Chocolate Mousse Cake — a plant-based British recipe by BOSH!
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Chocolate Mousse Cake

This Chocolate Mousse Cake is honestly one of those recipes we find ourselves coming back to again and again. It's got this incredible fudgy, almost truffle-like base, topped with the lightest, richest chocolate mousse you'll ever taste. Proper show-stopper stuff. We've made it for dinner parties, birthdays, and honestly just a random Tuesday when we needed something a bit special. If you've been looking for a plant-based dessert that genuinely blows people away, this is the one.

0
Serves 6

Before You Start

  • 20cm springform tin greased & lined with baking paper
  • Baking tray
  • Food processor
  • Blender
  • Stand mixer
  • Heatproof bowl
  • Saucepan
  • Cashews soaked overnight until soft
  • Base frozen for 30 minutes
  • Mousse layer frozen for 8 hours or overnight

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 75g of 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate roughly chopped
  • 100g of 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate roughly chopped
  • 200 blanched almonds
  • maple syrup
  • salt
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200g of 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate roughly chopped
  • 250ml coconut cream
  • 2 liquid from 1 x 400g can of chickpeas
  • pinch of cream of tartar
  • 200g golden caster sugar
  • 100 cashews - soaked overnight until soft
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 200 plant-based milk
  • salt
  • 200g of 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate finely chopped

Method

1

Make the base

  • Place your blanched almonds on a baking tray and toast for 10 minutes until slightly golden and fragrant
  • Place your chocolate and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl and melt over a bain marie, stirring occasionally
  • Once melted remove from the heat and set aside
  • Place the toasted almonds in a food processor and pulse until finely ground
  • Add the melted chocolate and coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup and a pinch of salt and pulse until fully incorporate
  • Press the mixture in to the base of the lined spring form cake tin
  • Place in the freezer, on a flat surface and allow to set for 30 minutes
  • Melt 100g of dark chocolate in a bain marie, and remove the cake tin from the freezer
  • Spread the melted chocolate over the base (this prevents the base from going soggy and adds a nice crunchy chocolate layer). Return to the freezer to allow the chocolate to set
2

Next make the mousse layer

  • Place dark chocolate and coconut oil in a bain marie and heat until melted, stirring occasionally
  • Place the coconut cream and soaked cashews into a blender and add the melted chocolate and coconut oil mixture, as well as the vanilla extract
  • Blitz for several minutes until completely smooth
  • Set aside and allow to cool completely to room temperature
  • Add the chickpea water to the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the cream of tartar, beat on a medium speed until frothy
  • Add the caster sugar 1 tablespoon at a time
  • Beat on a medium to high heat until stiff peaks are formed (approx. 5 minutes)
  • Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the aquafaba mixture, being careful to fold instead of beat so as not to knock the air out of the mixture
  • Once full incorporated, remove the cake tin from the freezer and pour in the mousse filling
  • Place in the freezer and allow to set for 8 hours or over night
3

To make the chocolate ganache

  • Place the plant based milk in a saucepan with the caster sugar and salt, heat to just below a boil
  • Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl, pour the heated plant based milk over the top and cover the bowl for several minutes
  • Then stir the chocolate ganache mixture together. Add the vanilla and olive oil and set aside to cool to room temperature
  • Pour the ganache over the set mousse mixture and return to the fridge to set for another hour (or place in the freezer for 20 minutes)
  • Remove from the fridge just before serving and eat immediately

Tips & Variations

  • Toast those almonds properly: Don't rush the toasting step. Ten minutes in the oven until they're golden and fragrant makes a massive difference to the depth of flavour in the base.
  • Use good quality chocolate: This is a chocolate-forward recipe so the quality of your chocolate really matters. We always go for at least 70% dark chocolate. It makes the mousse richer and less sweet in the best possible way.
  • Chill it for long enough: We know it's tempting to dig in early but giving the mousse cake a proper chill in the fridge, ideally a few hours or overnight, makes it so much easier to slice and the texture is just on another level.

Why This Works

The trick here is toasting the almonds before blending them into the base. It brings out this deep, nutty flavour that makes the whole thing taste way more complex than it has any right to. The melted chocolate and coconut oil bind everything together into a base that's firm enough to slice but still melts in your mouth. Trust us on this one, it's all in those little details.