this deserves it! I tried this recipe and my guests could not stop eating it to the point that not a single crumb was left on the cake plate. They couldn’t believe that this was not professionally made! I have tried a couple of other recipes from your page aa well and they all turn out so good. I am a fan and one day I plan to take your courses but cannot do it with a full time job and small kids right now but one day inshAllah. All in all hats off to you for coming up with excellent recipes and a heartfelt thank you for sharing them with us!
Zoha says
Aww - you have no idea what this means to me! Thank you for breaking the silence. Your support makes everything worth it <3
Rumana says
I did something wrong with my chocolate mousse. It turned out hard and the white chocolate turned softer. What did I do wrong? 🙁
Zoha says
Hi Rumana! Can you help me understand what you mean by hard? Like it was rock solid?
Sophia says
This is such a great recipe!
Easy to make and a huge success each time I am making it!
Zoha says
I am so pleased to hear that. Thank you so much Sophia <3
Mokshika says
Made this cake my mother’s birthday cake and it was fabulous. Very rich, creamy and also the hint of coffee gave it such a twist. Absolutely perfection.
Monica says
Amazing recipe! I'm a beginner level baker and never dared to bake something fancy like this. But so glad i tried it!:)The instructions are spot on and it tastes like heaven. I baked this cake for my dad's birthday and everyone in our family loved it. I follow your page but this is the first time I ever tried anything 🙂 Looking forward to more baking. Thanks Zoha!