This Chocolate Mousse Crunch Cake is my all-time favorite special occasion cake. Not only does it wow people presentation-wise, but it’s pretty knock-your-socks-off tasty as well. As long as you like chocolate. Because if you’re a chocolate hater, this recipe isn’t for you. It’s got 2 layers of rich chocolate cake, sandwiched with decadent chocolate mousse, drizzled with ganache and sprinkled with chopped toffee bits. If you like, you can even top it with a cloud of whipped cream like I did in these photos.
Make-Ahead Options
One of the great things about this easy chocolate cake recipe is that you can just use a boxed cake mix. I figure that there’s so much going on here that you don’t need to bother with a from-scratch chocolate cake, you know? And if you make the ganache ahead of time and just heat it up, and make the cake ahead of time, by a few hours or a day or even a few days (just wrap the layers in plastic wrap and freeze them), the rest comes together in no time.
You can bake the cake layers ahead of time if you like and store them in the freezer until ready to use. Our favorite cake pans to use are the kind with straight sides like these ones. The filling for this cake is a rich chocolate mousse that’s incredibly easy to make. It actually makes more mousse than you probably need, so feel free to fill it as thick or as thin as you like and snack on the rest- because you made the cake so you get the extra mousse!
Fill and Top the Cake
This chocolate cake is topped with…you guessed it- more chocolate. To get nice drips down the sides, avoid trying to actually spoon ganache down the side of your cake. Spread a nice even layer right on top. Then use a spoon to gently start spreading toward the edges. You just need to nudge a little and you’ll see the chocolate wave start moving toward the side and down the edge. Let gravity do the work! That way you get nice pretty drips without overdoing it. You can sprinkle some toffee bits on top and you are ready to serve!
OR, if you like, I sometimes like to top it with a fluffy cloud of sweetened whipped cream as well.
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Chocolate Mousse Crunch Cake
Description
An easy chocolate mousse and toffee filling is sandwiched between moist layers of chocolate cake and finished off with rich, gooey ganache and more toffee bits.
Ingredients
Instructions
Place second layer on top of Heath bits.
Spoon ganache over the top layer, allowing it to drip down the sides. Sprinkle with additional Heath bits and refrigerate until ready to serve. If desired, top with sweetened whipped cream before serving.
Notes
This recipe makes more mousse than you will probably need. Feel free to use as much or as little as you desire in the filling and snack on the rest!
Questions & Reviews
Crystal Burch, this was the cake I was going to make you on Friday! Which I clearly did NOT because you got a birthday cookie instead and that didn't even have a candle in it. I owe you big time…
I think I gained a pound or two just looking at this cake and dreaming of eating it! It sounds super delicious and I will have to try it out!
I made this cake for Easter Dinner desert and it was fabulous! I can't wait to make it again. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
This cake looks fantastic!
This is so good!!!! I made it last night! Check it out!
http://stacysaysblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/chocolate-mousse-crunch-cake.html
Are Duncan Hines cake mixes your favorite? Or would any Devil's food cake mix work just fine? I have Betty Crocker, but haven't tried Duncan hines! This looks so good!
This looks like the closest thing to Gregg's Heath Bar Crunch Cake but has mousse in it.. OMG IM IN LOVE!!!!!!!!!
Happy belated birthday blog.
Oh, this just looks divine! Thanks for another great recipe!
This cake looks too mouth-watering delicious to be true! Have you ever tried cutting the cake layers in half to make a torte? It would use more of the mousse and ganache with the two extra layers. Might make the whole thing teeter and fall over, though.
I love your blog and have tried MANY of your recipes. Happy birthday! (and I totally agree with the woman who thinks you should send a slice of this cake to everyone who leaves you a comment!)
So…have you tried this in cupcake form yet? I think that I am going to give it a shot this weekend for a family get-together! Thanks for the brilliant cake idea!!!
Wow that looks amazing, and I don't even like cake.
Love everything you make. L. O. V. E. Would this cake do well sitting as a centerpiece during a dinner? Would I want to freeze partially, or just refridgerate in prep for that?
ooooooh Kate. That looks sooooooo amazing.
thanks! much better this time! My mousse is a little softer than I anticipated, but at least it's clump free!
Rachel, I had that problem last night, I left it too long and it was a rubber disk, but this morning I I mix it a bit with the cold water, only let it stand one minute, then mixed in the hot water, and maybe let it cool one minute or so, then added it to the already whipped cream and mixed again. worked better to do it at the end otherwise it cools to much.
Yay! I got it to work! Same whipping cream, so not sure what the problem was, but maybe it was my Bosch mixer? with the center post and the small amount of mousse I think it had a problem mixing it well at all, I tried a hand mixer last night too but it was probably to late. This morning I did it with a hand blender and it worked great! And so yummy! I am so excited, using it in the filling for my son's Monster b-day cake today and adding gummy worms to the mousse for the kids!
Thanks!!
I think this looks awesome, but when I made the mousse, the gelatin just clumped up in it instead of mixing in. What did I do??? I have to take it to dinner and don't have time to make it again, so I think I'll mix in some of the toffee with the mousse and hopefully no one will notice the gelatin?
Looks fabulous and I love to bake! Hubby does all the cooking and I'm in charge of the sweet stuff! I may have to make this very soon!! Yum!!
No it's whipping cream, I considered getting the "Heavy" whipping cream but decided on the regular like the recipe said. :o(
I will try it again this week with different whipping cream, do you think Heavy would work too.
Bethany–I'm wondering if something was up with your whipping cream because I've never had whipping cream not whip up for me. Or maybe you accidentally grabbed half and half (I've done that SO many times! They need to keep them at opposite ends of the dairy case! 🙂 )?
Just wanted to let you know that I am a new AVID follower of your blog. I have loved every single recipe I have tried (which is a lot), but this was the cherry on top. My husband said he had never had a cake this good. 🙂 AMAZING! And the self-regulating thing? Totally false for us. We both had two BIG slices. 🙂 Apparently we have a high choco-tolerance.
I tried this tonight and can't get it to work, can't figure out why, it won't stiffen up, more like a slightly runny pudding, then I beat it more and gets runnier. any ideas??
This is the most fantabulous thing I have seen in ages. You gals could rule the world and I would totally support you. Happy, happy birthday. I'm a new reader but fully dedicated and spreading the word.
oh my goodness this cake looks amazing! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
I need some of that in my life…oh, yum!
Just needed to say that I LOVE this blog! I think I might just try out this cake on a family get together with the in-laws. P.S…Your pizza dough recipe is awesome. I made it this week and it's the first time out of many previously failed attempts that I've made a pretty and yummy pizza.
Happy birthday! My birthday is next month and my mother is making me this cake, Instead of heath bars she will be using fresh strawberries, can't wait!
This looks so good. I'm amazed and delighted it started out with a mix too!
The last comment said it best… that cake just looks heavenly!!
This is the coolest website! I can't wait to try out the recipes. My first will be the mini jar pies!