This vegan chocolate mousse cake is light and fluffy yet ultra rich with layers of fudgy brownie, 3 ingredient chocolate mousse, and 2 ingredient chocolate ganache!

triple vegan chocolate mousse cake on a plate

Why this vegan chocolate mousse cake recipe works:

I’m absolutely obsessed with the concept of a triple chocolate mousse cake. Layers of chocolate brownie, chocolate mousse, and a soft chocolate ganache all in one bite? Say less, please.

So why not make an entirely vegan, dairy free, and eggless version that also happens to be undetectably gluten free? 

You’re just going to LOVE the simplicity of this vegan chocolate mousse cake. It’s made with a 3 ingredient chocolate mousse and 2 ingredient chocolate ganache that sets atop the fudgiest gluten free vegan brownies (based upon my top rated vegan brownies recipe!). 

sliced vegan chocolate mousse cake

The mousse is even simpler than my no coconut vegan chocolate mousse (psst! It’s like an actual chocolate mousse, and no, it doesn’t use any silken tofu!). And the chocolate ganache? It’s molten and sets just perfectly, based upon my vegan chocolate ganache recipe!

All you need is a springform pan, a large bowl and a hand electric mixer (or a stand mixer if you’d like!). Then we’ll get to work!

Ingredients & Substitutions:

For the brownie layer:

  • Flour: You can use all purpose flour or gluten-free 1:1 flour. I personally recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free flour.
  • Vegan butter: For nut free,  I use Om Sweet Home Dairy Free. 
  • Chocolate: There are tons of great vegan chocolate chip brands on the market. You can also use your favorite vegan dark chocolate bar. I like Endangered Species, Valrhona, and Pascha Chocolate. Enjoy Life is good too. 
  • Aquafaba: You can swap in soy milk or almond milk here instead of the chickpea brine!
  • Brown sugar & granulated sugar: We need both in order to create that rich brownie layer. The extra molasses in the brown sugar adds even more moisture to the brownie layer. 
  • Flaxseed: This is our vegan egg replacement. 
  • Cocoa powder: I recommend using Dutch-process cocoa powder. It will have a richer taste and lead to a fudgier brownie base, instead of a more vegan chocolate cake base.

For the chocolate mousse layer:

  • Chocolate
  • Vegan heavy cream: I find it’s easiest to use a store bought vegan heavy cream, like by Plant Crock or Califia here. You can use coconut cream, but I find this is so dependent on the can of coconut cream you’re dealing with, and it’s not consistent. Some coconut cream is really watery, some there’s too much coconut oil in it, so it just doesn’t produce as consistent results. 
  • Vegan butter: I like using Om Sweet Home Dairy Free for nut-free vegan butter. Country Crock is another great brand, as well as Miyoko’s. 

For the chocolate ganache:

  • Chocolate
  • Vegan heavy cream
sliced vegan chocolate mousse cake

How to make vegan chocolate mousse cake from scratch

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe. 

brownie batter in a bowl
First, make the vegan brownie batter.
baked brownie layer
Once the brownies are baked, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool. Once cooled for 30 minutes, we’ll move onto the chocolate mousse!
vegan chocolate ganache melted
Next we’ll make the mousse. Whisk together the vegan chocolate with the heated heavy cream and vegan butter. Set aside to cool.
making the vegan chocolate mousse
While the ganache is cooling, cream the heavy vegan cream in a large bowl until you reach stiff peaks.
added chocolate to the whipped cream
Add in the chocolate mixture, and whisk until combined.
vegan chocolate mousse in a stand mixer
You’ll lose a bit of height in the whipped cream, but that’s okay! It should look fully integrated like this.
chocolate mousse before setting
Pour the chocolate mousse into the springform pan, and smooth out the top. Then set the mousse for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight.
vegan chocolate ganache in a bowl
When ready to serve, about an hour before, prepare the vegan chocolate ganache. Let it cool in a bowl so that it’s not piping hot on the mousse!
vegan chocolate ganache on mousse cake
Pour or spoon onto your chocolate mousse, and allow the ganache to set in the fridge.
set vegan chocolate mousse cake
Then carefully run a butter knife along the edges of the springform pan, and remove the walls of the pan. Serve and enjoy!
Sliced chocolate mousse cake
Slice, serve and enjoy!
slice of vegan chocolate mousse cake
I recommend serving immediately and not letting the mousse cake sit out for more than 30 minutes, or it will become very soft!

Tips & tricks for chocolate mousse cake

  • Keep this chocolate mousse cake in the fridge or freezer when not slicing: this is because aquafaba can sometimes soften, quite quickly too if temperatures are hot enough. It’s best to serve and slice the cake within 20 minutes, then store the remainder of the cake in the fridge or freezer until someone wants another slice.
  • If you don’t need a gluten free vegan mousse cake: swap in all-purpose flour for the gluten free flour.
  • Use a cold bowl when making the mousse: This helps create more volume in the vegan heavy cream when whipping it into almost a vegan whipped cream.
bitten vegan chocolate mousse cake

You are just going to absolutely love this easy vegan chocolate mousse cake! It’s such a dream, and so decadent! Just the perfect almost no bake dessert for the summer time!

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

Ultra Decadent Vegan Chocolate Mousse Cake (No Nuts) pinterest pin

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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sliced vegan chocolate mousse cake

Ultra Decadent Vegan Chocolate Mousse Cake (No Nuts)

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  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Chilling Time: 180
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

This vegan chocolate mousse cake is light & fluffy yet ultra rich with layers of fudgy brownie, 3 ingredient chocolate mousse, & 2 ingredient chocolate ganache!

Ingredients

Scale

Vegan Brownie:

  • 3/4 cup (100 g) all-purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour
  • 1/4 cup (25 g) grams cocoa powder
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 cup (56 grams) vegan butter or coconut oil, melted
  • 3 ounces vegan chocolate chips
  •  3 tbsp (40 mL) aquafaba or soy milk
  • 1/3 cup (75 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 1/4 cup coffee (you can sub water) or 1/4 cup (50 g) unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Additional 1/2 cup (80 grams) vegan chocolate chips

Vegan Chocolate Mousse:

  • 1 cup (170 g) vegan dairy free chocolate
  • 3 cups (720 mL) heavy vegan cream, divided and cold
  • 1/4 cup (57 g) vegan butter
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache:

  • 1/2 cup (85 g) vegan dairy free chocolate
  • 1/2 cup (120 mL) heavy vegan cream

Instructions

  1. Please read through the instructions first before beginning, and measure out ingredients for the brownie layer. 
  2. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare an 8″ springform pan with 4″ walls by lining the bottom with parchment paper and greasing the edges of the springform pan with olive or cooking oil. Set aside. Make sure that the ground flaxseed is mixed with the coffee and set aside.
  3. Make the brownie batter: Heat the vegan butter in a microwave safe bowl until hot in the microwave. Then add in the chocolate chips and stir to melt the chocolate. Once the chocolate is completely melted, add in the cocoa powder and whisk to combine. Then add in the ground flaxseed mixture, aquafaba, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla, and whisk until the sugar is integrated into the wet mixture. Then add in the flour  and sea salt, and whisk in the dry ingredients JUST until incorporated, being careful not to over mix. Then fold in the chocolate chips.
  4. Bake the brownie cake layer: Pour the batter into the springform pan and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the springform pan for 30 minutes. Then transfer the cake in the springform pan still to the fridge to chill while you prepare the mousse. 
  5. Prep for the mousse: Place a large bowl or stand mixer bowl into the freezer, along with the whisk attachment. 
  6. Make the chocolate mousse: In a microwave safe bowl or in a saucepan over medium-low heat, heat 1 cup (240 mL) of the heavy cream with the vegan butter until melted and hot. Once hot, pour over the chocolate chips in a separate heat safe bowl. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes to melt the chocolate (make sure that the chips are fully submerged). Then whisk the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted into the heavy cream, like a ganache. Set aside. Then in the chilled bowl, add in the remaining vegan heavy cream. Begin to cream the heavy cream until you reach stiff peaks. Add in the vanilla and sea salt, and whisk just until integrated. Then pour in the chocolate mixture, and mix again on medium-high speed, scraping the bowl as needed.
  7. Assemble the chocolate mousse cake: Pour the mousse on to the brownie cake layer, and use a rubber spatula to smooth the top. Place the mousse cake into the fridge to chill for 3 hours, preferably overnight with a piece of plastic wrap over it to prevent drying out. 
  8. Make the chocolate ganache: An hour before ready to serve, prepare the chocolate ganache by heating the vegan heavy cream again until hot. Pour the hot heavy cream over the chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl. Let the chocolate sit for 2-3 minutes to melt fully submerged in the cream. Then whisk until smooth. Set the ganache aside to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature.
  9. Pour the ganache over the mousse: Once the ganache reaches room temperature, pour or spoon the ganache over the top of the set chocolate mousse. Place the chocolate mousse cake back into the fridge to set for 20-30 minutes before serving.
  10. Serve! Once the mousse cake is entirely set, use a butter knife to carefully run the edges of the mousse cake walls and sides of the springform pan to easily release the cake. Carefully release the springform cake walls and plate the mousse cake. Decorate with berries and server immediately. When not slicing, keep the mousse cake in the fridge or freezer. 
  11. Storage: store any leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Notes

Gluten Free: If your’e not gluten free, feel free to use all purpose flour. Otherwise, I recommend using King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 127
  • Sugar: 17.7 g
  • Sodium: 398.5 mg
  • Fat: 0.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 26.9 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 1.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: vegan chocolate mousse cake, chocolate mousse cake, easy chocolate mousse cake