Description
If you LOVE Olive Garden's Black Tie Mousse Cake as much as I do surely you want to make it at home! Follow my recipe below to experience this descant dessert in your own kitchen!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Bottom Layer (Chocolate Cake):
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 1/4 cups Flour
- 1/2 cup Cocoa
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Canola Oil
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Boiling Water
Second Layer (Chocolate Mousse):
- 3/4 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
- 4 oz. Cream Cheese
- 1 tsp Knox Unflavored Gelatin
- 1 Tbs. Cold Water
- 2 Tbs. Boiling Water
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
Third Layer (White Chocolate Mousse):
- 1 tsp Knox Unflavored Gelatin
- 1 Tbs. Cold Water
- 1 cup White Chocolate Chips
- 1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
Fourth Layer (Chocolate Ganache):
- 1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
- 18 oz. Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
- One bag of mini semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 cup White Candy Melts
Instructions
Bottom Layer (Chocolate Cake):
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a 9 inch cake pan with a parchment paper circle and spray the cake pan edges with non-stick cooking spray.
- Measure 1 Cup of sugar, 1 1/4 Cup flour, 1/2 Cup cocoa, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk to mix.
- Add the eggs, 1/2 Cup milk, 1/4 Cup olive oil, and 1 tsp vanilla.
- Beat until the batter is thick and well mixed.
- Pour the 1/2 cup of boiling water (boiling, not just hot) into the batter while your beaters are running in a slow steady stream.
- Beat the batter until the water is mixed in and the batter is very thin.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25-27 minutes.
- Cool 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
- Peel the parchment off the back and cool completely.
- Level the top of the cake with a sharp serrated knife and eat the top you cut off.
- Place the leveled cake in the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
Second Layer (Chocolate Mousse):
- Carefully melt 3/4 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 4 oz cream cheese together in the microwave. (Mine took about 30 seconds to melt).
- Whisk together and make sure no chocolate lumps remain.
- Allow to cool while you do the next few steps.
- In a small bowl mix 1 Tbs. cold water with 1 tsp unflavored gelatin to soften the gelatin.
- Then whisk 2 Tbs. boiling water into the softened gelatin to dissolve it.
- Measure 1 Cup heavy cream into a deep bowl or 4 cup measuring cup.
- Add 1/4 Cup powdered sugar and dissolved gelatin to the heavy cream.
- Beat at a high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the chocolate cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream.
- Continue folding until it's completely mixed in.
- Spread the chocolate mousse evenly over the chocolate cake layer.
- Put in the fridge while you prepare the white chocolate mousse layer.
Third Layer (White Chocolate Mousse):
- In a small bowl soften 1 tsp unflavored gelatin in 1 Tbs. cold water.
- Bring 1/2 Cup of heavy cream to a boil.
- Whisk the softened gelatin into the boiling cream and whisk until dissolved.
- Pour the boiling cream over 1 Cup white chocolate chips.
- Stir until the chips are melted and completely smooth.
- Measure 1 Cup of heavy cream into a deep bowl or measuring cup.
- Beat until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the melted white chocolate into the whipped cream.
- Continue to fold until it's completed incorporated.
- Spread the white chocolate mousse over the chocolate mousse layer.
- Place in the fridge and chill for at least an hour before doing the ganache layer.
Fourth Layer (Chocolate Ganache):
- Bring 1 1/2 Cup of heavy cream to a boil.
- In a deep bowl or measuring cup pour the boiling cream over 3 1/4 Cups or an 18 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Whisk until all the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is completely smooth.
- Allow to cool until the ganache is still pourable but not a hot liquid.
- Loosen the mousse cake by running a sharp knife around the edges.
- Remove the springform pan rim.
- Once the ganache has cooled to a pourable but not hot state pour some over the top mousse cake, spreading it carefully allowing it to run down the edges and smoothing it around the edges as well.
- You will use 2/3rds of the ganache to coat the cake.
- Press mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to the ganache coated sides of the cake. Yes, this is a bit messy.
- Place the cake back in the fridge and let it chill while the remaining ganache cools and sets up to a pipeable consistency.
- If you're wanting to transfer the mousse cake to a cake plate this is time.
- Carefully slide a spatula under the mousse cake and loosen the entire cake from the springform pan bottom.
- Carefully slid onto a cake plate.
- Scoop the ganache into a frosting bag fitted with a large decorative tip of your choice. I usually use a large star tip.
- Pipe the ganache around the top and bottom edges of the mousse cake.
- Melt the white chocolate and drizzle or pipe over the middle of the cake.
- Place the cake back in the fridge to set the ganache and chill all the way through for at least 4 hours.
- Slice and serve when ready.
Notes
- This dessert requires a significant amount of chilling time so be sure to plan for it.
- The total amount of Heavy Cream needed for this recipe is 1 quart.
- The total amount of regular semisweet chocolate chips (not including the mini chips) is a 24 oz bag.
- To slice this cake making nice clean cuts, run a sharp knife under very hot water for a moment, dry and quickly but carefully make a cut for the first slice. Rinse the knife under very hot water, dry and repeat cutting as before with every slice.
Keywords: olive garden copycat, black tie mousse cake