Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Cake

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Cake

Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Cake is an incredibly rich and decadent fall dessert. This amazing cake is made of layers of chocolate cake, creamy pumpkin mousse, luscious cream cheese mousse, and a rich chocolate ganache.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Chill Time, divided10

Total Time11

Servings:

Calories: 884kcal

Author: Karin and Ken

Ingredients

CAKE INGREDIENTS

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cups sugar
½ cup milk
½ cup hot water
2 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

MOUSSE INGREDIENTS (Cream Cheese Mousse and Pumpkin Mousse Layers)

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 pkg vanilla pudding mix divided
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie 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

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

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.

Notes

Tips:

Spray cake collar with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
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.
This cake is best served chilled which allows all the flavors to come together as they set over time from mixing and baking.
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.

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