This chocolate mousse cake is the ultimate cake for special occasions and birthdays. It’s super rich and chocolate-y, and has a cute decoration of pink crispy meringue sticks.

Photo: Natalie Levin
Chocolate Mousse Cake with Pink Meringue
Servings 24 cm round cake pan
Ingredients
for pink meringue sticks:
- 3 large egg whites
- Pinch of salt
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar
- 80 grams (3/4 cup) sugar powder
- Some red or pink food coloring
For brownie bottom:
- 100 grams dark chocolate
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) butter
- 120 grams (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp.) sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 70 grams (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
For dark chocolate mousse:
- 200 grams dark chocolate 53% cocoa solids
- 300 grams dark chocolate 70% cocoa solids
- 250 ml. (1 cup) milk
- Pinch of salt
- 3 large egg yolks
- 25 grams (2 tbsp.) sugar
- 2 grams (1/2 tsp.) gelatin
- 10 ml. (2 tsp.) cold water
- 500 ml. (2 cups) whipping cream very cold
For white chocolate whipped cream:
- 150 grams white chocolate chips
- 250 ml. (1 cup) whipping cream very cold
Instructions
Meringue sticks:
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Preheat oven to 80 degrees.
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In a dry mixer bowl with a whisking tool put together egg whites and salt and beat on high speed until white foam begins to form.
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Gradually add the sugar and continue beating on very high speed for 10 minutes, until you get a firm and glossy meringue.
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Sift in the powdered sugar, add some food coloring (using a toothpick), and fold together using a spatula, until mixture is has a uniform pink color.
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Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag with a round piping tip and pipe sticks on a baking paper lying on the oven tin.
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Bake the meringue for 2.5-3 hours, until it is completely dry and can be easily removed from the baking paper.
Brownie:
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Preheat oven to 170 degrees and grease the pan.
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In a large bowl melt chocolate and butter together.
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Add sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt and beat with your hand whisk until smooth mixture is formed.
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Sift in the flour and whisk just up until mixture is completely assimilated.
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Transfer mixture to your pan, align it using a palate knife and bake for 12-17 minutes or until the brownie is firm on the sides but still slightly soft in the middle.
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Cool the brownie completely at room temperature.
Dark chocolate mousse:
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Melt two types of chocolate in microwave..
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Crème anglaise: Bring milk and salt to simmering point in a small saucepan.
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Beat the egg yolks and sugar together.
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Once the milk mixture begins to boil compare temperatures with yolk mixture, and continue cooking over low heat, mixing all the time, until mixture reaches 82-84 degrees (use a cooking thermometer).
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Dissolve the gelatin (after soaking in water) in the microwave for 10 seconds, and add the Crème anglaise.
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Strain the mixture over the melted chocolate, and whisk together until the mixture is bright and shiny.
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Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
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Fold the whipped cream into chocolate mixture until smooth. The mousse should be quite thin, but it'll set as soon as it is cooled.
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Pour the mousse on top of the brownie bottom and smooth it using a palate knife.
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Cool completely in the freezer for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
White chocolate whipped cream:
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Melt the white chocolate.
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Whip the whipping cream to a soft but steady form.
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Add some whipped cream into the melted chocolate and gently fold together.
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Add the remaining whipped cream and fold into a smooth mixture.
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If the mixture seems a relatively liquid, just beat it for another minute or two in the mixer.
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Transfer the white chocolate whipped cream into a pastry bag with a round piping tip.
Assemble:
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Pipe even mounds of white chocolate whipped cream over the cooled mousse layer. Cool in refrigerator for about an hour.
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Break the meringue sticks into 5-6 cm pieces in length, and freely insert them on top of white chocolate whipped cream.
Recipe Notes
- Keep the cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- You can freeze the cake in a closed box for up to 2 weeks.
- You can dye the meringue in any color you want.

Photo: Natalie Levin