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 made this cake, and it was phenomenal. I also have made the raspberry chocolate cake which was phenomenal. My question is, since the cake ingredients are the same for both cakes, why are you be able to use a combination of dark cocoa and natural cocoa in the mouse chocolate cake recipe, but not in the raspberry cake recipe.
Thank you,
Kathee
Hi Kathee, great question! The batters are the same, and although this chocolate mousse cake allows for you to use some Dutch process cocoa powder, the batter still needs acidic natural cocoa powder, so do not use ALL dutch-process cocoa powder. The Hershey’s Special Dark that we used in this particular cake is actually a mix of natural cocoa powder (an acid) and dutch-process cocoa powder (a base) and it worked just fine. We hope this helps!
Made this cake by a friend’s request and taste-wise, it was lovely! I was also pleasantly surprised by how much the layers rose. I did three layers and there was just barely enough batter to cover the bottoms of the pans. I thought for sure I was going to wind up with crunchy pancakes, but they poofed up a lot.
But I think I did something wrong with the mousse because mine not only was much darker in color, but was quite runny. It did thicken a little after setting in the fridge after two hours, but it was still very drippy. I used Baker’s semi-sweet bars like you recommended.
I don’t believe the cream was under-whipped – I used a stand mixer with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed for 3 minutes because it looked like it was getting too stiff and I thought it may have been over-mixed. I folded in the chocolate rather than beating it in. I chilled it for a couple hours. The cream was fresh out of the fridge at the time of whipping, so it was cold.
Maybe it needed more than two hours in the fridge? I’m sure it was error on my part because the reviews speak for themselves. Do you know what I might have done wrong?
Hi Elly! It sounds like maybe your cream whipped too much and collapsed. Next time whip the heavy cream mixture just to medium peaks. So glad you still enjoyed the cake!
Made this cake for my son’s birthday, and now he’s requesting it again, as well as my father-in-law, and my sister. It was a hit! I don’t mind making it again either, because I want some more too!
I made this cake for my wedding a year and a half ago and it was divine! I have made it two more times since without the ganache. I am now wondering if I can add blueberry compote or liqueur to the mousse? Please advise on how to doctor that portion of the recipe. Thanks a bunch!
Hi Jaynee! We’re sure you could, but it would take some recipe testing to determine how best to do so. It will likely take some tweaking of the other ingredients to ensure it still sets correctly. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
I want to make this using your chocolate mousse recipe instead of chocolate buttercream. Will the chocolate mousse hold up just as well for the border for the raspberry filling? And will the cake be able to travel for half an hour once assembled and chilled?
Hi Jannah, we’re happy to help. Are you hoping to use this mousse in our chocolate raspberry cake instead of the chocolate buttercream? That should work, but be sure to sufficiently chill the assembled cake with the mousse crumb coat before adding the chocolate ganache. Let us know if you give it a try!
Hi Sally, I’ve made this before and it was an absolute hit. I wanted to make a 10in cake with four layers. Do you recommend doubling the recipe? Thank you!
Hi DC, Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes. This recipe yields about 6 cups of batter.
I think this is the most delicious chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten in my life. Absolutely amazing!!!!!
Thank you for this recipe. It’s the best chocolate cake ever since the creation of chocolate cakes!
I’ve made it many times for special occasions with not a crumb left. I’ve even halved the recipe for a 5” cake for 2.
I’d like to double or triple the recipe and wanted to know if any adjustments need to be made for any of the ingredients?
Hi Sue, so thrilled to read your review of this cake! We recommend making separate batches of batter instead of multiplying for best results.
I am planning to make this cake for someones birthday. Could I make it in 6in pans for a more tall cake? Also with the ganache, (ive never done a recipe with ganache, first time) can I use it to drizzle down the side of the cake versus covering like shown in the pics? I just want to make sure it comes out thin enough to drip versus being more think. Thank you!
Hi Christian! This is too much batter for 6 inch cake pans. We’d recommend using this chocolate cupcakes recipe as the batter to make a 3 layer 6 inch cake instead. See our 6 inch cake recipes post as a guide. Halve the chocolate mousse and ganache from this recipe so there’s just enough. You can check out the tutorial from our Chocolate Chip Cake for details on a ganache drip. Hope this helps!
I use your recipes all the time, with raving reviews constantly. This cake was no different. A person actually said it was the best cake she has EVER had in her life, and took a second slice! I decorated it with chocolate shavings, a chocolate flower, raspberries, blackberries, and some mint leaves. I am making it again today, just the same, no substitutes or adjustments. Thank you for providing such amazing recipes!
How would I turn this into a one layer sheet cake 9×13??
Hi Dijah, You can make this recipe as a 9×13-inch sheet cake (same oven temperature, about 35-40 minutes bake time). Enjoy!
If using 9×13 do i cut the cake in half from the 9x 13 and layer the mousse in the middle of the cake?
Hi Stephanie! You could try, but this delicate cake may break if sliced in half lengthwise. You could layer the mousse (a half batch should be fine) on top, and then a thin layer of ganache. Let us know what you try!
How many cups of batter does this make? I’m trying to scale it up to yield 20 cups total. Thanks! This cake is delicious!
Hi Ellen! This recipe yields about 6 cups of batter.
Hi! I’ve used this recipe many times and it’s always a hit! Quick question, can I make my batter the day before then refrigerate? I have 3 different cakes to make this weekend so I’m trying to do some prep to save time.
Hi Jenna! We don’t recommend making cake batter ahead of time, no. It won’t rise properly when baked. See recipe Notes for our recommended make-ahead instructions 🙂
Hi Sally, WOW! This cake was incredible, I loved mixing black cocoa (Dutch processed) with regular unsweetened cocoa. The taste was incredible. I plan on making this cake recipe twice, so I have 4-9” layers, but use the raspberry filling and chocolate buttercream. Do you think I need to use dowels to support the cake? The layers will be a little thicker because I’m doing 2-9” layers, not 3 as called for in the recipe. Hope that makes sense.
Thank you so much
Hi Kathee, we would recommend using dowels for extra support. Hope this helps!
Love this recipe! Though one quick thing: for the mousse, when I chilled it and then put it on my cake, it quickly softened and didn’t hold its structure, making the cake layers slide and it became a mess— what could’ve been the cause of that?
Hi Sam, So glad you enjoyed this recipe! It’s possible that the mousse wasn’t firm enough to start, or perhaps the temperature in your kitchen was very warm. If you try it again we suggest refrigerating the mousse for longer before using it, and if it starts softening when you are adding it to the cake you can pop the entire thing in the refrigerator to firm back up before continuing.
I always go to the reviews before I try out a recipe. I have made this recipe multiple times, and it is always a hit. I have made a few modifications, and the cake always turns out beautifully. I recently made it for a retirement dinner for a coworker. One of the guests commented that it was the best cake she had ever eaten. This is a wonderful recipe that I highly recommend. Thank you Sally for all of your fantastic recipes!
I forgot to rate it. 5 stars all the way!
I have made this cake three times and it is so delicious! I want to make it into filled cupcakes. Would I need to adjust the recipe?
Hi Susan, see the section of the blog post above titled “What About Cupcakes?” for details!
I was delivered bittersweet chocolate bars instead of semi-sweet chocolate bars. Any way to fix this by adding extra sugar or something?
Hi Shannon, depending on how sweet you like your desserts, this cake should still be sweet enough from the other elements, even if using bittersweet chocolate. Let us know how it goes!
I couldn’t find Hershey brand cocoa, went to two stores ugh so I bought Kroger brand natural cocoa. I already had hersheys dark. Will the Kroger brand be ok? I spent so much on Ghirardelli chocolate that I don’t wanna ruin the cake with cheap cocoa
It will be just fine, Kim! Happy baking 🙂
Oh my gosh, such a lovely cake. It’s beautiful, easy to make and absolutely delicious! This is going to be my new go-to cake for special occasions!
I want to make this for a party anticipating 25-30 people. Anyone know what adjustments I have to make if I want to make this a two or three layered 10″ to serve that many? I’m a baking noob (4 cakes in, last one was an utter fail) and I’m TERRIBLE with the math part of it all. Thanks SO much in advance.
Hi Shannon, Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Hi! I’m planning on making this for my boyfriend‘s birthday, but I’ll have to travel to get to the final destination. If I leave it cold in the fridge after it’s fully assembled and then travel two hours with it will it be OK?
Hi Sophia, it should be ok, as long as you keep the car cool and the cake out of direct sunlight.
Hi Sally, Can you please suggest a good substitute for canola oil?
Hi Vinoo, canola or vegetable oil is best for its neutral flavor, but you could use olive oil, avocado oil, etc. in a pinch.
The cake is wonderful and the directions are straightforward and easy to follow. The best cake I ever made!
I’ve been on a Sally’s Baking binge over the last couple of months. Made this for my husband’s birthday and it came out exactly as I expected. Surprisingly not too sweet which was great. Three out of three cakes have been a success. Looking forward to trying more from your website.
Hello, I’ve made this recipe 3 times, and I am struggling with the chocolate chips settling down at the bottom of the pans which when attempting to get the sponges out of the pan, they broke every time 🙁 What can I do better next time?
Hi Michi! Are you using regular or mini chocolate chips? Mini might be worth a try if you’re using regular!
Hello! Not sure if I’m allowed to do this or if I’m doing this right, but for the sinking chocolate chips: Before adding the chocolate chips, coat them in a bit of flour.
Hii, can I substitute half the sugar on the cake for brown sugar? How would it change the cake? thank you!!
Hi Kat, that shouldn’t be a problem. Enjoy!
Hi! I’m having a party and 25 guests will be there. Is there a way to make this as a sheet cake? Thank you!
Hi Christine! This batter bakes in about 40 minutes in a 9×13 inch cake pan. Same oven temperature.
I made this cake today and let me tell you, I will never use another chocolate cake recipe! It was absolutely amazing and left everyone who had a slice in a happy food daze! I did make a different mousse, I made a strawberry amaretto moose which cut some of the rich chocolate flavor.
Hi Sally,
I would like to make this cake for a 50th anniversary party. Will this recipe still work if I bake in 12” cake pans? Also, the cake will be on display during party. Will the mousse be ok?
Thank you
Hi Cynthia, This recipe yields about 6 cups of batter. You can use our cake pan sizes and conversions guide if you are thinking about using 12 inch pans.
Hi Sally,
What about the mousse? I’m frosting the cake with Swiss meringue buttercream. Will the mousse be safe to eat ? It will be on display for about 2-3 hrs indoors?
Thanks.
That should be fine!