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A slice of dark chocolate raspberry mousse cake with layers of chocolate cake, raspberry mousse, and chocolate ganache.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake

This recipe guides you through making a rich dark chocolate raspberry mousse cake. It is a straightforward dessert that combines deep chocolate flavor with tart raspberry notes.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 450
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Crust
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs about 50 cookies
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Raspberry Layer
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries thawed if frozen
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold for whipping
For the Chocolate Mousse
  • 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped at least 60% cacao
  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold for whipping

Equipment

  • 9-inch springform pan
  • Electric mixer
  • Saucepan

Method
 

  1. Prepare the crust. Combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the springform pan.
  2. Chill the crust in the refrigerator while you prepare the raspberry layer, about 10 minutes.
  3. Make the raspberry puree. In a small saucepan, combine the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Heat over medium heat until the raspberries break down, about 5 minutes. Press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds. You should have about 1/2 cup of puree.
  4. Bloom the gelatin. Sprinkle the gelatin over the 1/4 cup of cold water in a small bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes to soften.
  5. Dissolve the gelatin. Add 2 tablespoons of the warm raspberry puree to the bloomed gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir this mixture back into the remaining raspberry puree.
  6. Whip the cream for the raspberry layer. Beat 1 cup of cold heavy cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gently fold the raspberry mixture into the whipped cream until just combined.
  7. Spread the raspberry mousse over the chilled crust. Return the pan to the refrigerator to set while you make the chocolate mousse, about 30 minutes.
  8. Melt the chocolate. Place the chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Pour the 1/2 cup of hot water over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  9. Whip the cream for the chocolate layer. Beat the remaining 1 cup of cold heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
  10. Combine the chocolate and cream. Gently fold about one-third of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then, fold in the remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain.
  11. Assemble the cake. Carefully spoon the chocolate mousse over the set raspberry layer. Smooth the top with a spatula.
  12. Chill the cake for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight, until firm. Before serving, run a thin knife around the edge of the pan before releasing the springform side.

Notes

If you want a firmer chocolate layer, you can dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of gelatin in 2 tablespoons of hot water and fold it into the melted chocolate before adding the whipped cream.