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.
Helpful Tools for this Recipe
PrintChocolate 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
I just tried this tonight. It was heavenly! Thanks for such a great recipe!
I’m wanting to cover the whole cake with the mousse first then drizzle the ganarche over it. Do you think that will work or will the ganarche make the mousse run down the sides too and become a gross looking mess?
I think from a taste perspective, it would be awesome, but I think it might look a little messy. You can always give it a shot, though! 🙂
IT IS VERY GOOD, DECLIOUS,FANTASTIC…ETC
I made this for a silent auction tonight and people were hovering around it waiting to outbid anyone that stepped near it!
I’m on my second try tonight with the mousse. It’s coming out grainy and runny. I’m using the heavy whipped cream, so it can’t be that. Any suggestions? I really want this to work!
Ta! (& many thanks for sharing all those delicious recipes!)
You’ve made me want to bake again 🙂
Steph
Israel
Hi, I can’t wait to get started!!!!
I was wondering if this would work well with you Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake serving as a substitute for the boxed cake mix?
and… we don’t have Heath bits where I’m from… what may I use as a substitute please?
Ta!
Steph, yes that old fashioned cake would be fantastic! For the Heath bits, you could use any sort of toffee or similar candy. Where are you from? There are lots of candy bars that would be good crumbed up in there too- just pick one you like!
I made this cake last night…FABULOUS. My friends were blown away, I hated to tell them that it really was easy. Your cookbook is awesome! Thanks for getting your recipes published in book form!
We tried this and loved it 🙂 Yum!
yummmmm looks so good
Oh, and the doctored up cake mix recipe (the “easy white cake” you have on here) I have made into yellow cake and chocolate cake it it worked BEAUTIFULLY every single time. I even doubled it for yellow cake and then doubled it for chocolate cake then marbled half the yellow and half the chocolate in 2 sheet cake pans then (see previous comment) made the mousse and make the “perfect cupcake frosting and filling” x4 and frosted the whole cake with that. It was a HUGE sheet cake, probably would feed 60 people. And I got lots of “BEST birthday cake I’ve ever had!”. So… there you go.
I haven’t made this cake, but I made just the mousse this weekend, I doubled the recipe and it was the perfect amount to fill a sheet cake, just FYI!
This looks and sounds absolutely divine!
If you want just 1 tbsp boiling water, just fill your spoon from a boiling kettle!
I have been looking for a reason to make this cake.. I mean.. Me and my 3 yr old are the only ones in our house who would eat it. (hubby not a sweet loving guy). I thought.. maybe I will throw a party.. just so I can make it. But I don’t really have time. So, last night as I was laying in bed I decided I’m going to turn it into cupcakes. Will put the ganache on first and the use the mousse as kind of a frosting. Do you think that would work? I have never made mousse before. Then I can keep several for us, and give the rest to the neighbors hehe.
I’ve made this cake twice now and it got rave reviews. I make the chocolate cake in three layers, which allows me to use all the mousse and makes a stunning presentation. A tip – Spread the mousse on two of the cake layers, then refrigerate before putting them together to help the mousse set up firm. It also helps to refrigerate the ganache just a little to get the right consistency before pouring on the cake. Sometimes if you pour it right after you have melted the chips it can be a little too runny. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Why couldn’t you just half each cake layer so that you have four thinner layers of cake then you could use all of the mousse by putting some between each layer? I’ve made a different mousse cake than this one before, and it had at least 3 or 4 layers.
Yep, you can totally do that if you want!
I want to like the screen right now!
Here's a question…I was thinking about pouring some evaporated milk on the cake after taking it from the oven to make it moist, but not so much that it would be soggy like a tres leches cake. What are you thoughts about that? Do you think it would be good?
FANTASTIC cake! Wishing I would have made two for book club last night so that I could have leftovers for breakfast this morning :).
To simplify the mousse step this time I made a small box of chocolate pudding with 1 1/2 C. milk and let that set for about five minutes in the fridge. I then whipped 1 C. whipping cream (sweetened with a touch of powdered sugar) and carefully folded in about half of my prepared pudding. Just as yummy as the original and less work.
After much searching for a perfect dessert to serve company, I settled on this one. Easy and absolutely DIVINE! I did add lots more chocolate ganache because it soaks it up–it was swimming in the stuff. Delicious!!
This is Awesomeness!
Sorry you've been sick Kate! Hope you're feeling better!!
Thanks so much for getting back to me – you're not too late! I am planning to bake the cakes tonight and put everything together tomorrow for our outing on friday!:)
Sounds like it will work perfectly – thanks again for your help!!! :O)
Hey, Sara! I'm so sorry it's taken me a few days to get back to you–I've been super sick. I hope I'm not too late here! Anyway, yeah, the cake should be fine if it's been sitting in the fridge all day; in fact, it will probably be easier to transport that day. Ditto on making it a day ahead of time–the ganache won't be super shiny, and just make sure you don't have any weird rogue flavors in yoru fridge and you'll be totally fine.
Hope that helps! 🙂
hey kate! Question for ya!
i finally am getting a chance to make this amazing cake! YAY – it's for a friends b-day and we're going to a resteraunt, so it will be sitting for a little while do you think it would do ok sitting out if it had been in the fridge all day before we head out to dinner?
(also, can i make it a full day ahead? and keep it in the fridge? it should be fine right??)
Please let me know what you think! thanks!! 🙂
thanks! sara
This cake is SO good. I just made it for my mother in laws birthday. I saved the tops of the cake that I cut off and topped it with the leftover mousse, and some ganache. Yummy way to eat all of the extra's!
Laura, I wish I had a better answer for you, but I honestly don't know! 🙂 I *imagine* as long as you keep it in an airtight container, you could make it up to a couple of days ahead of time because I've had the cake as well as the cream puffs for a few days and it's been fine. But I can't say for sure. I'm sorry!!
If I am wanting to make just the mousse part of this cake to use as a dessert crepe filling, how far do you think I can make it in advance without the texture getting too runny?
P.S. Still my favorite cake. 🙂
Mclemoma–I've tried doing the standard substitutions like we have in the white cake mix and my cake came out really dry, so I'm working on finding something that works! Stay tuned–hopefully we'll have something soon! 🙂
Hi! I love your relaxed approach to making recipes fun.
Do you ever "docter" a chocolate cake mix as you did with the yellow in the Caramel Cake?
I made this for Memorial Day. It was delicious, but the mousse never got fluffy it was more like an icing so I'm not sure what I did wrong.
Oh well, that gives me an excuse to make it again!