Chocolate Mousse Cake for Two - Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe (2024)

A rich chocolate cake with a brownie bottom and a light, fluffy small-batch mousse topping. This chocolate mousse cake for two has truffles on top, but they're optional (but very decadent!)

It feels a little like Valentine’s Day today with this chocolate mousse cake for two, but it’s not! It’s just an everyday chocolate cake, made a little fancy with mousse on top.

I reworked my brownies for two recipe to bake them in a 6” springform pan with the goal of piling fluffy chocolate mousse on top. I imagined 4 petite slices of chocolate mousse cake, but after one bite I realized how rich it was—this cake is best sliced into 5 or 6 petite slices.

The extra fancy part of this chocolate mousse cake is the Godiva G Cube truffles on top for decoration! If G cubes are new to you, let me catch you up: they’re bite-size individually wrapped truffles from Godiva. They’re filled with a smooth, perfectly flavored chocolate ganache. They come in 10 flavors, which is a fun way to change up this cake. This time, I topped the cake with vanilla and strawberry G cubes, but my husband requested one with mint G cubes next.

How to make chocolate mousse cake:

After baking the brownies in the springform pan, I set them aside to cool. You can do this a day ahead of time, too. My springform pan has 3” sides, but if your pan is a little shorter, it’s fine. My chocolate mousse topping didn’t come all the way to top, so a 2” pan works, too.

I use a springform pan for this chocolate mousse cake for a few reasons. One, it helps shape the mousse into the perfect pile of frosting on the brownie bottom. After a quick chill, just snap the pan open to remove the cake easily. And two, a springform pan is the easiest way to remove a cake from a pan.

If you need a full-size version of this recipe, try this one that I love because it starts with a box mix.

But, here’s the deal: this chocolate mousse cake for two is so delicious, that if you only have my regular 6” cake pan, just use that! The cake might not come out perfectly and look like a perfect slice of cake from a Patisserie, but it will still taste just as delicious! In that case, try dipping your knife in hot water, running it around the edge to release the cake from the pan. From there, I suggest inserting a small spatula and lifting out the cake whole. Alternatively, you can cut a slice first and lift it out before attempting to lift the whole cake.

Let’s eat delicious desserts, regardless of their imperfect appearance, ok? I should be in a help group for my addiction to beautiful desserts.

How to remove a cake from a springform pan:

One tip on removing a cake from a springform pan. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to release the mousse. Place one hand on the bottom of the pan to support the cake while using the other hand to pop open the spring. Then, let the pan fall on your arm (like a bracelet); don’t worry about catching the ring part—worry about the cake!

If you chill the cake before attempting to remove, it helps so much! This chocolate mousse recipe isn’t overly firm or soft, it’s just right. You can pipe it and it will hold its shape, but it will be slightly firmer in the fridge.

Easy chocolate mousse recipe:

Since we live the small batch life (meaning, I create small desserts and small dinner for two recipes), my chocolate mousse recipe is predictably smaller. When scaling down a recipe and making a small portion, the recipe should be easier, don’t you agree? It doesn’t seem right to go through lots of trouble for a small reward, in my opinion. I’ve always tried to make my recipes easy, quick and less than 10 ingredients.

Side note: I have an entire cookbook dedicated to easy desserts for two with less than 10 ingredients, did you know? It's called Sweet and Simple: Dessert for Two, emphasis on the simple!

I approached my chocolate mousse recipe this way, too. While it uses 2 separate bowls (one for mixing ingredients and one for whipping cream), it’s so worth it. I started with just 1 egg and built the recipe around it.

Plus, if you’re one of those people that worries about consuming raw eggs in typical chocolate mousse, this recipe uses a fully cooked egg! There’s no way I could make a raw egg dessert in my house with a toddler running around—a toddler who loves chocolate, by the way.

One final tip: I don’t recommend chocolate chips for making this mousse because they don’t melt as smoothly as a chocolate bar, but if it’s all you have, it’s fine! You just might have some flecks of chocolate in your final mousse, but it’s still perfectly delicious.

If you’re not up for making the entire chocolate mousse cake, just make the mousse frosting here and serve it in two ramekins with a few raspberries on top.