Chocolate Coffee Mousse Dessert

Looking for a chocolate and berry mousse? Try our raspberry chocolate mousse recipe!

I dreamt up the idea for this chocolate coffee mousse cake dessert while at a party with a close friend. We were both noshing on some mousse when she mentioned how great it would be if there were a layer of spongecake included. I loved the idea and decided to take it back to my kitchen and start demoing. The end result? These adorable little parfaits with layers of rich coffee and liqueur-infused mousse and sweet cream-soaked sponge cake. You’re going to just love them!

How to Prepare Coffee Mousse Cake Dessert

Preparing this coffee mousse cake dessert requires under 10 ingredients and some light assembly. Below, find a rundown of the recipe instructions before you dive in.

• Make a Sponge Cake: Bake a sponge cake on a sheet cake pan in the oven. After it cools, use the rim of your dessert cup to cut out even-sized circular rounds. 
• Soak the Sponge Cake: Place a sponge cake round in the bottom of each dessert cup. In a large bowl, combine the heavy whipping cream with the Bailey’s and pour a spoonful of the sweet cream on top of each round of cake. 
• Make the Mousse: In a large bowl, combine the chocolate chips, coffee, butter, and second portion of Bailey’s. Microwave and whisk until smooth. In a small bowl, combine a bit of heavy cream with the gelatin powder and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Next, microwave the gelatin mixture for a couple of seconds. Add the gelatin mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Finally, beat the remaining heavy whipping cream with an electric mixer on medium speed until you get stiff peaks. Stir half of the whipped cream into the chocolate and fold the other half in with a spatula.
• Assemble the Coffee Mousse Cake: Place the mousse in a piping bag and pipe equal amounts on top of each sponge cake round. Optionally, top it with another sponge cake layer, followed by another mousse layer. Garnish the parfaits with chocolate shavings and cocoa powder. Enjoy! 

5 Top Tips for Making Coffee Mousse Cake 

Here you’ll find our top 5 tips to help you nail this coffee mousse cake dessert on the first try. 

• Allow the sponge cake to soak. Allowing the sponge cake rounds to soak in the liqueur-infused cream while you prep the mousse is key. This will make the layers ultra-moist, while also adding a punch of flavor.
• Don’t overmix the whipped cream. If you overmix the whipped cream, it will turn into butter. Once you get stiff peaks, immediately stop mixing to avoid this.
• Don’t overmix the mousse. Avoid the urge to over incorporate the whipped cream into the melted chocolate mixture. If you stir it too aggressively, you’ll lose the fluffiness of the whipped cream and your mousse will fall flat. 
• Use a piping bag for the best presentation. Instead of spooning the mousse into each dessert cup, pipe it with a pastry bag. This will help aerate the mousse and keep it nice and fluffy.
• Swap in your favorite liqueur. if you’re not a fan of Bailey’s or just don’t have any on hand, swap in your favorite liqueur instead. You can’t go wrong! 
• Keep the coffee mousse cake refrigerated before serving. To prevent the mousse from deflating at room temperature, keep the coffee mousse cake dessert cups in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them.

Making Coffee Mousse Cake Ahead of Time

These coffee mouse cake desserts are perfect to make ahead of time for everything from large get-togethers to a birthday party. If you’re hosting and want to cut down on day-of prep, feel free to make these coffee mouse cake desserts up to 2-3 days in advance. That said, you’ll want to keep them covered in an airtight container to prevent them from soaking up any lingering smells in your refrigerator.

FAQ

More Scrumptious Coffee Desserts

• Coffee Macarons Recipe – French-style coffee sandwich cookies 
• Espresso Jello Shots – Coffee and condensed milk jello desserts 
• Chocolate Mocha Cookies – Chocolate cookies infused with coffee

Recipe

Chocolate Coffee Mousse Dessert

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Servings

25 Units

Prep Time 40 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 1 hr 20 mins

Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin

This coffee mouse cake dessert is a feast for the eyes. The layers of sponge cake and chocolate mousse are almost too good-looking to eat!

Ingredients

Sponge Cake Layers

• 1 sponge cake
• 3 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Mousse

• 3 oz strong coffee
• 2 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur
• 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1 tsp gelatine
• 1 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

US Units – Metric

Instructions

Sponge Cake Layers

• Prepare a sponge cake in a 13in. x 18in. sheet cake pan. Using the rim of the dessert cups or a cookie cutter, cut out small circles from the sponge cake.
  
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the heavy whipping cream with the Bailey's. Place a sponge cake round in the bottom of each dessert cup and pour a spoonful of the cream over each one.
  

Make the Chocolate Mousse

• Into a separate large bowl, combine the chocolate chips, coffee, and second portion of Bailey's. Microwave the mixture for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until it's completely melted.
  
• In a separate small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the heavy whipping cream and one teaspoon of the gelatin and allow it to soften at room temperature for 5 minutes. Then, microwave the mixture for 5 seconds and stir it until it turns runny in texture. Add the gelatin mixture into the chocolate mixture and stir to combine.
  
• Beat the other 1 and 1/2 cups of very cold heavy whipping cream with a hand or stand mixer until you get stiff peaks.
  
• Stir in half of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Next, fold in the remaining whipped cream, being extra careful not to overwork the mousse.
  

Assemble the Dessert Cups

• Carefully stuff the chocolate mousse into a piping bag and pipe equal amounts of the mousse on top of each sponge cake layer. Optionally, top the mousse with another sponge cake round, followed by another layer of mousse if you're using taller dessert cups.
  
• Garnish each dessert cup with shredded chocolate or cacao powder. Keep the cups refrigerated until you plan to serve them. Enjoy!
  

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate Coffee Mousse Dessert

Amount Per Serving

Calories 219 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Fat 17g26%

Saturated Fat 10g50%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 5g

Cholesterol 47mg16%

Sodium 84mg4%

Potassium 116mg3%

Carbohydrates 15g5%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 466IU9%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 35mg4%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.