You’re in for a treat! This creamy vegan chocolate mousse cake is SO easy to make, with just 20 minutes of hands on time and zero baking required. The creamy dairy free chocolate mousse filling is made with silken tofu and it’s layered on a bitter chocolate almond flour crust for a decadent but not-too-sweet dessert and it’s gluten free too!
Me and dessert? It’s complicated. And that’s not my dietitian side talking because I 100% believe that dessert belongs in a healthy life. Let’s leave icky all-or-nothing ideas about nutrition in the past, okay?
It’s just that a lot of the time, for my tastebuds, I find desserts way too sweet and actually not that flavourful.
Which is why my velvety vegan chocolate mousse is one of my favourite desserts of all time. It’s so packed with rich chocolate flavour and it has this amazing light yet creamy texture. So I got to wondering if it would make a delicious mousse cake and holy heck did it pan out!
This is why creating plant-based recipes is so much fun: I love creating nourishing vegan desserts like my decadent chocolate cherry cheesecake and my easy vegan Turtles candies for everyone who is like me: you want flavour and fun but could do with just a little less sugar.
And if you love this vegan chocolate mousse cake, consider picking up a copy of my latest book Good For Your Gut because it has a bunch of super satisfying dessert recipes that are gut-friendly too.
Raid the pantry and let’s make a chocolate mousse cake!
To make this gorgeous chocolate mousse cake, I really wanted to use only standard pantry ingredients – there’s no aquafaba, no agar – so it is easy to make. Also, can you believe you can make a really killer mousse cake with only 8 ingredients???
- Silken tofu: the essential ingredient of this recipe, a high water, silky smooth tofu often sold in tubes. Silken tofu is light yet creamy, with a lower fat content than cashew desserts. If you’re allergic to soy, you could try substituting ripe avocado (but I haven’t tested it!).
- Dark chocolate: you can use either chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars. I recommend using at least 70% cacao chocolate for the best flavour…and make sure you love the taste of the chocolate as it is what your mousse will taste like!
- Almond butter: adds some richness and body to the chocolate mousse in place of cream. You can totally substitute peanut butter if you like but you’ll get a bit of the peanut flavour in the mousse…which is also delicious!
- Maple syrup: maple syrup enhances the flavour as it sweetens but you can substitute sugar in a pinch (the mousse will have a slightly different texture, you’ll need to sub some extra oil or water for the crust)
- Vanilla: because vanilla is what makes chocolate taste like chocolate (yes, really!)
- Almond flour: made from ground almonds, almond meal has a great texture and is blood-sugar friendly because it’s rich in fibre, protein and healthy fats. One of my favourite baking ingredients
- Cocoa: I use regular dutch baking cocoa for the crust which gives it a bitter chocolate cookie vibe
- Avocado oil: you can use any neutral flavoured oil you have in the pantry. The oil helps keep the crust a bit more tender and enhances flavour but you can also substitute the oil for more maple syrup if you want a semi-sweet crust that’s also oil free.
How to make this creamy vegan chocolate mousse cake
This dessert may feel fancy, but I promise: it’s so easy a novice cook will absolutely crush this recipe! It takes just 20 minutes of hands-on time and there are no special techniques. You don’t even need a food processor for the crust! Here’s how to do it.
Step One: Make the almond flour crust. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa, almond meal and salt. Pour in the oil, maple syrup and vanilla and whisk a bit, then just get in there with your hands until the dough starts to come together. Sprinkle it over the lined springform pan and then press it down with your hands until it evenly coats the bottom of the pan.
Step Two: Make the vegan chocolate mousse filling. You’re going to melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, or over a pot of simmering water, then add them to a blender with the tofu, vanilla, maple syrup, salt and almond butter and blend until silky smooth. Pour that mousse right over the crust.
Step Three: Chill until firm. Ideally, you want to chill this cake for 6 hours but in a pinch, 4 works (that’s what I did for the shoot!). The great thing about this cake is that it keeps well in the fridge for up to 4-5 days plus you can slice and freeze leftovers for up to a month for whenever a craving strikes!
Tips, tricks and substitutions
- This vegan chocolate mousse cake keeps very well, covered in the fridge, for 4-5 days. Want to freeze it? You bet! I recommend cutting it into slices and placing in a freezer container for up to 1 month.
- If you’re a chocolate lover, this dessert is perfect without any toppings whatsoever! However, if you love the pairing of chocolate with fruit, this cake is beautiful topped with seasonal fresh fruit.
- You could also spread the crust with a little passionfruit, cherry or raspberry jam before you pour on the mousse for a burst of flavour or make a quick fruit coulis to pour over top.
- I really like the pairing of a bitter chocolate crust with the sweeter mousse filling. However, if you know bitter chocolate isn’t your thing, add 2 tablespoons of cane sugar to the crust for more of a semi-sweet flavour.
- Allergic to almonds? You can substitute walnut flour for the crust and sunflower seed butter for the mousse.
More easy vegan desserts
- Buttery Vegan Snowball Cookies (no flour!)
- Raspberry Dark Chocolate Vegan Magnum Bars
- Nourishing Vegan Hot Chocolate
- Flaky Pear Dessert Tart (Vegan)
- Fudgy Vegan Peppermint Brownies Made with Black Beans
No Cook Creamy Vegan Chocolate Mousse Cake
Equipment
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High Speed Blender
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springform pan 8 inch for a lower slice with thinner layers, 6 inch for a taller slice with thicker layers.
Ingredients
Chocolate Mousse Filling
- 14 ounces silken tofu drained
- ¼ cup almond butter or sub sunflower or peanut butter as needed
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate, 70% cocoa
Almond Flour Crust
- 1 ½ cups almond flour or walnut flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral flavoured oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Optional toppings
- your favourite fresh fruit just slice and place on top!
Instructions
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Cut a round of parchment paper to fit the bottom of your 8 inch (20 cm) non-stick springform pan. If pan isn’t non-stick, lightly grease sides and bottom with a bit of avocado oil first. Set aside.
Make the crust
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In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder and salt until well combined. Pour in maple syrup, avocado and vanilla and whisk to combine, then start kneading and mixing with hands until dough starts to come together.
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Sprinkle the crust into the pan, then press firmly with hands until an even layer forms. Set aside.
Make the mousse filling
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Place tofu, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in blender and blend on high for one minute until it is super smooth.
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Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. OR, fill a small pot with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water. Fit a heatproof bowl over the pot to make a double boiler. Place chocolate in the bowl. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is fully melted and smooth.
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Scrape chocolate into blender and blend again on medium-high for 30-45 seconds until fully blended. Pour the mousse filling over the crust, scraping the blender to get every last delicious drop!
Chill the mousse cake
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Chill the cake for a minimum of 4 hours (6 is ideal) before slicing and serving. I find that this cake makes 8 generous servings but easily serves 10 as it is rich!
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You can store the cake for 4-5 days in the pan covered with plastic or reusable food wrap. Want to freeze it? Slice first, then place slices in a freezer container for up to 1 month. Let thaw for 15 minutes before serving.
Video
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