Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Cake is an incredibly rich and decadent dessert. This rich cake is made of layers of chocolate cake, pumpkin mousse, cream cheese mousse and chocolate ganache.
I can’t believe that fall is just around the corner. August always makes me crave all the fall flavors. This week I brought out my all time favorite fall flavor of pumpkin. You can never go wrong with a pumpkin chocolate combination.
When you sit down to devour this dessert, you will find that the cake alone is very rich, almost like eating fudge but in the best way possible. But, I take that rich cake up a notch and fill it with a fluffy pumpkin mousse and cream cheese mousse.
And, then comes the best part in my opinion, a thick creamy layer of rich chocolate ganache. When you add these layers together you come out with a delicious Mousse cake that is beyond to wow your family.
What is mousse
A mousse is a mixture of whipped cream and pudding. And, sometimes other flavors are added to create unique tastes.
Mousse cakes were popularized in the late 19th century with chefs learning how to whip egg whites and chocolate in order to build layers of soft, fluffy cake that wouldn’t crack when stacked high with icing or coated in chocolate. The best part about mousse cakes is that they look beautiful and taste even better!
I love creating a cake that looks like an elegant masterpiece in the mixing bowl without hours of effort. My Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Cake does just that, it’s elegantly delicious with very little time spent on the decorating end.
What is chocolate ganache
Chocolate ganache is a spreadable chocolate made from mixing heavy cream and dark chocolate. The best part about this decadent frosting is that it hardens quickly once mixed, allowing you to create beautiful designs on your cake with ease.
You can make Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Cake for any holiday or special occasion, but the best time to make this cake, in my opinion, is Halloween!
What kind of pan do I need to make this mousse cake
To make this cake you will need a 9 inch cake pan along with a cake collar. You can use an 8 inch cake pan if that is what you have, but you will need the extra room in the 9 inch pan.
Can I freeze Chocolate pumpkin mousse cake
You can freeze chocolate mousse cake for up to two months. Thaw the day before at room temperature. Remove the collar from frozen cake and re-roll in plastic wrap until ready to serve.
How do I store Chocolate pumpkin mousse cake
You can store Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Cake for up to two days. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap. You will want to store your cake in the fridge at all times. It is important that we keep the mousse cold.
How do I cut a Chocolate pumpkin mousse cake
Be sure to use a sharp knife when cutting your cake. Dip the blade into hot water then wipe dry before each cut. Cut straight down, never saw through or wiggle side to side.
What special tools do I need to make mousse cake
- Cake Collar
- Chopstick or skewer
- Squeeze bottle or piping bag with medium round tip
What is a cake collar
Cake collars are special pieces of thick plastic that create a tight seal around the neck of your cake pan. Cake collars are used to remove the cake from it’s pan easily after cooling.
Be sure to use a baking spray before adding the collar if you have any issues with sticking like I do in my chocolate pumpkin mousse cake recipe. Here is a link for a cake collar similar to what I used.
Ingredients for Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Cake
CAKE INGREDIENTS
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vanilla
MOUSSE INGREDIENTS (PUMPKIN AND CREAM CHEESE LAYERS)
- 1 cup of pumpkin puree
- One package of vanilla pudding mix split
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 – ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips melted
GANACHE INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
How to make Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients for the cake.
Add in the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla. Mix well.
Add in the hot water and mix until everything is combined.
Prepare a 9” cake pan (8” would also work) by lining the bottom with parchment paper and spraying with non-stick baking spray.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in a preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until cooked all the way through.
Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool completely.
When your cake has cooled, slice the top off to create a very flat surface.
Place the cake cut side down either onto a serving plate, cake stand, or a round cake board.
Fit the cake with a cake collar and trim down if necessary.
Chocolate Mousse Directions
To create the two mousses make sure your cream cheese and butter are very soft. Start by whipping 1.5 cups heavy cream with the powdered sugar until it has formed stiff peaks.
In a separate bowl mix together the pumpkin, pumpkin spice, salt, and ½ of the vanilla pudding mix.
Take about ⅓ of the whipped cream and add it to the pumpkin mixture, fold to combine.
Spoon dollops of the pumpkin mousse onto the chocolate cake inside of the cake collar, starting in the middle and slowly press the mousse to the edges so that it presses against the cake collar. Try to smooth it out as evenly as possible.
Cream Cheese Mousse Directions
To make the cream cheese mousse, make sure your cream cheese and butter are very soft.
Remove the whipped cream from your mixer and set aside. (no need to wash/rinse the mixing bowl)
Add the butter and cream cheese to the now empty mixer, whip to combine.
Add in the other ½ of the vanilla pudding mix, as well as the melted white chocolate chips.
Once the mixture has come together and is smooth, fold in the remainder of the whipped cream.
Spoon the cream cheese mousse over the top of the pumpkin mousse, if the pumpkin mousse is too soft and it feels like you cannot easily spread the cream cheese mousse on top, stop and put the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes, then try again.
Spread the cream cheese mousse into an even layer and put in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. These mousse layers are delicious.
Chocolate Ganache Directions
Once the cake has chilled, make the chocolate ganache by heating 1 cup of cream in a saucepan or microwave safe bowl and heat just until it almost boils, then remove from heat and add in the dark chocolate chips. Let this sit without stirring for a couple minutes, then gently mix together until combined.
Repeat this process in a separate container for the white chocolate chips and the 2 Tablespoons of cream. When the white ganache is ready, pour into a small squeeze bottle or piping bag.
Pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the cream cheese mousse, lift the cake and gently/carefully tilt the cake to let the ganache cover the top.
At this point you can stop and leave the cake as is or make any design you desire on top. I LOVE doing this easy spider web design.
Use the squeeze bottle of white ganache to create circles like a bullseye on the top of the cake.
Using a chopstick or blunt side of a skewer, draw a line in the ganache starting from the whit center, all the way out to the edge. This will create a cobweb design, continue to draw lines out from the center of the cake, wiping off any excess ganache from your chopstick each time, until you have as many lines as you desire.
Place the cake back into the fridge for at least 8 hours.
When it is time to serve. Remove the cake collar and serve.
Tips
- This cake is absolutely divine, rich and silky in all the best ways.
- I recommend using a knife dipped in hot water before each cut to cut the cake and get cleaner slices.
- You can create any design on the top, you do not need to make a cobweb.
- If you find the cake to be very soft, put it back in the fridge for 30 minutes before cutting.
- I used leftover homemade pumpkin puree as my mousse, but a can of store bought would work just fine also. This is best eaten chilled.
This recipe is the perfect treat for any occasion and can be made in a variety of ways. You can use store-bought pumpkin puree, or you can make your own. This cake is best served chilled which allows all the flavors to come together as they set over time from mixing and baking.
It also makes it easier to cut slices when using a knife dipped in hot water before each slice! If you are looking for an easy dessert that will blow people away, give this cake a try today!
This Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse is not only great for Halloween but it makes for an elegant and rich dessert on your Thanksgiving dessert table. Let me know in the comments below if you try this delicious fall cake recipe.
More Delicious Fall Recipes
Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Cake
Equipment
- Cake Collar
- Chopstick or skewer
- Squeeze bottle or piping bag with medium round tip
Ingredients
CAKE INGREDIENTS
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vanilla
MOUSSE INGREDIENTS (Cream Cheese Mousse and Pumpkin Mousse Layers)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 pkg vanilla pudding mix split
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 - ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Cheesecake Layer
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips melted
GANACHE INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
Chocolate Cake Layer
- Get out and measure all of your ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients for the cake.
- Add in the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla. Mix well.
- Add in the hot water and mix until everything is combined.
- Prepare a 9” cake pan (8” would also work) by lining the bottom with parchment paper and spraying with non stick baking spray.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until cooked all the way through.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool completely.
- When your cake has cooled, slice the top off to create a very flat surface.
- Place the cake cut side down either onto a serving plate, cake stand, or a round cake board.
- Fit the cake with a cake collar and trim down if necessary. Set aside.
Pumpkin Mousse
- Get out and measure your ingredients.
- To create the two mousses start by whipping 1.5 cups heavy cream with the powdered sugar until it has formed stiff peaks.
- In a separate bowl mix together the pumpkin, pumpkin spice, salt, and ½ of the vanilla pudding mix.
- Take about ⅓ of the whipped cream and add it to the pumpkin mixture
- Fold to combine.
Cream Cheese Mousse Layer
- Remove the whipped cream from your mixer and set aside. (no need to wash/rinse the mixing bowl)
- Add the butter and cream cheese to the now empty mixer
- Whip to combine.
- Add in the other ½ of the vanilla pudding mix, as well as the melted white chocolate chips.
- Once the mixture has come together and is smooth, fold in the remainder of the whipped cream.
Building the Cake
- Have cake ready inside collar with pumpkin and cream cheese mousse ready.
- Spoon dollops of the pumpkin mousse onto the chocolate cake inside of the cake collar, starting in the middle.
- Slowly press the mousse to the edges so that it presses against the cake collar.
- Try to smooth it out as evenly as possible.
- Do your best.
- Spoon the cream cheese mousse over the top of the pumpkin mousse, if the pumpkin mousse is too soft and it feels like you cannot easily spread the cream cheese mousse on top, stop and put the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes, then try again.
- Spread the cream cheese mousse into an even layer and put in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
Chocolate Ganache
- Once the cake has chilled, make the chocolate ganache by heating 1 cup of cream in a saucepan or microwave safe bowl and heat just until it almost boils, then remove from heat and add in the dark chocolate chips. Let this sit without stirring for a couple minutes, then gently mix together until combined.
- Repeat this process in a separate container for the white chocolate chips and the 2 Tablespoons of cream. When the white ganache is ready, pour into a small squeeze bottle or piping bag.
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the cream cheese mousse, lift the cake and gently/carefully tilt the cake to let the ganache cover the top.
- Use the squeeze bottle of white ganache to create circles like a bullseye on the top of the cake.
- Using a chopstick or blunt side of a skewer, draw a line in the ganache starting from the whit center, all the way out to the edge. This will create a cobweb design, continue to draw lines out from the center of the cake, wiping off any excess ganache from your chopstick each time, until you have as many lines as you desire.
- Place the cake back into the fridge, covered, for at least 8 hours.
- When it is time to serve remove the cake collar.
- Place on serving plate.
- Enjoy every bite!
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