No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Cake

December 06, 2011

No Bake Chocolate Mousse Cake

Silken tofu is the wonder ingredient in most vegan chocolate mousse cakes, tarts and pies, cheesecakes, puddings, custards, triffles, even ice creams. Certain factors make it almost irreplaceable in these desserts:
  • it has a creamy, silky texture;
  • it makes a great egg and whipped cream replacer;
  • it sets very well in the fridge;
  • having a neutral flavour, it absorbs the flavour of anything it combines with, leaving no vegetable aftertaste;
  • it is ready made and requires only a quick blend.

Tofu makes the cake preparation so easy, it almost feels like you're cheating. In the interest of stimulating my creativity further, I've decided to try and replace it in future similar desserts. Now, you may well be aware of the endless soy debate, but this post isn't about promoting it, it is rather about sharing a truly amazing cake recipe.

I've made several versions of this cake with different base and flavours and I must say this is the best. The two layers are so wonderfully balanced in terms of texture and taste, you simply can't stop at one slice. The result is a rich, decadent, dark chocolate cake with hints of rum, orange and vanilla. The base is moist, sweet and crunchy, yet it doesn't require much chewing effort and each bite seems to just melt in your mouth. The cold chocolate mousse reminds me of the creamiest ice cream I have ever had.

No Bake Chocolate Mousse Cake

While I advise sticking with these ingredients and amounts before tinkering with the recipe, you can go ahead and make a few changes if you like:
  • replace butter with more chocolate (25 g) and a little milk, for a low-fat version;
  • replace creamy coconut with some milk of your choice;
  • use graham crackers instead of biscuits;
  • omit walnuts for a smoother texture or replace them with almonds or pecans;
  • add 1 tsp strong coffee or bourbon instead of rum essence;
  • place pieces of fresh fruit on the biscuit base before adding the mousse.

This dark chocolate cake is so delicious, it is perfect for big events where your aim is to surprise the guests and make them ask for seconds. It's such an easy recipe that takes no more than one hour to prepare and requires no baking. I know how hard it is to taste this divine chocolaty mousse and to wait for several hours to fully enjoy it, but trust me, you really need to let this cake set properly in the fridge for all the flavours to come through.

And now on to the magic recipe:)


To start, line the bottom of a 20 cm (8") loose-bottom pan with parchment paper (the paper should be bigger than the pan so that you can peel it off easily).

Biscuit Base

In a bowl mix:
  • 15 rich tea biscuits (about 115 g), blend them into a coarse powder (or crush them with your hands)
  • 1/3 cup roughly chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • zest of 1 medium orange (make sure to grate only the shiny orange layer)

In a double boiler (a glass bowl over a pan with boiling water, the bottom of the bowl not touching the water) melt together:
  • 50 g chocolate (60%), broken into small pieces
  • 70 g butter (vegan)
  • 2 heaped Tb powdered sugar
  • 4 Tb creamy coconut
Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon and remove from heat before it melts completely, then continue stirring until it's all melted. It has to be warm, not hot. Add 1 tsp rum essence and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Spoon into the prepared pan and even out the surface. Refrigerate while making the chocolate mousse.

No Bake Chocolate Mousse Cake

Chocolate Mousse

In a double boiler (as above) melt together:
  • 200 g chocolate (60%), broken into small pieces (you can add a slightly bitter edge to this mousse by using chocolate with a higher cocoa content, 70-80%)
  • 1/4 cup agave nectar
  • 2 Tb creamy coconut
Follow the same instructions as above. Separately blend into a smooth cream 1 block firm silken tofu (349 g). Pour it over the chocolate, add 1 tsp vanilla extract and using a wooden spoon fold the chocolate cream into the tofu rather than whisking, to prevent air bubbles from forming and to obtain a smooth texture.
Pour the mousse over the base and even out the surface with the back of a spoon (leave a few waves for a beautiful finish).
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight). Remove from the fridge, carefully remove the cake from the pan and peel off the paper (the base should be hard enough by now so you can easily hold it in one hand while peeling the paper off with the other). Place on a plate and slice.
Decorate the slices with chocolate ganache (see Carrot Cake for recipe and nutritional information about chocolate and walnuts).

Note: I'm not a big fan of very sweet desserts, but if you are, then you can add 1-2 heaped Tb powdered sugar to the mousse while melting the chocolate.

With all that chocolate, butter, tofu, coconut and walnuts, you might think that after having 1 or 2 slices you will feel sluggish, but don't worry, this cake is light and its nutritious value will only add to your overall health. Share it with someone special and watch their reaction:) Then come back here and leave me your feedback in a comment:)

Enjoy!


A lot of time, effort and passion goes into each recipe I post. My greatest satisfaction comes from your feedback. If you made this recipe, then please take a minute of your time to leave me a comment. And if you like it, please share it so that others have access to it as well. Thank you all in advance!

26 comments:

Gourmandelle

Oh my!! This is beyond delicious! I can't wait to try it.

Vegan Magic

Buna, Ruxandra, stiam ca am vazut numele asta undeva:) La concursul Ligiei Pop:) Ma bucur tare mult ca-ti place prajitura. Astept sa-mi scrii cum a iesit.

twink

been looking for vegan dark chocolate heaven and think i just found it. when i finish work in morning i'm heading to get all the bits and give it a go...yum

Vegan Magic

Chocolate heaven it is!:) This is one of the easiest, most delicious cakes I've ever made. It's a big hit with family and friends whenever I make it. Enjoy it and thank you for your wonderful comment:)

twink

Fantastic.. Have just made it (licking the spoon as i type!) It really is a wonderful recipe. Many thanks

Vegan Magic

Thanks a lot for your feedback Twink:) I'm very happy that you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

Elisabetta

If your oven is broken or if you want "just" impress your friends with an amazing cake that also could spare you from using the oven well, this chocolate mousse will make them begging you for making another one (true story). Unique recipe with impeccable high-level description of how to proceed.

Vegan Magic

Elisabetta, thank you so much for your beautiful words:) I appreciate the feedback. This cake sure leaves guests asking for more, it happened to me many times:) I hope you will enjoy the upcoming recipes as well:)

Magenta

Hi Adriana,
this looks delicious and I would love to make it. However, I am not sure if I know what 'firm silken tofu' is. I only know tofu that does not melt.
Is it the Chinese / Japanese soft tofu that resembles panna cotta? Do you know a brand name perhaps I could ask for at the local toko shop? Or can I substitute the tofu for something else? I'm from Holland by the way.

Thanks in advance! :)

Vegan Magic

Hi Magenta, welcome to my blog and thank you for your enquiry. I'm very happy that you want to try the mousse cake and hope you will be able to find the required type of tofu. You're right, silken tofu has a texture similar to panna cotta. There are different levels of firmness, but basically silken tofu can be soft, firm and extra-firm. For example, the soft one is great in smoothies, dips and spreads, the firm one in desserts (to replace eggs in mousse, crepes, cheesecake), and the extra-firm one in stir-fry and grilling.

There are many brands of silken tofu, such as Mori-nu, Taifun, Nasoya, to name a few.

After making the Coconut Chocolate Ice Cream (in Desserts category) I am pretty sure it would be a great replacement for the chocolate mousse here, of course with added vanilla. I would try 200 g chocolate instead of 150g though and refrigerate it for a few hours to set properly, maybe even pop it in the freezer for a short while.

Another combination that I think would also work is avocado + chocolate. I'd leave out the agave nectar and use powdered sugar instead. I can't say what amounts of each, I'd have to try first.

I strongly hope you find the magic ingredient, it will make the preparation so easy:) Many thanks for stopping by, I hope you find more inspiring recipes here:)

PS The only football competition I enjoy is the World Cup and my favourite team is the Netherlands, I'm with them all the way:)

Anonymous

Where can you buy silken tofu from?x

Vegan Magic

Hi there and thank you for your enquiry. I don't know where you live, but generally silken tofu is available at Asian stores, health food stores, even some major supermarket chains have it. It can also be ordered online. I hope this helps. Please see my comment just above for more information.

Anonymous

Looks amazing :) What is creamy coconut, and where can I purchase it?
Thanks Vicki

Vegan Magic

Hello Vicki and thank you for your enquiry. Creamy coconut is coconut milk with a high fat content, the kind you would use to make ice cream or thick curries. It is canned and widely available, just look for 60%+ fat content. Alternatively just use regular coconut milk, only add less. Thank you for stopping by:)

Marina

This cake was absolutely delicious! The guests really enjoyed it and the texture was smooth and rich.

Thank you for explaining the double boiler technique! I really enjoyed melting the chocolate this way.

A few modifications I would make to it (personal taste):

- Replace the orange zest with shredded coconut
- Use milk chocolate or other sweet chocolate for the mousse instead of dark chocolate
- Omit raisins or replace with roasted hazelnuts - for a more nutty cake

Vegan Magic

Marina, thank you so much for the feedback, it's a pleasure to know you and your guests enjoyed the cake. I've made a few versions of it, some including nuts, and loved the crunch:) For the mousse, I've recently found a chocolate brand that has less cocoa and it's still vegan, I'm planning to use it to make some desserts soon. Thank you for the suggestions. I hope you find more inspiring recipes on my blog:)

Anonymous

Ohh!! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!! I just tried your recipe- actually its going as a surprise for a friend. There was a little left over and I made a small cup for myself- ooohhh it truly is a delight. Just the right amount of sugar and chocolate. But i used a plain biscuit layer without the chocolate..it combines just right with the mousse. Its just right for uni- student dessert too- it didnt take me long to make it, its healthy and I saw what went into making it.Such a lovely treat-only wish my mother was here with me to share it too!!!

Vegan Magic

Thank YOU for giving the recipe a try and for the feedback. I'm very happy that you enjoyed the cake and hope your friend does too:)

Anonymous

So here is the verdict from my friend who received my mousse surprise:"awsmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...i wanna learn to do this..... its soooo aswmmmmmmmmmm i gave to another friend- she was like my god so yummy..... "

I guess that about amounts to how good it turned out.I found your blog just last week but wld soon be trying several other recipes. btw i am also a huge chickpea fan- just LOVE them!!
Not being new to vegan cooking (esp. when I live so close to India)your take on some of the recipes are rather singular that I must try them out soon!!

Do keep more recipes coming!!!!

Vegan Magic

That is AWESOME news!:) Thank you so much for letting me know what your friend thought of the mousse. I couldn't be happier:)

In many cases boredom is what makes me try new things or tweak old favourites - and in most cases the new version is better:) I hope you enjoy everything you try from my blog. I have many recipes left to post...

Anonymous

I made this today,so easy and it taste great,it's true everyone asked for another piece. Thank you for sharing these recipes,I look forward to trying more of your recipes.

Vegan Magic

I'm so happy you tried the cake and everyone loved it. Thanks very much for coming back to let me know, I appreciate every feedback receive:) More recipes coming soon.

Anonymous

Please teach me what is creamy coconut...Is it coconut butter? I researched online but could not find it. Thank you!

Vegan Magic

Hi, sorry for the late reply. If you have a look at the Chocolate Mousse (no added sugar) recipe, there is a note there on the different types of coconut products. One of them is coconut cream. Thank you for stopping by, I hope you enjoy the mousse.

Unknown

My daughter is newly vegan, so I'm new to it but trying to understand. I thought chocolate and milk and creams were NOT vegan. What substitutions can I make that will make it actually a vegan cake?

Vegan Magic

Hi, thank you for asking! There are only vegan recipes on my blog, I just choose not to overuse the word vegan, considering that non-dairy chocolate is still called chocolate, just like milk and cream. Dark chocolate is usually vegan, you can check the ingredients to be sure. Coconut milk and cream are vegan.