Elegant, moist and delicious Chocolate Mousse Cake recipe filled with an easy homemade chocolate mousse, and warm chocolate frosting poured on top.

Want more cake recipes? Try my German Chocolate Cake, Berry Cake, or Coconut Cake with Pineapple Filling!

A slice of chocolate mousse cake on a plate.

Why I love this easy mousse cake:

  • Prep Ahead – The chocolate mousse recipe couldn’t be easier to make, and you can prep everything in advance!
  • Elegant – Fancy enough to impress any guests, especially a chocolate lover!
  • Delicious – The chocolate cake is moist and divine. The chocolate mousse filling is creamy and pairs perfectly with the cake. This will become your new favorite cake!

How to make Chocolate Mousse:

Make the Mousse: Start by mixing the cocoa powder and hot water together until smooth. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, or using a double boiler. Add the cocoa powder mixture to the melted chocolate and stir until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Whip the cream and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until very stiff peaks. Add the cooled melted chocolate and gently fold the mixture together to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Two process photos for making homemade chocolate mousse.

How to make Chocolate Mousse Cake:

Bake Chocolate Cake: Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water then pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (If you don’t want to make the cake from scratch, you can use a box cake mix).

Halve the Cake Rounds: Once the cakes have cooled use a sharp serrated knife to torte them in half, lengthwise, so you have four thin layers of chocolate cake.

A baked chocolate cake round being cut in half, horizontally.

Stack Cake with Mousse Filling: Place the first cake layer on your serving tray. Smooth a thin layer of chocolate mousse over it, and top with the next layer of cake. Repeat to assemble a cake with chocolate mousse between each layer. Smooth any extra chocolate mousse you have over the outsides of the entire cake to make a”crumb” coat to seal the cake.

Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes (or up to 1-2 days, covered) while you make the chocolate frosting.

A chocolate cake round on a plate with mousse added on top, then additional cake layers stacked, with mousse between each layer.

Make Frosting: Combine milk, cocoa, and butter in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and mix with electric beaters to get rid of any lumps. Cool for at least 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be sure to allow the frosting to cool long enough. You want it soft enough to still be “pourable” but you don’t want it to be so warm that it melts the mousse into a puddle.

Warm chocolate frosting being poured over a chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse.

Pro Tip: Lay pieces of parchment paper around, and gently under the edges of the cake to catch the frosting as it drips down. I usually just pour the frosting slowly and catch it as it comes down the sides of the cake, smoothing it along the sides of the cake.

A chocolate mousse cake with a slice removed from it.

Make Ahead Instructions:

  • Chocolate Mousse: Place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Fold it again gently with a spatula before using. But the texture is best the day of.
  • Cake Rounds: These can be made in advance and frozen. Once baked, cool them completely and then wrap them in a double layer of plastic wrap. Place in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

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Recipe

A slice of chocolate mousse cake on a plate.
Prep 40 minutes
Cook 40 minutes
Cool time 45 minutes
Total 2 hours 5 minutes
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Ingredients
 
 

Chocolate Cake:

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water , or hot coffee

Chocolate Mousse:

  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Chocolate Frosting:

  • 6 Tablespoons milk
  • 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup butter (one stick)
  • 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions
 

Chocolate Cake:

  • Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8 or 9 inch round baking pans. (I like to line the bottom of mine with wax or parchment paper).
  • Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
  • Add eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.
  • Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
  • Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
  • Allow cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then remove to wire cooling racks. Cool completely. (You could freeze the cake rounds at this point, if desired.)

Chocolate Mousse:

  • Stir the cocoa powder and hot water together.  In a double-boiler (or in the microwave) melt the chocolate chips, just until smooth.  Add the cocoa mixture to the melted chocolate chips and stir well to combine.  Allow to cool to room temperature.
  • In a separate large bowl, beat the cream and sugar until very stiff peaks form.  Add the chocolate mixture and fold in with a spatula until well combined.  Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 5 days.

Chocolate frosting:

  • In a medium saucepan, add milk, cocoa, and butter.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.
  • Add powdered sugar and mix with electric beaters to get rid of any lumps.  Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Assembly:

  • Once cakes have cooled, use a sharp serrated knife to torte each cake (cut each cake evenly in half, horizontally, so that you end up with four, thin, 9” cake pieces).
  • Place your first cake layer on your cake serving plate. Spread a big spoonful of mousse on top of that cake layer. Repeat with the remaining cake layers, adding a layer of mousse filling between each layer of cake.
  • Use remaining mousse filling to spread it evenly around the entire outside and top of the cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • (I usually make the warm chocolate frosting while the cake is in the fridge.)
  • Remove cake from fridge and very slowly pour the cooled chocolate frosting over the top. Use a spatula or knife to gently spread the frosting evenly over the outside of the cake as you pour. 
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Chocolate cake recipe is the Hershey’s Chocolate cake
Make Ahead Instructions:
  • Mousse: Place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Fold it again gently with a spatula before using. But the texture is best the day of.
  • Cake Rounds: These can be made in advance and frozen. Once baked, cool them completely and then wrap them in a double layer of plastic wrap. Place in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 583kcalCarbohydrates: 85gProtein: 6gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 357mgPotassium: 345mgFiber: 4gSugar: 66gVitamin A: 370IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 106mgIron: 3mg

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*I first shared this recipe in May 2014. Updated May 2018 and February 2022.

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

    1. I had the same problem. I was going to use dowell’s the next time but I started making two 6 inch cakes instead of one 9 inch so now I have a lot less sliding.

  1. 5 stars
    I am not a fan of chocolate. I made this for my neighbor and tried a small piece and that was it. I now make this cake at least once a month. My neighbor gets half and I keep the rest.

    Thanks, best chocolate mousse cake I’ve had.

  2. 5 stars
    Wow, this cake made my husband’s birthday party a huge success! Everybody was raving about it.
    I also had the issue with runny frosting everywhere, any suggestions on how to fix it? I scooped it up and put it back on the cake every like 10-15 minutes while it was chilling in the fridge, but that didn’t really help.
    Thanks for this great recipe!

  3. Hi, how long can I leave the cocoa and melted chocolate chip mixture out at room temp, before mixing with the whipped cream? Would a few days be ok?

  4. I love making this cake and it is fondly referred to as Death by Chocolate due to ALL of the contents and end result. It is made every year for my husband’s bday (June 8th) upon request; however, the ganache always overflows and ends up over the sides of the cake plate and onto the counter it goes. I don’t use all of the mousse or ganache on the final cake but yet it still flows.. Suggestions?

  5. 2 stars
    The cake itself was good but the mousse came out very bitter. I kept checking to make sure I didn’t put in too little sugar in it and I used the exact amount as recipe. I am going to try to double the sugar for the mousse and see how it goes.

    1. Next time try “blooming” the cocoa. I didn’t understand the importance to it until recently. Add 1/4 cup of hot coffee or espresso powder mixed with hot water mixed with the recipe’s amount of cocoa powder. This step is crucial because it matures and brings out the flavor, sweetness and richness of the chocolate and it will make a huge difference.

  6. 5 stars
    Made my first layer cake for my birthday (added raspberry preserves in between the layers) and reminded me of the cake I used to get from a local bakery that closed a few years ago. So yummy and moist! Will definitely make again!! Thank you

  7. I don’t know what happened, but I am an experienced baker and this was a total fail. The cake overflowed all over the oven and just didn’t bake. The mousse was a mess — as soon as the chocolate hit the cream it seized — so I made it again, thinking that I would let both get to room to temp to no avail — just a bit less blobs of chocolate. And the frosting looks NOTHING like the picture. Sounded and looked like a great recipe

  8. I just made the cake. My layers were not done at the recommended time of 25-30 minutes. It took almost 8 minutes longer for 9 inch pans. I did test with a toothpick and the cake edges start to pull away from the pans just a tiny bit when ready to pull out of the oven. I added a little espresso powder with the boiling water. The mousse is delicious!

  9. 5 stars
    Chocolate mousse requires way more sugar than recipe says. Two table spoons isn’t enough to form stiff peaks with heavy whipping cream. At least 4 times more sugar. I didn’t measure exactly how much sugar I had to add; just waited for stiff peaks formated.

    1. For those who don’t know, the sugar has nothing to do with this. It just takes a while for stiff peaks to form (8-9 minutes). My guess is by the time the extra sugar was added he was hitting this time frame.

  10. Our family loves this cake, and we aren’t ‘cake eaters’. It is so delicious! However, I need tips on the frosting. My cake always looks ugly with globs of frosting on the sides … but it doesn’t keep us from eating it.

    1. It’s so hard to say without being there and watching the process. It could be underbaked which will cause a rise but then fall after they come out. Did you use a toothpick in the center to check them?

  11. 5 stars
    A super, delicious cake! Thank you, for sharing this recipe. My family loved it. Mousse was perfectly light, chocolatey and not overly sweet. The perfect filling for a moist, chocolate cake. The bad thing is that it didn’t last long.:)

  12. The cake and mousse recipe is to die for. I took out the sugar for the frosting and icing as i feel there’s too much sweetness with the chocolate chips and the cocoa powder. Other than that its great as is, I use dark chocolate chips. Thank you!

  13. 5 stars
    Made this for a friend’s birthday–everyone raved about it! First time I ever cut layers to make a 4 layer cake–was nervous about that but it turned out great–I did end up with too much mousse and too much frosting, though.

  14. 5 stars
    Love this recipe it is my go to chocolate cake recipe always 🙂 I wanted to ask you if I could make this as a vanilla cake or is there a recipe you could recommend please

    Thanks

  15. 5 stars
    this is the BEST chocolate cake and mousse recipe I have ever tried. It will be the chocolate cake recipe forever!!

  16. 5 stars
    The cake was very good. However the chocolate mousse didn’t turn out for me. I’m not sure if it was that I used a Kitchen Aid Handheld mixer. It didn’t seem to be strong to whip the cream to stiff peaks. It turned out more like melting chocolate ice cream. Any tips or tricks would be helpful.. It’s still tasted good though.

  17. 3 stars
    Tastes nice but too runny. I would advise to add cornflour to the egg mixture when heating up. This way it will help thicken when you add all the ingredients together. I added it add the end and even though I heated it gently with some cream, I have a pasty taste.

  18. 4 stars
    The cake and chocolate mousse were yummy! Not a fan of the chocolate frosting…was actually too sweet for my sweet tooth!

  19. I think the cake is good, moose not so much. I wish I only put 1/2 the chocolate in the whipping cream, it’s strong. Definitely not using chocolate frosting, I think it’s to much chocolate. Not sure I’ll even use the mousse.

  20. 5 stars
    Omg this is my favorite chocolate cake recipe!!! I made this twice already and it was a hit each time! Absolutely delicious and perfect chocolate cake. I’m definitely saving this as my go to!

  21. 5 stars
    I made this cake for a baby sprinkle, the couple wanted a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. I’m not big on chocolate on chocolate but came across this recipe. DELICIOUS. This will now be my go to chocolate cake recipe-and it tastes even better the next day! It came out absolutely perfect, thank you for sharing!

  22. 5 stars
    I substituted the boiling hot water in the cake mix, and the hot water in the mousse, with hot mocha espresso coffee…OMG, DELICIOUS! l LOVE THIS RECIPE!

  23. I haven’t made this cake yet!!!!, but I’m sure looking forward to it, it looks delicious and I love chocolate mousse . Thank you for this recipe 🍰❤

  24. 5 stars
    Hi, I’ve made this cake a few times and it’s amazing! My whole family love it. Thanks so much ! I wanted to ask could I make it a orange cake and how would I modify the receipe please ? Thanks

  25. 5 stars
    Best ganache chocolate cake I’ve ever seen, the mousse turned out perfect!!! Thank you so much for sharing!

  26. 5 stars
    The mousse looks amazing, but I do have a question. Does the mousse set up firm in the fridge or does it remain soft? I imagine it’s soft. AND ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. I gotta make this. Soon.

  27. First time making this excellent cake, everyone
    loved the it was rich but delicious. I memorized
    the recipe by heart will make it again. Thank you

  28. 5 stars
    Super good, but my cake kinda fell apart I even buttered and floured the pan not sure what I did wrong, but the recipe is 10/10 I loved it.

    1. The batter is too wet for butter and flour to not stick to the pan, you need to butter the pan and use greaseproof paper on both the bottom and sides (aka baking paper/parchment)

  29. I’ve been making the Hershey chocolate cake & icing for many years & it’s always a favorite! Adding this delicious mousse to the layers sends it over the top! Thanks for sharing!

  30. This is by far the best chocolate cake ever. I made it for the first time yesterday for a small dinner party and my husband (who is not particularly a chocolate lover) said it was the best cake he’s ever had. It’s moist and very rich, the mousse is wonderful with enough structure to stand up to the cake layers. It’s a little more work to make but well worth it.

  31. 5 stars
    This is by far the best chocolate mousse cake recipe. I made this for Christmas and was shocked by how delicious it was! In the past when I’ve made it before, it was either too sweet or the cake wasn’t good. The chocolate cake was PERFECT. And the mousse, absolutely divine!! I will say though, I read some comments before baking and someone said it was too sweet so I cut the sugar from 2 cups to 1 1/3. And for the mousse, I used 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips. AMAZING. Tastes like a professional made it. Saving this recipe for the future!

  32. 5 stars
    I have just made this wonderful cake and can honestly say it is THE best recipe I have ever followed. Not only does it turn out perfectly, the chocolate mousse filling is divine. Definitely one to keep and pass on..

  33. I’ve been making this recipe( Hershey’s cake) with two layers instead of four. I’ve been using a different mousse, but this one looks better. My husband requests this cake for his birthday every year (Dec.15).

  34. 5 stars
    Everyone loved this cake. I will be using your recipe for a wedding cake. How many mixture quantities would I need for 3 layers in a 30cm cake tin? It may be safer fir me to bake each layer separately.
    Could I cover this cake with a chocolate buttercream crumb coat and then a firm white chocolate ganache?
    Thanks for your help
    Jacqui
    South Africa

  35. I made this cake today for my son’s birthday.
    I cheated and used a boxed cake mix.
    The chocolate mousse was outstanding! Also it was
    quite easy. I left out the frosting (time constraints).
    Will definitely make again using 2 boxes of cake mix
    so I will end up with 4 separate cakes to fill with mousse and
    will not have to worry about slicing them.
    I will also try the pour over frosting next time.
    But if you’re pressed
    for time, just a box cake mix and the mousse make a delicious (and easy!)
    cake. Also because I used semi-sweet chocolate chips I used half the sugar
    called for in the recipe for the mousse. Yum!

  36. Hello: Can this cake be cut into individual slices and frozen? I would be the only one eating it and would like to grab a piece every couple of weeks as a treat. It looks great.

    1. That should work. I would be sure to wrap each piece really well in plastic wrap before placing in a freezer safe bag. Also be sure to get out as much air from the bag or container as you can to prevent it from drying out or freezer burn.

  37. 5 stars
    I made this cake for my brothers birthday. He is a chocolate lover. I ran out of time for the outer layer, but the cake came out perfect, I also make three layers because I don’t trust myself splitting layers of cake. I can’t wait to make this cake again

  38. 4 stars
    This cake is good and was so much fun to make. Even though I am a seasoned baker, I really enjoyed making this cake because it was challenging and a lot of work. I was very proud of the end result. It was so terribly sweet, however, that everybody (even the teenagers) took about four bites and couldn’t eat any more. It is ridiculously sweet. I think half the sugar would be enough but honestly, I’m probably going to try it for the next big event with 25% less sugar and go from there. It would be so much more enjoyable if it were less sweet. I put parchment paper in the pans, as recommended and they came out no problem. I used most of the mousse… I divided it into four portions and put a portion on each layer, then the last portion I frosted the entire cake with, including the sides, to “glue” the crumbs on. That was a brilliant suggestion. I ended up only needing about half of the last portion for that. I put parchment on the cake pedestal before I frosted and was so glad I did. The final product looked very nice. I wish I could attach two pictures. Oh, well. Enjoy! And thanks for a great recipe!

  39. 5 stars
    This is the best cake I have ever made! It was a special iso birthday cake for my partner, who enjoyed it very much.

  40. 5 stars
    This cake is AMAZING. My mom made it for my dad’s birthday while we are on vacation and we’ve had it the last two nights. It is So so good. I’ve never had a frosting like this, but I love it. We are going to be making this on a regular basis now! It’s a winner!

  41. 5 stars
    I made this and it was a hit!!!! Everything about it was delicious…..how would I convert this into cupcakes?

  42. 5 stars
    I have baked a number of cakes over the years and this is by far THE BEST recipe I have discovered. It was the first time a desert I made tasted like it came straight from a high class restaurant. I’ve made this cake several times and everyone who’s tried it is similarly blown away. It’s everything you want in a cake, rich but not super sweet and completely satisfying.

  43. I tried this recipe twice, since the first time it was so good. But the second time, i realized that the first time I forgot to stir in the boiling water with the cake batter. I did do it the second time, but it ended up having to cook for a way longer time than it was supposed to. And, when I took them out of the pans, they were really under baked still. It ended up being a chocolate-y mess. This bugs me because the first time when I didn’t add the boiling water, it tasted fine.

  44. 5 stars
    Best Chocolate Mousse cake ever!! I made this for my daughters birthday and she was so happy. Everyone else loved it too!! I used buttermilk instead of milk, but followed the rest of the ingredients.

  45. 3 stars
    I made this last night for this evening’s dinner. As other comments this has a lot of ingredients . The issue I had was when I went to cut the cakes with serrated knife they slightly fell apart. I had let the cakes cool for a couple of hours so not sure what happened. The frosting was a little too thick but I made it work. The end result didn’t look too great but with the frosting I hid the flaws. I think next time I make it I won’t cut the cakes and just use two layers. It also did make a lot more mousse than what was needed. The taste was great as my family did enjoy the taste. I did not use chocolate chips and instead used baking chocolate bars (ghiradelli) instead. I will try again with my modifications as my family did enjoy it.

  46. 3 stars
    Do *NOT* use an 8 inch pan to bake the cakes. This cake requires a 9 inch pan at least. I used 8 inch pan and the batter rose and overflowed both pans in the oven and made a huge burned mess. I now have to clean my oven and grills. Apart from that, the cake was good. The recipe made more mousse than I needed – especially if applying it as in the photographs. Very rich and decadent. I decorated with maraschino cherries on top.

    1. Somehow I suspect that you put all batter in one pan instead of dividing it into two parts. The recipe calls for two pan forms into which you divide the dough. And the amount of frosting is for two rounds baked separately. Please, clarify. Thank you.

    2. 5 stars
      Same thing happened to me. The next time, I use 8 inch pans, I will make 3 pans of cake batter or just go with 2, 9inch pans. Other than that, cake was delicious!

  47. 3 stars
    Just made it. Lots of ingredients went into this cake for it to completely taste like packated cake off the shelf. Sadly that was my very first impression. Really wanted to make something that was delicious.
    On the other hand the cake is moist, almost like a mud cake.

  48. 5 stars
    I followed the recipe and the cake was delicious. After laying the mousse between the layers and on the top and sides of the cake, I decided not to make the chocolate frosting. I thought the cake looked and tasted great “as is” and didn’t need the additional ingredients- almost 4 cups of confectioner’s sugar and stick a butter. My husband had asked for a chocolate mousse cake for his b-day and we all loved the cake. When I divided each cake in two, I used plain dental floss as advised on another website and it was so easy.

    1. Hi, I’ve tried this recipe and it was delicious but I would like to know if you have an eggless option for the cake?

      1. 5 stars
        Lauren, thanks so much for your time in giving such explicit and detailed instructions for an amazing chocolate cake – only posting this because Sherry asked for an eggless version and my Vinegar & Oil Chocolate Cake fits the bill as it uses no eggs or dairy. Stir together 3 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 9 Tblsp. unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tsp. baking soda & 1 tsp. salt. Stir in – by hand – 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 Tblsp. apple cider vinegar & 1 tsp. vanilla extract (consistency will be VERY thick paste.). Stir in 2 cups water (1 cup at a time) just to batter consistency – okay for some lumps to remain. Divide between 2 prepared 9” cake pans and bake in preheated 375 oven for 20 – 25 minutes. Sounds weird, but this is my most requested cake recipe and one I used years ago in restaurant. HOWEVER, I’m addicted now to Lauren’s chocolate mousse and ganache frosting, and use them regardless of which cake recipe I make!

  49. Just made the cake and have lots of mousse filling left over – any ideas how I can use it up or if I can freeze it for when I make the cake again? Thanks!!

  50. 4 stars
    I made the cake the other day and everything worked out perfectly. The cake was nice and moist, and came out of my Pam’s no problem, I only used grease and flour.
    I went to make another one more recently and I opened the oven to find that my batter had gone over the edges and the center didn’t seem done still. Anyone have any suggestions or insights?

    1. 4 stars
      I’ve made the Hershey’s chocolate cake several times and love it. Made it tonight with buttermilk instead of milk and it turned out weird… It was dense add chewy… Not great. I don’t recommend using buttermilk here!

      The rest of the parts were great!

  51. Very disappointed. Made the cake and followed instructions. Cakes looked fine when came out the oven. They looked OK when I cut them in half. But once I stocked them on top of each other with the mousse in the middle, the cakes started to crumble badly and completely broke off into a huge mess. I put a lot of effort into this. My friend bought the ingredients for me because I’m avoiding going to the store during the Coronavirus. My daughter asked for this cake for her birthday and now I don’t have a cake for her and will have to bake something very basic for her birthday with whatever ingredients are left in my pantry. I buttered the pans and floured them. The cake didn’t stick and seemed fine. The problem was that the cake crumbled and big parts of it broke off after laying it. Big mess. I had to toss it all out. If you are considering baking this cake, consider again. I wish I read the reviews before deciding to make this.

  52. Made cake and mousse last night and refrigerated. Making frosting in a bit and then assembling. Question— do I leave mousse get to room temp first before spreading?
    Thanks. Can’t wait to try a piece!

  53. 5 stars
    I Used parchment paper and then sprayed it with Bakers Joy and did not have any trouble at all with the cake coming out… It was absolutely delicious and a big hit. It will become one of my favorite go-to desserts.

  54. I also had trouble with my cake layers sticking to the pan. I threw away the first cake. I’ll make it again with the mousse filling and frosting. But I will use a more reliable recipe for the cake itself.

    1. 5 stars
      I made this for my husband’s birthday this past weekend and I could NOT believe how DELLLLICIOUS and MOIST it was! Its incredible. I made the cake Friday, used parchment and spray with no issues. I tasted tiny bits that fell off and was a bit disappointed…just kinda tasted normal, nothing special. I let it sit in the fridge until Saturday evening when I put it all together and WOW! The cake part was incredible, the mousse was my husband’s favorite part, and the frosting my daughter’s fav. Will FOR SURE make this again! THANK YOU!

    2. I have made this cake recipe for years, and it has always come out perfectly. Do you live at a higher elevation where adjustments need to be made? I use Crisco to grease pan, add waxed paper circle (and grease it), then flour the whole pan.

  55. 5 stars
    I made the mousse filling for a smash cake. It was delicious. Don’t skimp on the sugar. I did at first since it’s for a baby. And the chocolate was too bitter. Added the sugar and it balance it right out.

    Thanks for sharing!

  56. 1 star
    I was so excited to make this cake. Prepared pans exactly how in recipe, but when I tried to remove cake from pan the cake broke in half and fell completely apart. I’ve never had a cake do that before. So crumbly that it doesn’t seem to want to stay together. It’s weird because its seems moist at the same time. Not sure what happened, very disappointed.

    1. If you try to turn a cake out straight away it will break. Leave it in the tin to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before turning it out

  57. 5 stars
    This cake is delicious! I had no trouble with the cake layers or the mousse, but I did have trouble with the frosting. As soon as the ingredients came to a boil, the butter separated and would not mix with the cocoa. I tried lowering the heat to get it to re-combine but no luck. The mixture seemed fine until it reached the boiling point. I ended up using a chocolate ganache that I had made before and it worked great with the cake. Any thoughts on what happened with the butter separating from the mixture? (I use Kerry Gold unsalted butter.). Thank you !

  58. 5 stars
    Great recipe. I used brown sugar instead and the amount of sweet was perfect. I like that you have the recipe and the instructions for all three elements, cake, the filling and icing. Thanks sharing

  59. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe! The whole family loved it so much, especially the mousse. Thank you!

  60. I made the choc. mousse cake everything came out just right except the frosting is not portable it is thick. How can I make it pourable

  61. 5 stars
    This cake is delicious! Just the right amount of sweetness and not too rich to eat a whole piece. Assembly was a bit tough, mostly probably due to my error. The layers were so thin two of them crumbled a bit, so I had to use spatulas and an extra set of hands to gently place the layers on. Definitely worth making, and a new favorite in our house! The recipe is not as complicated as you’d think with how delicious it looks!

  62. Hi Lauren,
    Thank you for the recipe. For religious purposes my family can’t have milk and meat together and usually our meals consist of meat, so I was wondering what can I substitute the milk with so that the cake isn’t dairy anymore but would still taste as great.
    Thank you!

  63. I need to make this filling for big cake how do I know the serving sizes? Should I double the receipt? I am making 10×3 pan (2x) and an 8×8 pan (2x)

  64. Hi Lauren,

    This recipe seems so lovely.I was wondering if i can make this instead of the chocolate frosting use a vanilla buttercream frosting for the cake.It seems confusing(i know).Any thoughts?Or do u think i should not do it just because my mind is running wild with weird ideas?

  65. Trying this today! When it says “butter” should I use salted or unsalted?

    Thanks!!! Looks delish!!

  66. 5 stars
    Five stars. The first time I made the cake, it was perfect. The second time, because I was in a hurry, my cakes started to slide. Since the mousse was already on the cakes, I placed them in a pretty glass bowl, poured the chocolate frosting on top, then sprinkled pecans all over. The glass bowl was beautiful and the desert was delicious. Only my daughter knew the truth!

  67. Hi Lauren!

    Love this recipe! Was going to try making it a chocolate bourbon mousse. My friend loves bourbon and wanted to spice it up a bit!! Would you recommend cutting the water in half and replacing it with bourbon or just adding bourbon to this recipe. I’m afraid that the second option would change the consistency. Thanks for your advice!!

    1. It’s hard to say for sure without testing it myself but I would use a little less water (not 1/2 cup less–more like 1/4 cup) and substitute a splash of the bourbon.

  68. 4 stars
    I made this for the time and my cakes fell apart. Not your fault of course but if anyone can help me figure out why I’d greatly appreciate it. I made them into cake cups instead since my cakes fell apart. They were too moist.

    1. When I was in a hurry and my layers began to slide, I scooped them up, placed them in a pretty punch bowl, spread the chocolate frosting and sprinkled it with chopped pecans. A bowl dessert! Yum!

      1. Hi Lauren. For the mousse do you boil the water first, add then add the water the cocoa powder or do you heat the water and cocoa powder together in a double boiler?

        Thanks!

    1. Sure–you could scoop a small hole inside each cupcake to pipe the mousse in. The cupcakes will bake at the same temp for about 22-25 minutes.

  69. It was my first time making Chocolate Mousse. The mousse came out very light and creamy. I can’t wait for my family and friends to try it! I am making it for my son, who will be home for Spring Break. Thanks for the recipe. The cake is cooling in the fridge now.

  70. 5 stars
    Loved this recipe! So delicious. Mousse so, so good! I was pressed for time so I used boxed cake but next time I’ll try this cake recipe. I got so many compliments on how good the cake tasted. It was a big hit. My favorite was the mousse. It was so good! Since I was in a rush I kind of messed up putting the warm icing on the cold mousse covered cake. The recipe warned that this could happen so totally my fault. It didn’t look as pretty because of this but it tasted so good. Definitely a keeper and will make again when I have more time.

  71. 4 stars
    The cake looks delicious! Cake with chocolate frosting has been and always will be my favorite kind of cake. Where did you get the recipe from?

  72. 5 stars
    I made this for my nephew in laws 40th birthday. I followed the directions as written except I used a 1/2 sheet pan, each layer was 2 recipes. I baked each layer around 50 to 55 minutes at 325 degrees. I tripled the mousse recipe to make sure I had a nice thick layer. I did use my old stand by ganache recipe for the frosting. It was a huge hit with everyone! Thanks for the recipe. I now have a special request to bring this cake to Thanksgiving but not as big.

  73. I really want to try your recipe. Do you think if I do the recipe 1.5 x, it will make 2, 12 in round cake pans?

  74. 2 stars
    I made this cake for my son’s birthday, and was disappointed. It was much too sweet! I think it was the frosting. But the mousse was tasty.

  75. 5 stars
    Made this for my husband’s birthday as he loves chocolate cake and this was his response, “this is the best cake I have ever had. Ever!” 🙂 It was delicious and have no doubt I will be making again.

  76. 5 stars
    This was my first ever cake from scratch and it turned out spectacularly!!!! Thank you so much! Not too sweet, plenty rich and chocolatey, without being cloying – just right! Thank you for this confidence builder and a delicious, special, and impressive dessert, of which a beginner was able to be proud.

    1. That is a great accomplishment!! I’m so happy your first from-scratch cake was a success! Thanks for sharing.

  77. I just wanted to thank you for this awesome recipe! My dad said he wanted a “mousse cake” for his birthday and this was the perfect blend of mousse and cake! This recipe was super fun to make, and as a teen inexperienced with baking, i found it was super easy. The only changes I made were I replaced half a cup of the semisweet chocolate with unsweetened, and it gave it a wonderful richer and darker less sugary flavour which my dad loves! I did have quite a thick layer of mousse left over so I only dripped a small amount of chocolate ganache on the sides for a drippy effect and topped with whipped cream. My cake came out quite dense and filling, but other than that everything was great! Thank you for this wonderfully simple recipe!

  78. 3 stars
    The cakes didn’t rise much and were only 1.5cm thick. The mousse was too runny (consistency of milk) and spilled out all over the bench. I probably need to freeze the mousse next time. Tastes delicious. Looks awful. Any suggestions for the rise?

    1. Hi Leney, I’m sorry you had trouble with the recipe.
      If the mousse didn’t set, it’s most likely because the chocolate mixture was too warm when you folded in the whipped cream. The chocolate needs to be completely cool! As for the cake, what type of flour did you use? Were your leavening ingredients fresh?

  79. 5 stars
    OMG!!!! This cake is delicious however, it took 4.5 hours from start to finish. I’m beat!!!! I had to keep putting the moose in the fridge to stiffen back up. I put it on the cake per the instructions. Placed cake in freezer while I made the frosting. After the frosting cooled I brought out the cake and poured the stiff icing over the cake. Now the moose is falling off the cake. Using the cake spachula I’m scooping the moose and icing that is falling. Not to worry… I quickly returned the cake back to the freezer. After one hour I’m able to transport the cake to my granddaughter for her birthday. It may not look the best but it still waste WONDERFUL.

  80. This is the recipe on the back of the Hershey’s cocoa box, so you cant go wrong! I’m looking forward to making the mousse though. I always make the Hershey’s cake recipe on the box (the dark choc one is amazing), but having a mousse filling will definitely bring it up a notch.

  81. 5 stars
    Hi there! I am making this cake for my son’s birthday. Im gona follow exactly as you stated but with a change.Rather than chocolate mousse filling, how can I change the recipe to vanilla mousse filling? I need a vanilla mousse recipe enough to fill and frost a 2 layered 9 inch cake. Looking forward to hear from you. Thank you.

  82. 5 stars
    This was one if the best cakes I’ve ever made. Made it for my daughters 7th birthday cake at her request and it went down a treat. I halved the amount of moouse as I didn’t have enough cream but it was more than enough. Will definitely make again. Thanks.

  83. 5 stars
    Hi! Love everything about this cake. I made it about three years ago for Easter! It has become a go-to recipe! If I attend a get together and don’t take it, someone always asked why I didn’t make it. Thank you for your continuous work and for sharing the fruits of your labor!
    Tonyia

    1. That makes me so happy to hear that you have tried this cake so many times and enjoy it so much! Thanks for your kind comment 🙂

  84. 5 stars
    I made the mousse and when it was done it seemed very loose, like a topping. Is that how it Ian supposed to be or did I do something wrong. All the amounts were as the recipe calls. Tastes great though.

    1. Hi Adrian, you may have needed to whip the cream more, or the chocolate may have been too warm when you added it. Either way, if you stick it in the fridge for a little while it will firm up nicely. 🙂 .

  85. 5 stars
    My hubby’s birthday is Sunday and I’m making this for him – he’s requested chocolate, chocolate! 😀

    1. How fun! I hope he LOVES it! I actually just made it on Thursday and was reminded again of how much I love it. I’d love to hear how it turns out 🙂

  86. 5 stars
    Lauren, this is a sensational cake. Thank you for sharing the recipe. It was really lovely the first day but was even better on day two. I received rave reviews from everyone who tried it. Thanks so much! Louise, Sydney Australia

    1. Hello in Australia! I’m thrilled to hear everyone loved it! Thanks so much for commenting.

  87. Hi just to be sure of the amount of flour i will put, is it 1 and 3/4 cups or 1 cup to 3/4 cups? Sorryi just dont want to mess withmy ingredients thanks!

  88. I’ve made this cake twice; once with the mousse from the recipe and once with just the cake and a white chocolate buttercream. Something this delicious shouldn’t be this easy too. Awesome recipe and my new go-to chocolate cake.

  89. This cake was super tasty, and the mousse was particularly delicious BUT the 20 minute prep time, 40 minute cook time, and 1 hr total was just completely unrealistic. I would have needed two other people assisting to make the cake that quickly. I made the mousse first, and it was a complete flop. I then googled how to make whipping cream and made a second batch (do put the bowl and mixers in the freezer, do not add the sugar until after the cream thickens). I then made the cake, which was easy enough, but it has to cook for 35 minutes and then cool for another 30, and then be sliced (very thin layers – I wish I had just made four cakes). Even then, it was still too warm for the mousse, and the mousse melted into it a bit. I then refrigerated the cake again and made the icing, which had to cool 10 minutes per the recipe. This was definitely not enough cooling time, and the cake started falling in once I began pouring the icing over it. I bake from scratch a lot, and this was the most difficult cake I’ve ever made. The flavor was great, but it just wasn’t worth the effort.

    1. Hi Ashley,
      Thank you for the feedback. I have updated the time to be more accurate and reflect that fact that there is about 40 minutes of refrigeration/cool time with this recipe! When I make this recipe I like to make the cake the day before so that the whole process goes quicker. You could also make the frosting ahead of time!

  90. 5 stars
    As I said before I made the cake but I left the filling in the fridge overnights so it was a bit hard should I have blended it again to soften it. Also how do you pour the frosting without getting the plate all messy don’t know how to post picture. Will let you know more when the family have tasted it.

    1. Hi Freda, Hope you family loved it! For the filling, next time I would just give it a quick mix with electric beaters for a seconds. To pour the frosting without getting the plate messy, I would suggest putting the cake on the dish you will serve it on. Then take a few big squares of parchment paper and place them under the outer edges of the cake and covering the plate. Pour your frosting and smooth it around the cake as much as you can as it drips down. Excess messy frosting can then drip onto the parchment paper. Allow the frosting to set for a few minutes and then carefully pull out the parchment paper from around the edges of the cake and discard it, along with the frosting mess that may be on it. Hope that helps! I’d love to hear how everyone likes the cake 🙂

  91. 5 stars
    My name is freda Da costa I made this cake I left the mousse filling in the fridge overnight it was not to soft should I have best it up again also how do stop the plate getting messy when you pour the frosting how do I transfer my cake to a clean plate the cake looks lovely don’t know how to post picture

  92. 5 stars
    I used the mousse and icing recipe to top a boxed cake mix that I made for my dad’s birthday. Absolutely delicious! The laying of the mousse topped with the icing made this dessert a special treat. Next time I will try the cake recipe from scratch.
    Thank you.

  93. The cake & mousse filling were awesome; the warm chocolate filling tasted great! However the warm chocolate frosting, even if cooled to barely tepid, caused the mousse layer to melt and/or slide right off the cake, creating a disaster chocolate cak3 that tasted great. I don’t understand. What is the preferred temperature for the frosting to pour on the cake? I’d love to make this successfully.

  94. 1 star
    Shocking! Made this as a goodbye cake to a close friend, after making the mousse and it being delicious I had high hopes for the actual cake but no! The cake was salty and absolutely disgusting, I actually could barely eat it! What a waste with such expensive ingredients!!! Absolutely terrible

    1. I’m so sorry that your cake didn’t taste right. The cake recipe is just the Hershey’s brand “perfect chocolate cake” recipe. I’ve never had an issue with it and I’ve made it countless times (it also has amazing reviews on their website). I wonder if you used a different kind of salt, or possibly added too much salt.

  95. 5 stars
    Delicious!!! I have made this last night at my family party. and you know everyone was so happy to have this cake. Thaks for sharing it.

  96. 5 stars
    I saw this same recipe only the frosting ingredients are different. You use more butter and another recipe called for evaporated milk and vanilla extract. After making it, the frosting was delicious but too liquidy. I’m your opinion, does it matter if I use regular milk or evaporated ? And more butter and powered sugar?

    1. Hi Felicia, using evaporated milk would be just fine. If you use evaporated milk you should not need to adjust the butter and powdered sugar. If it seems too runny in the future, make sure it has a chance to cool and set up and you could consider adding more powdered sugar!

    1. Hi Des, I have honestly never experimented with steaming a cake, so I couldn’t say for sure. Let me know if you try it!

  97. 4 stars
    I made this for my hubby today as it’s his birthday. I’m not sure where I went wrong but after I layered it the cake just kept sliding. We put skewers through it and popped it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Seemed too work until I poured the icing on it and tried to spread it gently down the sides and it started too slide off again. I gave up trying to make it look good and ended up with a drizzle style cake that was lopsided. Popped it back in the freezer for another 10 minutes. It tasted divine but could not serve it others. Any suggestions would be appreciated

    1. 5 stars
      Maybe try to cut top of cake off! Just the beveled part! Sometimes it puffs up a little,& needs to be leveled so it won’t slide all over! Also be sure to chill for a bit after it cools! Then it gives the filling time to firm up a bit which will also keep the cake from slip sliding away!!! 🙂

  98. I made cthis cake last night;and it sunk in the middle. I tried it out again this morning and it sunk again in the middle. I stay in an area which is about 4800 above sea level about 1400 meters so the issue of high altitude should not be an issue . What could i be doing wrong ? Why are my cakes sinking ?

    1. 5 stars
      Just keep trying ! Maybe try not to open oven too much! Also be sure to add baking soda & baking powder if it calls for it! Prayer works as well!! 🙂

  99. Hello. I have just been reading about your chocolate cake with chocolate mouse filling. U said something about high attitude please tell me more about it. I want to bake the cake tonight.

  100. 5 stars
    This cake is looking absolutely too delicious!!! I think I am going to try it in this weekend.

  101. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for sharing your awesome cake recipe, I made it for a birthday party yesterday. WOW, it was so Amazing and Delicious, everyone loved it……BTW, I got a request to make it again! LOL I followed your instructions and it turned out perfect. It’s the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made, it was outstanding. Thank you very much, we all love you Lauren!

  102. 5 stars
    Hi,
    I waa going to make this cake, it looks delicious already, but the mousse recipe asks for granulated sugar, but then it isnt used in the instructions. When is this put in?

    1. Hi Laura, sorry I have been transferring my recipes over to a new format the last few days and had some trouble with the mousse recipe transferring. I just barely updated it! Sorry for the confusion. Hope you enjoy the cake!

  103. Hi Lauren, it looks amazing! Iwould love to bake this cake, however, I can’t seem to find the chocolate mousse filling recipe on this page. Has there been any changes? Thanks!

    1. Hi Sarah, sorry, I have been moving my recipes to a new “recipe card design”. The mousse instructions are there now! Hope you love it 🙂

  104. Also, what other tools are necessary for the recipe? Is an electric mixer needed to mix the ingredients for the cake batter?

  105. Hi there,

    Can you please provide me the chocolate mousse recipe in grams and ml?

    Many thanks!

  106. Oh my Lord!!! I have been truly blessed with your recipe!! I made this cake for my daughter and daughter-in-law’s b’day and Easter it is amazing!! I the cake with the mousse mostly because hubby saw the bar of chocolate and started to eat it until he realized it wasn’t sweet!! LOL!! what a face….couldn’t be mad at him. To make matters worse I was missing about 1/4 cup of cocoa and hubby was gone in the car – the neighbors are all gone – and no stores around! but I fudged it with some hot coco mix and can’t even tell. As I was frosting the cake, I took a couple of licks and ohhh!! is ever good…can’t wait to finish it off with some chocolate eggs. I saw there is also a carrot cake (my son’s favorite) sadly son in law and grandkids are lactose intolerant (so they claim) so cream cheese is out, I make cupcakes for them!!! LOL!!
    thanks for the recipe!

    1. Hi, I know you posted this last year but I saw that some of your family is lactose intolerant. My sister in laws are too and we’ve made this dairy free cream cheese frosting for our carrot cakes and it’s delicious. You can hardly tell the difference. You can find dairy free cream cheese in the natural section of the store or at your local natural store.

  107. Thanks for sharing this wonderful cake recipe. I love cakes and i am going to try this at home! Greetings from india!

  108. I tried this cake and it tasted awesome however the cake was too soft that I couldnt cut in between to apply the filling. Any tips to make it cuttable? I appreciate your response

    1. I always freeze my cakes (wrapping them really well) before I frost them. It makes cutting and frosting any cakes REALLY easy! 🙂

  109. Looks very delicious. Next week is my son’s birthday and I am going to try it. Mine is not a very big oven and hence I am planning to bake it in two batches to make a 4 layered cake. Can the mixed ingredients stay at room temperature while one set bakes? Or should I refrigerate it?

    1. I would keep the ingredients at room temperature in between baking! Good luck–sounds like fun! 🙂

  110. Hi Lauren, Love the look of this cake.I’m from the UK and was wandering if you Would know the measurements in grams/ounces?Thanks in advance x

  111. Okay like the author I too wanted to make my own birthday cake. This sounded like the one I wanted. So I decided, perfect, I’m going to do this one. The cake came out fine enough, cut it into large layers . Now for the mousse filling. Got the chocolate part done . Now for the whipping cream part.I got the heavy cream in the mixer and started mixing and got to medium speed and went to get the next step ready. Well now comes the iinteresting part. The wife comes in to “see” how its going ,comes over to the mixer and says “oh you need to turn this up faster” and she does. We bicker then I go back to doing what I was doing. It gets thicker, she keeps mixing . Then I hear “oh no it went back to liquid.” Guess what happens next . I go to the bowl and voila she has gone to far and now we have butter and liquid. I never knew you could do that . So I tried to recover it and decided to make the best of it, because the next steps were mute. So I mixed this heavy cream “butter” mix into the chocolate chip mix and put it on the layers. “At this point what have I got to lose.” The cake has just taken a new turn. No frosting. This fiasco is now over. So I put it in the fridge over night. This cake turned out to be so moist and delicious the next day. Incredible. Not the same recipe I wanted but delicious just the same. I am going to remake retry it the correct way and teach my wife how to whip heavy cream. But she loved the first way as well. We may have run into something here. Great recipe. And loads of fun

    1. Hahaha–thanks for sharing your experience Darryl. It made me smile–and I’m sure glad it tasted great in the end!

  112. Lauren, this is the best chocolate cake I’ve EVER eaten! My daughter and I made this today for a friends birthday cake. IT WAS A M A Z I N G!!!
    Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I’ve saved it in my bookmarks, pinned it on Pinterst, and shared it Facebook!
    This will be our “go to” chocolate cake from now on!

    1. Hi Dee, I absolutely love to hear it! I’m so happy you all liked it so much! And thank you so much for sharing, and commenting 🙂

    2. I made this cake yesterday. The cake and the mousse are both good, but the icing has to go!
      I think the cake would have been fine with just the mousse, the icing seemed to ruin it for me.
      Sorry.

      1. Hi Nanette,
        I’m sorry you didn’t like the frosting. It is actually one of my favorite frosting recipes. Everyone has different tastes :).

  113. Made this for a friend and he says it’s the best cake he’s ever had. Thanks so much. Question, though….how do you keep a large amount of the frosting from puddling at the bottom on the cake board and instead staying on the cake?

    1. Hi Mandy, I’m so happy to hear it! Next time, try to let the frosting cool a little longer before pouring it over the cake. That should help it not run down so much. It will probably pool a little bit however, so what I like to do is put a few scraps of tinfoil or wax paper underneath the edges of the cake before I pour the frosting on. Once the frosting has cooled a little bit you can pull the paper out (and the excess frosting with it). Hope that helps!

  114. I am excited to try this recipe with the mousse filling! I made this cake last week in a 9×13 pan and tried to adjust for high altitude, but it still sunk in the middle a little. What would you suggest to adjust when baking at a high altitude? Will cooking it in 9″ pans fix the problem or do I still need to adjust the ingredients more?

    1. Hi Kara, It shouldn’t matter what pan you bake it in. For high altitude I would suggest adding at least 1 or 2 tablespoons of extra flour. Also, try decreasing the sugar by 2 tablespoons, add a tiny bit less baking powder and soda than what is called for. That should help significantly!

      1. Just made this for my Dad’s bday. The cake does not look pretty but I am hoping it will taste great! The icing did not seem to pour well and sorta displaced some of the mousse. Can’t wait to try it!

  115. This cake is AH-MA-ZING!!! It’s a little extra work but absolutely worth it. Thanks for sharing. This ones going in the book!!

  116. I am making a wedding cake this week. Would the cake and mousse filling hold up as a bottom layer? The layer on top of it will be spice with cream cheese filling. I would love to use this recipe as the base.

    1. Hi Sherry, I’m honestly not sure…what are you using to secure the cakes together? Dowels? Have you made this cake ever before? I fear it may be too soft/slippery to support another cake on top… I’d feel terrible if I encouraged you to go ahead with it and it didn’t work…

  117. This recipe looks amazing! I’m planning on making it tonight. I have some left over chocolate cream cheese frosting. Do you think that would taste ok with this cake? Thanks so much! 🙂

  118. Hi,
    Just wanted to know should avoid put baking powder if im using buttermilk? and should i use half the amount of baking soda…? you know,cz of the acidity in baking soda n all…
    Thanks in advance!

  119. Hi,,,,
    just wanted to know if im using butter milk,should i leave the baking powder? and should i minimize the baking soda…
    Thanks heaps!

  120. Hi,
    Im making this cake tomorrow for a birthday.. was wondering if i can use melted butter instead of oil and also if i could use buttermilk instead the milk???
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Pavi, I have tried using buttermilk and it works great. I haven’t used butter instead of oil, so I can’t say for sure, but I imagine it should work fine….I’d love to hear how it turns out!

  121. Hi,
    I am currently making this cake, it’s been more than 35 minutes but its still not cooked!
    I’ve followed the recipe and I have doubled it in order to make 2 9-inch cakes..
    Is this my mistake? I should have used the recipe you’ve mentioned and only separated it into two pans?
    Please help!
    Thanks 🙁

  122. I have made this cake at least four times now. The first time was a disaster but it still tasted amazing!!! This is by far my favorite chocolate cake I’ve ever made or eaten. And the mousse is AMAZING beyond words!!!

  123. This cake recipe is amazing!! I made it for my dad for Father’s Day and I couldn’t believe how moist, chocolatey and delicious it was. I’m always nervious making things from scratch because I’ve had some prior mishaps, but I’ll definitely keep this as my go-to chocolate cake recipe 🙂

  124. Hi. My husband absolutely loves chocolate cake. His birthday was today. I ran across this recipe and knew I had to try it for him. It was absolutely a hit. There was only one problem. The frosting ran everywhere! It was delicious, but I had an absolute mess and couldn’t get much to stay on. Any tips on maybe what I did wrong or what I can try in the future? Thank you so much! Everything else was perfect and my husband loved it even if it was a mess 🙂

    1. Hi Trina, I’m happy your husband liked the cake–sorry you had some trouble with the frosting. Next time you could add some powdered sugar to thicken it up and/or let it cool a little longer so it is easier to frost. Make sure you have a good spatula (I use an offset spatula) to smooth the frosting around the cake as you slowly pour it. You don’t need to pour it all at once, just little by little so you have time to smooth it around the cake as you go 🙂 Hope those tips will help you next time!

    2. I had the same issue and was so disappointed given the time I spent making this. When I poured the frosting over it, the warmth melted the mousse and it ran all down the sides and was a mess. It may taste ok but it looks less than good. I would suggested eliminating the mousse from the top and sides.

  125. This looks so GOOOD! …and you are right, not so hard to follow. Thanks for sharing, I am definitely pinning this!

  126. I just found your site from My Recipe Magic. I am so excited! I have always baked from scratch. I don’t understand why people use cake mixes. The one that really befuddles me is pie crust mixes. Who needs a mix for flour, shortening, salt and whatever you choose for your liquid? This cake sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it. I am also signing up for your email notifications. I don’t want to miss one of your recipes. I received my first cookbook when I was in the first grade. I am now 57 years old. I make our bread every week and love to be in the kitchen. I’m so glad I found you.

    1. You are so sweet, thank you so much for your nice comments! I completely agree–who needs a cake mix or a pie crust mix when they probably already have everything they need to make it from home! (And it tastes so much better too!). I’m so happy you’re following along. I’d love to hear which recipes you try 🙂

  127. My 9 1/2 year old is doing a cake decorating class to earn an honor badge for Pathfinders (a youth organization similar to Scouts). She’s also working on her baking honor badge, since the two seem to go hand-in-hand, and needed to make a cake from scratch. I helped her find this recipe, and she did the work. Since she was decorating it, she only used the cake and mousse filling portions of your recipe. I just had to help her put the pan in the oven because it was heavy (we made a double recipe in a 12x18x2 rectangle pan).

    OH MY WORD, this is the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted. Simply amazing. It is definitely going in my recipe file.

    1. That is so fun to hear about your daughter–How impressive! So happy you enjoyed the cake!! Thanks for commenting 🙂

  128. This was by FAR the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. Since making it for the first time last month, I’ve had three other people request it. You are a genius! 🙂

  129. This looks wonderful! I am excited to make it for my boyfriend’s birthday! We’re going to be a party of 20. Being a baking amateur, do you mind providing measurements for a doubled recipe? I know it’s important to be mathematically precise! Thank you 🙂

    1. Hi Tess, here are the measurements to make double: Have fun at the party–I’d love to hear how you like the cake!
      For the Cake:
      4 cups sugar
      3 1/2 cups flour
      1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
      3 tso baking powder
      3 tsp baking soda
      2 tsp salt
      4 eggs
      2 cups milk
      1 cup vegetable oil
      1 Tbsp vanilla extract
      2 cups boiling water
      For the mousse:
      1 cup hot water
      1/2 cup cocoa powder
      3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
      4 cups heavy cream
      1/4 cup sugar
      For the Frosting:
      3/4 cup milk
      6 Tbsp cocoa powder
      1 cup butter (2 sticks)
      7 1/2 cups powdered sugar

  130. I found this cake on Pinterest, and I knew I had to give it a try. I have been craving a good chocolate cake for some time now, and this looked like it would fit the bill. I have never made a cake from scratch before, and I have never whipped cream before. I was in charge of dessert for Easter, so I gave it a try. It was very easy to make, but there are a lot of steps. The cake was moist and delicious. When I made the mousse, I thought it tasted a little bitter, so I wasn’t sure how that was going to taste. I got he cake all put together and made the chocolate frosting. I poured it over the top, and boy did it make a mess! Perhaps your could give some hints as to how to avoid making such a mess. Anyway, the cake was delicious. I loved the chocolate frosting, it tasted like fudge. The mousse tasted great, it could hav ebeen a little sweeter for me though. This cake is very rich, and very good!

  131. I’m just wondering what’s best/ how to store this cake if its using double cream? Best to leave in the fridge til served? How many days will it last? Thanks

    1. Hi Sophie, Yes you can leave it in the fridge covered (I like to just place a huge bowl over the top). It will keep for at least 2-3 days. Let me know how you like it! 🙂

  132. can the frosting be made with out cocoa powder and used white or with food coloring to cover any cake? Like a faux fondant?

    1. Hi Diana, Try this for the frosting:
      ½ cups Butter
      ¼ cups Milk
      3-½ cups Powdered Sugar
      1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
      (Add more powdered sugar if you need a thicker consistency!)
      Sounds yummy!
      In a small saucepan bring the butter and milk to a boil. Add the remaining ingredients to a separate mixing bowl. Once the milk and butter are boiling, pour over the other ingredients in the mixing bowl. Stir until well mixed. Add more powdered sugar if you need a thicker consistency.

  133. I just made this cake , I was sitting in the dining room noticed smoke in the kitchen . I opened the stove door too see why I had smoke the cake both pans over flowed all over in the oven and now a house full of smoke . What could of happen ???????????? I followed the directions as said . I won’t be trying this one again !!!!!!!!

  134. Quick question. can this cake be left out for a period of time. especially with the mousse having heavy cream. Thank you so much.

    1. Hi Sharon, It would be fine for an hour or two, but it’s best to store it covered in the refrigerator! 🙂

  135. I was out of milk for the frosting and used almond milk…not the same, weirdest frosting ever. Ha ha! Otherwise, a yummy cake though 🙂

  136. This review will be broken into three components: pros, cons, and what I would do differently next time.

    Pros: the cake, icing, and mousse are FABULOUS. So delicious and packed-full of flavor. The recipe was easy to follow and practically fool-proof. I’ve been baking for 15 years, but anybody could do this without too many serious blunders. Just remember to make sure you’ve added every ingredient into the mixing bowl and you’re good to go. Now with all of that being said. . .

    the cons: Just because the cake, icing, and mousse are delicious, it does not mean they go well together. If you are a die-hard chocolate fan you’ll probably have very little complaints about the taste. To me the chocolate was entirely too overpowering and the texture of the cake, mousse, and icing just didn’t mesh well together.

    what I would do next time: Baking this was definitely a learning experience, ha. Number one, I would make sure the cakes were cooled entirely. Cut them in half and place them in the fridge if they’re even remotely warm. I had some semi-warm cake at some point and it melted the mousse a little too much for my liking. Seems like an obvious tip, but it was something I didn’t take into consideration. Second, I would ditch the icing and just use the mousse for the filling and a little bit on top. Or, just keep mousse as a filler and sprinkle some powdered sugar on top. That way the chocolate isn’t too overbearing. Third, if I were to use the icing I’d ditch the mousse and instead use a jelly-like or vanilla cream filling. Let the icing harden a little bit, too. I wasn’t a fan of straight up pouring the icing on the cake. Just made a mess that I had to wait to solidify a little and then go back through and “fix” it up with an icing knife.

    Overall I give this cake (with the icing and mousse combined) a 5/10. If the icing, mousse, and cake were being rated separately I would give them each 10/10. Just a bit too weird of a combo for me.

  137. Hi Lauren,
    I loved this cake recipe!! The cake was soft and moist, just the way I like it!! I had some issues getting it out of the cake pans intact (my fault I am sure), so I didn’t try the mousse filling, but the cake was just delicious even without the topping. My pie loving husband even loved it as well! Thanks so much!!

  138. Hello Lauren!!!

    First of all, I absolutely loveeeeeddd this recipe!!! My aunt loves Chocolate ….Especially Chocolate mousse!! I knew that this would be a dream cake for her birthday. I am an home cook and amateur baker. So, this was my first time actually baking a cake where I had to crumb coat and fully frost. To my surprise, it came out excellent and I was truly proud of myself.

  139. 29th December 2014
    I tried this amazing cake it was awesome thanks Lauren it was wonderful baking. My kids anxious waited to eat it.

  140. I had a question, I’m making this tonight to have for someone’s birthday tomorrow, so I hope for a quick reply! I only have 1 round pan, can I bake the one, and then bake the other after the cake has been cooled/removed? Will the batter be okay just sitting out while the other layer bakes? Thanks! Looks soooo delicious, can’t wait to try this!!

    1. Hi Rachel, it’s not ideal to do it that way, but I will admit that I’ve done it before and it turned out just fine! You could over the mixing bowl with a wet towel and refrigerate the batter while the first cake bakes! Good luck–hope you love it!! 🙂

      1. I ended up just buying another pan! 🙂 This cake was a little challenging for a beginner, but very much worth it. Everyone LOVED it! I had a whole container of the mousse filling leftover, so I put it in the fridge overnight. And wow! It set up beautifully, and was a nice treat! 🙂

  141. I Just made this today and though the cake turned out fabulous, the mousse just turned really thin and dripped everywhere. I refrigerated it before using and it still was thin. the cake slid everywhere as i was stacking it, do you know how to fix that?? Everything tasted great, but the mousse was just really runny. Do you have any tips?? I would really appreciate it.
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Adeela, I’m glad you liked it–sorry the mousse didn’t set up for you! My guess is that one of two things happened: Either you needed to beat the heavy cream more (make sure you reached “stiff peaks”). , or you added the whipped cream to the chocolate when the chocolate was too hot. The hot chocolate mixture could have softened the whipped cream too much, making the mousse thin…Do either of those sound like they could have happened?

  142. BTW ~ Even though my cake wasn’t exceptionally beautiful (I’ll be tweaking a few things when I make it again) it is absolutely Delicious! The Mousse and frosting make this cake! I’ve made the Hershey chocolate cake before but your add-ins definitely bump it up to 5 stars!!! Love LOVE Love! 🙂

  143. Hi Lauren, I prefer to use butter rather than oil. Can you please tell me how much butter I would need to replace the oil. Would it be ok to use butter or will it effect the recipe? Thanks

    1. Hi Lara, I’ve never replaced the oil with butter so I can’t tell you exactly how it will turn out. You would substitute 1/2 cup of butter for the 1/2 cup of oil, but the method to making the cake would need to change. You would need to cream the butter and sugar together at the beginning (rather than adding the sugar into the dry ingredients). Like I said, I’m not sure how it will effect the end result, but let me know if you try it!

      1. Hi Lauren ! I am making this cake on Sunday for my aunty, where you wrote the amount for flour did you mean 1 cup AND 3/4 or did you mean between 3/4 to 1cup of flour?
        I hope you can get back to me in time, thank you

  144. I make this chocolate cake all the time….. found the original recipe on the back of the Hershey’s cocoa powder container…. can’t wait to try it with your frosting and mousse filing.

  145. Hi there! This looks delicious! Can the mousse filling be used as a mousse topping on cupcakes? Can it be piped and hold its shape?

    Thank u!

    1. Hi Aneesa, yes, the mouse should hold its shape well. You can refrigerate it for 15-30 minutes (covered) before piping it, and then return the cupcakes to the fridge before serving. Sounds yummy!

  146. I am making my sister shower cake in a few weeks and decided to do a trial run of the mousse. I am not impressed with the taste. Way too much chocolate! Any suggestions on how to turn down the chocolate flavor?

    1. Hi Paula, you could try milk chocolate chips. You could also cut down on the amount of chocolate and increase the amount of whipped cream so the chocolate flavor was more mellow. Help that helps!

    2. First time in my life I have ever heard of something as being too chocolaty!!! LOL! Well, in my world anyway. If I could eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner I would! Can’t wait to make this!

  147. I have made this cake twice now and it is the best chocolate cake recipe. I do have issues with my warm icing being too runny but it tastes amazing!! Thank you for the recipe!

  148. This was chocolate heaven! Best chocolate cake I’ve ever had! The frosting ran down the sides a bit too quickly so I may let it cool longer next time but besides that, it was amazing! My new go to chocolate cake! Thanks for the recipe!

  149. Hello, so I made this cake for our anniversary and it was AMAZING! You are AMAZING, thanks for sharing this yummy recipe! =) I do however need more experience dividing the cake in half, maybe next time I’ll just divide and bake it in 1/4 and that way I wouldn’t have to cut it! Will this work and would I need to adjust the baking time/temp? =)

    1. I’m soo glad you liked it! You wouldn’t need to adjust the temp, but I would adjust the baking time to be less!

  150. If I’m making this the night before, serving the next day, would it be okay to make it all including the warm frosting on top then store in the refrigerator for the night?

    1. Hi Lauren, I would suggest adding the frosting, letting it cool, and then flash freezing the cake (stick it in the freezer for about 15 min.) before covering it. Then cover it well with plastic wrap and tinfoil. I would suggest sticking it back in the freezer overnight (Ive never tried it in the fridge but I’m sure it would be fine too…)

  151. I think I will give this a try this weekend. One question though, do I let the chocolate part of the mousse cool before adding the whipped cream? I would be afraid it may break it down.
    I live to bake and at church the youth are always thrilled when I sign up to bake for a gathering. Thanks for sharing such great ideas!

    1. Hi Jill, you definitely don’t want the chocolate part to be hot–wait til it’s just warm or close to room temperature but not hardened.

      1. This is good to know about the mousse as some new bakers may not know to let it cool. Suggestion to add to the recipe instructions to let the mousse cool before adding to the whip cream 🙂 I’m sooo looking forward to this mousse. My chocolate is cooling now! Thanks so much! 🙂

        1. I totally didn’t let it cool!! 🙁 Now it seems really soupy…will it thicken up after cooling in the fridge? Thank you! Tastes really good, though lol 🙂

          1. The same thing happened to me. 🙁 I don’t know what to do. The recipe does not tell you to let it cool first. For us bakers who follow recipes to a T – you should probably add. I’m going to pray it hardens a bit in the fridge.

  152. Hi! Making this right now… After the cake has cooled, it is very sticky. Should I have used wax
    or parchment to help take it out of the pan? Some of it stuck to the bottom even after I generously buttered and floured. It also stuck to my hands as I tried working it out of the pan… What am I doing wrong? Thanks! 🙂

    1. Hi Andrea, what type of pan are you using? If it’s not a nonstick pan I would definitely put wax paper on the bottom, and then also spray well with cooking spray…

      1. Hi! I used 2 non-stick 9″ rounds. I am making it again today, I will use parchment for sure. This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made….and it lasted perfectly in the fridge for a week, covered in wax paper. DELISH!!

  153. The cake is delish! But the frosting was too thick. I added another half stick of butter and more milk. I think you may have made an error in one of the ingredients above. Maybe the milk?? I don’t know, but either way, it is very good.

    1. Thanks so much, I love to hear that you liked it! I did adjust the frosting ingredients so it should be perfect now! Thanks for your comment 🙂

      1. Awesome recipe! 🙂 I made this today ~ followed the instructions carefully – the frosting didn’t pour out but I was able to spread it on the cake & it tasted great. I followed the ingredients & instructions carefully — any tips (cut back on powdered sugar? maybe do 3C instead of 3 3/4C?) it looks delicious though – can’t wait to try a piece!! 🙂

          1. I Can’t wait to try another recipe off your blog …. I love to bake. I thank my grandma for endless days of sitting on her huge island as a child while she baked almost daily … such a great creative outlet and the outcome is always (well, usually) De-Lish! lol 🙂

  154. I just made this tonight it’s amazing, however my frosting did not pour out? It was still good just didn’t look pretty because it didn’t pour. I can’t figure out what I did wrong. Any suggestions I followed the recipe.

    1. I’m glad you liked it! As far as the frosting–it’s always been pourable for me, so that’s weird… Next time I would try adding a little less powdered sugar, and don’t wait for it to cool 5min–just pour it right over!

  155. Lauren, this is AMAZING. It looks like the infamous chocolate cake from Matilda where poor Ralphie has to consume!

    1. Hahahaha it totally does! And, it was made with my “sweat and tears”! 😉 I think normal people would have been grossed out by that scene but it always made me crave chocolate cake! haha

  156. Oh my goodness, this is making my mouth water! Looks so moist and flavorful! Pinning!

      1. Hi! I ‘d just like to find out whether it would be possible to make the chocolate frosting before hand and then reheat it (perhaps over a double boiler) once I decide to ice the cake?

        1. Hi there, that should be fine–refrigerate it until ready to frost them cake. You could heat it on low power slowly in the microwave or on the stove–add a tiny bit of extra milk if you need to, but once it’s barely smooth and stir-able you should be able to frost the cake easily. Good luck!

  157. Hi Gloria:-) You should always wrap your layers in Saran Wrap and refrigerate or freeze them until they become really firm. This makes the mousse or frosting easier to spread without the cake layers crumbling or falling apart. After I build the cake and do a thin crumb coating with the frosting I then place the cake back in the fridge to firm up before I frost and decorate the outside of the cake. Hope this helps!