How to Make Mousse-Filled Chocolate Cake: Layers, Mousse and Assembly

Short answer: bake two 9-inch (23 cm) chocolate cake layers, split each one in half, and stack the four layers in a 9-inch springform pan with a gelatin-set chocolate mousse between them. Chill for 2 hours, run a knife around the edge and release the pan. The method below is adapted from Dairy Farmers of Canada recipes, with the quantities as they publish them; pairing their cake batter with their mousse, and the optional ganache top, are our own suggestions. We add the chocolate and tools we recommend for each step.

Quick answer: what to buy for a mousse-filled chocolate cake

Your need	Product	Price
A 71% single-origin dark chocolate for the mousse	Bassan Sur del Lago 71%, 5 kg	$273.00 CAD
A 55% dark chocolate for mousse and sponge in volume	FCH 55% Venezuela minibars, 10 kg	$299.00 CAD
A 1 kg bag for home bakers	Organic Dark Chocolate Chips 70%, 1 kg	$45.95 CAD
Melting the chocolate at the right temperature	Martellato 50T001 chocolate thermometer	$29.95 CAD
Folding whipped cream into the chocolate	Martellato soft one-piece spatula	$12.95 CAD

What you need

Two 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pans, parchment paper, a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan, a double boiler, a small saucepan, wire racks and a mixer.

The whole cake is built from three parts: chocolate cake layers, a chocolate mousse set with gelatin, and a garnish. Plan the bake the day you have time: the layers must be completely cool before you slice and fill them, and the assembled cake needs 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Step 1: Bake the chocolate cake layers

This batter, from Dairy Farmers of Canada's Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake, gives two 9-inch layers that you split into four. Our suggestion: the mousse cake recipes used below call for two 9-inch chocolate cake layers without giving a cake recipe, so we pair them with this batter; the pairing is ours, not Dairy Farmers of Canada's.

Ingredient	Quantity
All-purpose flour	2 cups (500 mL)
Cocoa powder	1 cup (250 mL)
Baking soda	1 1/4 tsp (6 mL)
Butter, at room temperature	3/4 cup (180 mL)
Sugar	2/3 cup (160 mL)
Brown sugar	3/4 cup (180 mL)
Eggs	2
Milk	1 1/2 cups (375 mL)
White vinegar	1 tbsp (15 mL)
Vanilla extract	2 tsp (10 mL)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottoms of the two pans with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together.
3. Cream the butter with both sugars until light, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
4. Combine the milk, vinegar and vanilla.
5. Fold in one third of the flour mixture, add half the milk mixture and combine gently. Repeat, then finish with the remaining flour. Divide the batter between the pans.
6. Bake until a paring knife inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
7. Cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, unmould, peel off the parchment and cool completely. Slice each cake in half horizontally: you now have four layers.

Short on time? Dairy Farmers of Canada notes that if you don't have time to make your own cake, a mix will work just fine.

Step 2: Make the chocolate mousse

This mousse, from Dairy Farmers of Canada's Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake, is set with gelatin and contains no raw egg.

Ingredient	Quantity
Bittersweet chocolate, chopped	8 oz (250 g)
Seedless raspberry jam	1/4 cup (60 mL)
Frozen concentrated raspberry cocktail, thawed and undiluted	1/4 cup (60 mL)
Unflavoured gelatin	1 pouch (7 g)
35% cream	1 1/2 cups (375 mL)
Raspberry or orange liqueur (optional)	2 tbsp (30 mL)
Vanilla extract	2 tsp (10 mL)
Fresh raspberries, for the layers and garnish	2 cups (500 mL)

1. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water; set aside.
2. Melt the jam in a small saucepan over low heat. Meanwhile, put the raspberry concentrate in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over it and let it stand 2 minutes.
3. Add the gelatin mixture to the jam and stir over low heat until dissolved. Stir it into the chocolate and turn everything into a large bowl.
4. Whip the cream with the liqueur and vanilla just until soft peaks form.
5. Stir one quarter of the cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest.

Why a gelatin-set mousse? Some chocolate mousse recipes, including Dairy Farmers of Canada's own Fruity Chocolate Mousse, use raw eggs, and Dairy Farmers of Canada notes that foods with raw or lightly cooked eggs may be harmful to vulnerable people such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weak immune systems. Both mousses in this article use cream and gelatin instead.

Step 3: Assemble the cake in a springform pan

The springform pan holds the layers and the mousse together while the cake chills, so build the whole cake inside it.

1. Place one cake layer in the base of the 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and spread one quarter of the mousse over it.
2. Top with a second layer and one third of the remaining mousse, and scatter half the raspberries over the mousse.
3. Place a third layer over the raspberries, pressing gently.
4. Repeat the layering, ending with mousse, and garnish with the remaining raspberries.

Step 4: Chill, unmould and serve

Loosely cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 2 hours. To unmould, run a knife around the inside edge and release the springform pan. Garnish with fresh mint and dust with icing sugar. Dairy Farmers of Canada gives 10 servings for this cake.

Variation: chocolate mint mousse cake

For a cake without fruit, Dairy Farmers of Canada's Chocolate Mint Candy Cake uses a richer mousse and ends with a cake layer.

• Mousse: bring 1/2 cup (125 mL) of 35% cream to a simmer, remove from the heat, add 8 oz (250 g) finely chopped bittersweet chocolate and stir until melted, then add 1 tsp (5 mL) peppermint extract. Sprinkle 1 pouch (7 g) gelatin over 1/4 cup (60 mL) water, let stand 2 minutes, heat very gently until dissolved and stir into the chocolate. Let it stand until cool but not set, then stir in 1/2 cup (125 mL) sour cream. Beat 1 cup (250 mL) cream with 1/3 cup (80 mL) sugar to soft peaks and fold the two together.
• Assembly: spread one third of the mousse on each layer, ending with a cake layer, in the 9-inch springform pan. Chill until set, about 2 hours.
• Finish: whip the remaining 1 cup (250 mL) cream with the remaining sugar (the recipe uses 1/2 cup, 125 mL, in total) to soft peaks, spread it over the top and garnish with chopped mint candies.

Our suggestion (not part of the Dairy Farmers of Canada recipe): prefer a glossy chocolate top? Because this version ends with a cake layer, you can coat it with the small ganache from Dairy Farmers of Canada's Boston pie instead of the whipped cream: heat 1/2 cup (125 mL) of 35% cream over medium-low heat, stir in 4 oz (120 g) coarsely chopped bittersweet or dark chocolate until melted, and let it cool before coating.

Which chocolate for a chocolate mousse cake

The recipes call for bittersweet chocolate, which Canada's compositional standard places in the same category as dark chocolate: at least 35% total cocoa solids, of which at least 18% is cocoa butter.

Each of our dark chocolates has a different job:

Chocolate	Best for	Melting guidance from the maker
Bassan Sur del Lago 71%	A 71% single-origin mousse; Bassan lists mousses, crémeux and entremets among its applications	Melt at 50°C (122°F) maximum
FCH 55% Venezuela, 10 kg	A 55% mousse and the sponge in volume; FCH recommends it for glazes, ganaches, mousse and sponge cakes	Melt at 45–50°C (113–122°F)
Organic Dark Chocolate Chips 70%, 1 kg	Home bakers making one or two cakes; listed for cakes and for melting	Not stated: melt gently over simmering water as in the recipe

A thermometer takes the guesswork out of the melting step: the Martellato 50T001 is made for chocolate work.

View dark chocolate couverture →

Making it at bakery scale

If you make several cakes a day, these are the products we recommend for scale.

• View the Pavomix planetary mixer → $1,750.00 CAD: a 6.5-litre bowl with whisk, beater and dough hook, so one machine whips the cream and mixes the batter.
• View Dutched 20/22 cacao powder, 25 kg → $710.00 CAD: Peruvian cocoa powder in 25 kg bags, listed for bakeries.
• View the Martellato 8-wire whisk → $13.95 CAD: 40 cm, 8 stainless-steel wires of 2.2 mm.

Want the modern version? A layered mousse cake can also be built upside down in a Pavoni silicone mould, the entremet method: see our guide to entremet techniques.

View entremet silicone moulds →

For more mousse and cake work, Ramon Morató's Chocolate (6th edition) includes studies on mousses, fillings and raw materials and 18 cakes among its 200 recipes.

• View Chocolate by Ramon Morató → $160.00 CAD

How AI can help your production

Give an AI assistant this recipe and ask it to scale it to the number of cakes you need, convert the cup measures into grams for your scale, and build a production plan: bake and cool the layers, make the mousse, assemble, then the 2-hour chill before unmoulding. It can also cost each cake from your own ingredient prices. Check every converted weight on your first batch.

AI organises the information; tasting and the final decision stay with your chef.

Chocolate and pastry tools at Zucchero Canada

We stock dark chocolate couverture, cocoa powder and professional pastry tools for home bakers, pastry chefs, bakeries and hotels across Canada. Food products ship within Canada only.

• Single-origin intensity: Bassan Sur del Lago 71%.
• Volume: FCH 55% Venezuela in 10 kg boxes.
• Home baking: Organic Dark Chocolate Chips 70%, 1 kg.
• Tools: Martellato thermometers, spatulas and whisks; Pavoni silicone moulds for entremets.

Buying for a bakery, café or hotel? Contact us, write to sales@zuccherocanada.ca or call 587-774-8873 (toll free 877-741-8251).

Dark couverture | Entremet moulds | Entremet techniques | Can you freeze chocolate mousse? | Best chocolate for melting

This article is for information only. Every business is different: draw your own conclusions based on your own expectations, budget and goals, and talk to qualified experts before you decide or invest.

Sources: Dairy Farmers of Canada, "Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake", "Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake", "Chocolate Mint Candy Cake", "Boston Pie with Le Noble Cheese" and "Fruity Chocolate Mousse" (dairyfarmersofcanada.ca, Canadian Goodness recipes); Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Canadian Food Compositional Standards, Volume 4, section 4.1.6; Zucchero Canada product data for Bassan Sur del Lago 71%, FCH 55% Venezuela, Organic Dark Chocolate Chips 70%, Dutched 20/22 cacao powder, Pavomix, Martellato 50T001, soft spatula and whisk, and Chocolate by Ramon Morató.