The Chocolate Mousse Cake was one of the most popular cakes sold in my bakery
You can see why just by looking at it!
And now it’s a Vegan Chocolate Mousse Cake so everyone can enjoy it!
With a couple simple substitutes to non dairy options for the chocolate mousse recipe
This bakery style cake comes together in no time!
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PRO TIP:
By building the cake in a ring mold, this allows the mousse to set inside my cake layers
Rather than let the mousse set in the refrigerator and then scoop it into the cake later
This is just my preference though, you can of course do it the other way
By icing the set mousse cake with a thin chocolate buttercream coating then refrigerating it before pouring the final glaze will ensure a smooth finish
Chocolate shavings are optional but a really nice look to the finished rustic Mousse Cake!
Notes for Success & Substitutions:
Agar is not a necessary ingredient in chocolate mousse since chocolate is the most stable of all the mousse recipes
Leave it out if you do not have it or do not want to buy it
Any vegan whipped cream will work great here
This original recipe was made using coconut milk cans with the fat skimmed for the OG Vegan Whipped Cream
We have come a long way since 2015 and there are multiple options for Vegan Whipped Cream now including my homemade recipe!
Soy milk is the only milk that will sour upon adding vinegar which is what we do to make a mock “buttermilk”
You can use any plant milk of your choice if you are staying away from soy
I am using a combination of cake flour and all purpose flour here,
But if you have trouble getting cake flour you may use all ~all purpose flour instead
Just take out 2 Tablespoons of the total amount of flour
WATCH THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO FOR A SIMILAR CAKE BUILD!
Chocolate Mousse Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- Plant Milk 1½ cups (355ml)
- White Vinegar 1½ Tablespoons
- Vegan Butter Melted ½ cup (113g)
- Vegetable oil of your choice ½ cup (117ml)
- Granulated Sugar 1¾ cup (350g)
- Salt ½ teaspoon
- Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons (10ml)
- All Purpose Flour 2 cups (250g)
- Cake Flour 1 cups (120g) *see notes
- Baking Soda 2 teaspoons
Chocolate Mousse:
- Semi Sweet Vegan Chocolate 8ounces (226g)
- Strong Brewed Coffee 3 Tablespoons (45ml)
- Agar Powder ½ teaspoon *see notes
- Coconut Milk 2 - 15 ounce cans refrigerated overnight
- OR 1½ cups of your favorite vegan whipped cream
- Aquafaba ½ cup (117ml)
For the Icings
Instructions
- Remember to refrigerate your coconut milk overnight before beginning.
- First prepare the cake recipe:
- Grease & parchment line 4-7" cake pans (or 2-8" pans for a 2 layer cake if that is all you have)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- In a large mixing bowl combine the vegetable oil with the melted vegan butter add the vanilla extract and set aside
- Combine the soy milk with the vinegar and let stand for 5 minutes to thicken.
- Sift all the dry ingredients together including the sugar.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the bowl and whisk smooth, this will be the plant milk mixture and the butter/oil mixture
- Whisk smooth for about 40 strokes to develop the batter
- Pour the batter into the greased and parchment lined pan(s) and bake immediately in the preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes, then turn the open temperature down to 325°F to bake the rest of the way, approximately 20 minutes more or when you gently press the centers they are springy to the touch. Or do the toothpick test for moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan(s) until you can safely touch without burning yourself then turn the cake(s) out onto a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way.
- Once the cake are completely cold
- Prepare the chocolate mousse by melting the vegan chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave.
- Sprinkle the agar powder over the hot coffee and keep it warm in a pan of hot water to prevent it from setting.
- Whip the coconut fat from the tops of the cans of coconut milk
- Next prepare the aquafaba by whipping the bean liquid in a high speed balloon whip stand mixer until thick & glossy
- Whip the warm agar/coffee into the chocolate & whisk smooth
- Fold (whisk) in the coconut cream ONLY WHEN THE CHOCOLATE MIXTURE IS COOL TO THE TOUCH , then fold in the whipped aqaufaba.
- Immediately pour into your cake layers set up in the ring mold then refrigerate everything until firm & set
- Meanwhile prepare the ganache recipe by heating the chocolate & plant milk in a small sauce pot over medium heat whisking constantly until melted & smooth
- Let cool at room temperature to a pour able consistency
- Once the mousse inside the cake is set & firm you can unmold it, remove the acetate strip and then pour the chocolate ganache over the entire cake set on a cooling rack over a parchment paper sheet pan to catch the excess drips. Be sure to scrape up the excess ganache and use for another project
- I usually have excess ganache in my refrigerator ~ in a clean container it will stay fresh for up to 3 weeks
Hello Gretchen. I think your great. Anyway please explain WHY you bake at one temperature and lower it & finish baking? Is there a EASIER way. Perhaps 325 for a longer period of time. ( I have an old oven, I use a thermometer but going from one temperature to the next takes time). Please let me know THANK YOU
Ah yes! (thank you by the way) You can certainly do it that way!
I should probably stop making things more complicated than they need to be, since someone else commented similarly about this same topic recently.
But the reason I do this, is because we lose lots of heat upon opening the oven door and loading our cake pans, you would be surprised at how much heat is lost! Can be 25° drop in temp!
So by hiking up the temp initially, I compensate for that loss of heat at the beginning stage of baking, then after 10minutes or so, it corrects itself and I then lower it down!
BUT the short answer is, Keep it at one temp from start to finish! Don’t pay attention to me getting all technical! You’ve never had trouble before I mentioned it! SO why start now! LOL
Hey Gretchen,
I have been following your recipes before you turned everything vegan . Am looking for the the form mousse you used to make for cake filling not a vegan version , but can’t find it here . Kindly can you share if you still have that.
Regards
Hi Filza thankyou, I no longer share non vegan recipes. Since December of 2019 my non vegan blog has shut down.
I couldn’t keep up the cost to host it on the internet and maintain it monthly anymore
That website & the fact that I was still sharing recipes laden with animal ingredients promoting the very industry I loathe had been conflicting me financially & emotionally for so many years,
so after 5 years of keeping it free & open to the public I finally decided to shut it down.
I do thank you so much for your support and encouragement through the ages,
I have stunned NON Vegans with my vegan recipes, perhaps you could try to do the same?
If not, I am sure there are tons of great (if not better than mine) recipes out there for you to use!
Thanks again~ Best, Gretchen