This Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe with Raspberry has all the flavor you desire in a decadent dessert! A moist chocolate cake base, rich and creamy mousse, and a little bit of tartness from the raspberry jam will make your mouth water.
We are major chocolate lovers, so you already know we have more chocolate cake recipes like this fudgy Nutella cake, chocolate honey layer cake, and drunken chocolate cherry cake!
This recipe was originally posted February 1, 2016, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then. This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here
Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe with Raspberry
You will absolutely fall in love with this chocolate mousse cake recipe! The key to perfect the chocolate cake portion is using Dutched Cocoa. Hershey’s won’t make the cut in this recipe. Dutch processed cocoa powder has a lower acidity which results in a more rich and dense cake, with less bitterness and a darker color. Trust me, this cocoa will change the whole cake. It’s a must!
Since this is a mousse cake as well, it calls for heavy whipping cream. If you prefer a more dense mousse use 40% fat heavy cream (Costco has it). If you don’t mind a slightly lighter mousse, use 36%. But you don’t want to use anything lower in fat. The mousse won’t set very well and it will be a struggle to cut through it nicely.
Ingredients for Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe with Raspberry
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements, see the printable recipe below.
Flour
Baking Soda
Baking Powder
Salt
Granulated Sugar
Dutched Cocoa Powder
Eggs
Buttermilk
Butter
Heavy Whipping Cream
Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
Raspberry Jam
How to make a Chocolate Mousse Cake
Sift dry ingredients together as directed to make sure smooth and no lumps
Add in eggs, buttermilk, and butter and prepare for baking
The cooked cake will need to cool before adding layer and ganache
Spread raspberry jam over prepped and cooled cake.
Prepare the mousse mixture and spread over the top of the cake and smooth as needed. Chill to set.
Before serving, but once cake and mousse have chilled sufficiently, make ganache and add over top of the cake.
Chill and decorate as preferred with fresh berries or mint.
A few simple fresh berries and mint make a beautiful yet simple topping to this rich cake.
More Cake Recipes
This chocolate mousse cake recipe featuring a layer of tangy raspberry jam is a wonderful addition to your baking skills. While it does take time to cool and set, the individual layers are easy to create. This is a perfect option for making for any event. Below are some more of my favorite cake recipes to help you satisfy your craving for something rich and sweet.
- Easy Chocolate Lava Cake
- Tiramisu Cake
- Napoleon Cake
- New York Style Cheesecake Recipe
- Nutella Fudge Cake
- Berry Chantilly Cake
This Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe with Raspberry has all the flavor you desire in a decadent dessert! A moist chocolate cake base, rich and creamy mousse, and a little bit of tartness from the raspberry jam will make your mouth water.
- Ingredients for the cake:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Dutched cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 6 tbsp butter melted
- Ingredients for the mousse:
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream 36-40% fat
- 2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- For the jam layer:
- 1 lb. raspberry jam
- Ingredients for the chocolate ganache:
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
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In a large bowl sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, and Dutched cocoa powder.
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Add the 2 eggs and whisk them in. Then mix in the buttermilk.
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Mix in the melted butter.
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Line a 10 inch round baking pan with parchment paper and spray with non stick spray. Pour the chocolate cake batter into the pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes. Once it's baked flip it onto a cooling rack.
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After the cake is completely cooled, slice off the top "dome" portion of the cake using a serrated knife. This will help ensure a smoother flat top to the final cake. You can go ahead and eat the top that's been sliced off.
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Place the cake on the platter or cake stand you plan to serve it on. Open up a 9 inch spring form pan and remove the bottom of it. Place it directly on top of the cake making sure to squeeze every bit of the cake inside. The springform will help hold the mousse together until it stiffens.
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Spread the raspberry jam all over the top
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of the cake.
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Melt 2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips. Let them cool for about 2 minutes.
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Beat the heavy cream on high speed right before stiff peaks form.
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Add the melted chocolate to the heavy cream while continuing to mix.
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Pour the chocolate mousse on top of the raspberry jam and smooth it out with a decorating spatula. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours.
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After the cake has chilled and the mousse has set, slowly remove the springform and transfer the cake to cooling rack with a baking sheet on the bottom to catch all the extra chocolate that dips off.
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In a saucepan, bring 1/2 cup of heavy cream to a simmer. Pour it over 1 cup chocolate chips. Let it sit for about 1 minute then stir until smooth.
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Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake and chill in the refrigerator for another hour or until the ganache sets. Decorate the sides of the cake with anything you want. I used finely chopped chocolate.
This looks divine! I am going to try it exactly as you instructed but also wonder what to do for a sugar free version? We tried a sugar free chocolate raspberry mousse cake at a bakery in the Paris hotel, Las Vegas and the hubby loved it; which means I need a recipe to try for his upcoming birthday!
Hi Phuong, I’m so glad you came accross this recipe 🙂 A great sugar free substitute would be erythritol (I used swerve brand). And for the raspberry jam, just use a sugar free raspberry jam. I hope you and your hubby enjoy this recipe!
Thanks! I’m still a novice when it comes to baking so I will definitely give it a try and let you know how it turns out. 🙂
I made this for my daughters birthday! It was a hit so rich and flavorful thank you! I bake very seldomly but your recipe was to the point and easy to follow and it turned out great!
Alina I’m so glad to hear this recipe was easy to follow and turned out great! Happy birthday to your daughter 🙂
Absolute best cake EVER! Without a doubt this is my favorite, I’m so thankful I found this recipe
Wow, thank you for your kind words! I am so happy to hear you love this cake recipe so much.
Do you think the cake would be okay in the fridge for 2 days? I would do the ganache the day of. Thanks! Looks wonderful!
Hello Beth, yes the cake should be totally fine in the refrigerator for 2 days. Enjoy 🙂
this looks amazing! my husband doesnt like chocolate so if i was making half the recipe, what size cake pan should i use? or if i do 1/4 of the recipe, can i use a mini 4 inch pan? sorry if its a silly question
Hi Annie, thank you! I’ve never tired making this cake in a smaller cake pan so I can’t say too much about how well it will turn out.
I made this for valentine’s day and it’s absolutely delicious! My husband is a chocolate lover and requests only that so I’m always on the hunt for new chocolate cakes. This was rich and delicious….the Raspberry goes very well with it. We added sliced strawberries on top and it was perfect….thank you for the recipe!
I’m so happy you found my recipe! Thank you for leaving such great feedback! 🙂
I actually attempted to make this cake, my cousin said it should be sold at our Russian store… I did change some things to my liking but overall very chocolatey and the raspberries go so well with chocolate! I didn’t have a 10″ baking pan so I baked my chocolate cake in a 9″ pan and it worked out just fine with the springform rim. My cake didn’t look as pretty as yours as I didn’t pour the ganache over all the cake but just spread it out while still in the springform. So when I removed the springform pan you could see all the layers (cake, jam, mouse and ganache). Very creative, thank you!
Alyona thank you for the great feedback! I’m so happy it turned out well for you 🙂
This looks marvelous! I’ve never made a mousse cake before, so your discussion of the types of ingredients was really helpful.
Thank you! Glad I could help 🙂
I so want to try this! How beautiful! Great Job!
Thank you Alyona!