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Chocolate Mousse Cake is every chocolate lover’s dream! This no-bake dessert is perfect for special occasions, but so easy and quick to make from scratch.
Our easy Chocolate Mousse Cake is made with only a few ingredients but tastes like the most decadent dessert. An Oreo crust with a rich chocolate mousse filling topped with more Oreos, whipped cream, and chocolate. This easy mousse cake will be your favorite chocolate dessert!
The perfectly light and airy chocolate mousse tastes absolutely divine! The mousse is not too sweet but totally decadent and melts in your mouth. It’s a bit similar to a French Silk pie, but lighter and made without raw eggs, so everyone can enjoy it just like our popular Eggless Chocolate Mousse recipe and our Lemon Mousse recipe!
For more no-bake desserts, check out our No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake, No-Bake Key Lime Pie, and Easy Lemon Cream Pie Recipe.
Why our recipe
- This no-bake cake is very easy to make with a few simple ingredients (no gelatin, no egg whites) but looks impressive and tastes so delicious
- The mousse layer is made without raw eggs, so everyone can enjoy it
- You can prep most of it in advance, which makes it a perfect dessert for parties or special occasions like Holiday dinners, Mother’s Day, or Valentine’s Day
Ingredient Notes
- Cookies: You need one 14.3-Ounce Package of Oreo cookies for this recipe, this will leave you with a few to snack on. Instead of an Oreo Crust, you can also use coffee flavored cookies or chocolate wafer cookies.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in all my baking recipes.
- Chocolate: I use semi-sweet chocolate with about 50% or 60% cacao for this chocolate mousse cake recipe because it has a nice balance of sweetness and chocolate. The higher the percentage, the less sweet the chocolate is. My preferred brands are Lindt, Moser-Roth from Aldi, and Guittard chocolate. I don’t recommend using milk chocolate for this recipe, it would make the cake too sweet. Dark chocolate would make it too bitter. Using quality chocolate chips (like these) makes this recipe even easier because you don’t have to chop the chocolate. You need 1 1/2 cups of standard sized chocolate chips.
- Vanilla: You can use vanilla extract or homemade vanilla sugar in this recipe.
- Heavy cream: You need heavy cream with 36% or more fat for this chocolate cake recipe to get the best results. Whipping cream with 30% works too, but don’t use half-and-half. The more fat the cream contains, the more stable it will be when it’s whipped.
Julia’s Tips and Tricks
- Chocolate: Quality semi-sweet chocolate with about 50% cacao works best in my experience.
- Whipped cream: Chill or freeze the bowl and your whisk for a few minutes before making the whipped cream. This makes it easier to whip the cream into stiff peaks, especially when it’s a hot day. I also leave my heavy cream in the fridge until the very last minute. Check out my homemade whipped cream recipe for more tips.
- Add-ins: For an even stronger chocolate flavor, stir 1 teaspoon instant coffee in the chocolate ganache. You could also add a 1/4 teaspoon mint extract for a chocolate mint mousse cake.
- Temperature: Make sure the chocolate ganache has cooled down completely before folding in the whipped cream. Otherwise, the whipped cream will melt, and the mousse won’t solidify during the chilling time.
- Refrigerating: This mousse cake needs to chill at least 6 hours or more, depending on the size of your pan and the temperature of your fridge, but I like to make it one day ahead and chill it overnight.
- Cake Pan: I recommend using a springform pan. It makes it easier to make the cake and remove it from the pan to serve it. You could also make a chocolate mousse pie and make it in a pie dish. To do this, press the Oreo cookie mixture all the way up the sides of the pan or use a premade Oreo crust to save time.
If you want to make this mousse pie in a 10-inch springform pan, I recommend using the 1.5 x amount of the ingredients. Because of the larger amount of ingredients, I recommend chilling the cake overnight.
Chocolate curls or chocolate shavings are very easy to make at home. I use a simple vegetable peeler to make them to decorate cakes (like my Black Forest Cake) or hot chocolate. Scrape the blade lengthwise across a chocolate bar to make curls and shavings.
This usually happens if the chocolate mixture was still too warm when you fold it into the whipped cream. Whipped cream melts and won’t hold its shape when it gets too warm, and the chocolate might get grainy. It’s important that the chocolate ganache is completely cooled before adding the cold whipped cream. The chocolate mixture should also not sit in the fridge for longer than 20 minutes, or it will be difficult to combine it with the whipped cream. Another reason why your mousse might not set is not being careful when folding in the whipped cream. Don’t use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the chocolate and cream. Carefully fold them together using a spatula and go slowly.
Storage Instructions
Serving: This cake tastes best while it is chilled. Don’t let it sit at room temperature for too long or the texture will change, and the mousse will start to melt. To remove the springform ring, run a knife around the edges, then carefully remove it.
Storing: Any leftover cake keeps in the fridge for 2–3 days. Make sure to cover it airtight so it stays tasty.
Make-ahead: You can make the Oreo crust and fill it with the chocolate mousse up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate, covered. Decorate the cake just before serving.
More chocolate desserts
Cookies, Brownies & Bars
Oreo Brownies
Bread & Muffins
Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe
Cookies, Brownies & Bars
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Bread & Muffins
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Chocolate Mousse Cake
Ingredients
For the Oreo Crust
- 25 Oreo cookies, finely crushed
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Chocolate Mousse Filling
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 ¼ cups heavy cream, divided
For the Decoration
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 Oreo cookies, cut in half
- ⅓ cup chocolate shavings
Instructions
- Grease a 9-inch spring form pan with butter.
- Combine finely crushed Oreo cookies and melted butter. Press into the bottom of the spring form pan using a flat measuring cup. Make sure it is compact. Chill it for 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Meanwhile, combine the chopped chocolate, vanilla extract, and the salt in a medium bowl.
- In a small saucepan, bring ¾ cup of the heavy cream to a bare simmer. Pour the hot heavy cream over the chocolate, cover and let it sit for 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Cover and chill the chocolate ganache in the fridge for about 20 minutes until cooled.
- Beat 1 ½ cups heavy cream in a medium bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed to soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Whisk the cooled chocolate mixture to loosen it, then fold it into the whipped cream with a silicone spatula until no streaks remain.
- Transfer the chocolate mousse into the pan and gently spread it to the edges. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Just before serving, beat the remaining ¾ cup of cream and 2 tbsp sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer until the cream reaches stiff peaks. Pipe the borders of the cake using a large open star tip. Garnish with Oreo Cookie halves and chocolate shavings. This cake must stay refrigerated.
Would this mousse recipe support a ganache layer on top or would ganache be too heavy?
Hi Julia😊 Any thoughts on how a date\almond crust would taste with this recipe, rather than the oreo crust?
This cake looks delicious!
I haven’t tried it, but it sounds like a good fit for the recipe!
This is delicious!! We used gluten free Oreos and loved it.
Can cool whip be a substitute for heavy cream. Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you