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This chocolate mousse cake has a layer of chocolate cake on the bottom, strawberry jelly layer in the middle and lots of homemade chocolate mousse. Covered with shiny chocolate mirror glaze and topped with strawberries. The Chocolate Mirror Glaze Recipe, I’m sharing with you today is very easy to make.
I’ve been thinking to share this chocolate mirror glaze recipe with you for a few months now.
The problem is, that the very first time I made mirror glaze, I was not extremely happy with the result.
It was a pink mirror glaze, made with white chocolate and the consistency was way off. After some research and practice, I’ve made quite a few glossy mirror glazed cakes, both using this Chocolate Mirror Glaze Recipe and my colored mirror glaze recipe.
I’m not an expert and everything that I’ll share with you today is just what I’ve learned from adapting recipes and trial and error.
Possibilities for cake decorating and cake fillings, Â when using mirror glaze are endless, so I’ll leave this to the experts.
Check out Instagram for inspiration.
If you are a home baker, who would like to impress your family and guests with a glossy and beautiful mirror cake, this recipe is worth trying.
I made this particular one for our Memorial Day Barbecue and chocolate lovers liked it.
This chocolate mirror cake is perfect for any celebration.
Looks sleek and elegant and it actually isn’t too difficult to make.
Tips to make Mirror Glaze Cake:
The way most mirror glazed cakes look on the inside is – they have 1-2 thin layers of cake and they often have a jelly layer or a pate de fruit layer and a lot of mousse.
I used a strawberry jelly layer in this cake.
It is a mousse cake, so you’ll need some patience to let is set.
Also (very important), you’ll need to use a spring form or preferably a mousse cake mold.
Springform pans often use marks on the cake, where the walls release, but it is important that the sides of this cake are as smooth as possible, so mousse molds work better.
How to make chocolate mirror glaze cake?
The bottom cake layer is just buttermilk (of course I didn’t have any and used milk and lemon juice), chocolate cake (any 1/2-inch cake layer will work).
For the strawberry layer I used frozen strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, water and gelatin.
The chocolate mousse is also made with gelatin.
I adapted the mousse recipe from my basic chocolate mousse one, since I needed it to be a little runnier (not too fluffy).
Once you assemble the cake, you need to freeze it for at least 1 hour.
This makes “applying”, spreading the chocolate mirror glaze on top easier.
The most important part- the Chocolate Mirror Glaze Recipe.
How do you make chocolate mirror glaze?
This chocolate mirror glaze is made with semi-sweet chocolate, water, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, unsweetened cocoa powder, gelatin and “a secret ingredient” – light corn syrup.
Adding a little light corn syrup (Karo syrup), makes the chocolate mirror glaze extra shiny and stunning.
This chocolate mousse cake with chocolate mirror glaze recipe requires a little bit of extra planning and lots of desire to make it.
Hope you get to try it.
Chocolate Mirror Glaze
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake: (adapted from all recipes)
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 100 ml milk
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 100 ml boiling water
For the strawberry jelly layer:
- 4 cups frozen strawberries
- 1/4 cup water for the strawberries
- 1/3 cup sugar, (to 1/2 cup)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp powdered gelatin
- 1/4 cup cold water for the gelatin
For the chocolate mousse (adapted from my Baileys Chocolate Mousse):
- 8 oz semi sweet chocolate
- 2/3 cup heavy cream, (to use with the chocolate)
- 1 tbsp gelatin
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1 2/3 cups heavy cream, (to whip)
For the chocolate mirror glaze:
- 4 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, (or chocolate bar)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 oz water
- 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tsp light corn syrup
Instructions
For the chocolate cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Spray an 8-inch cake pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Spray with a cooking spray over the parchment. Set aside.To make the buttermilk, combine milk and lemon juice and let it stand at room temperature for 3-5 minutes, until it curdles.
- In a bowl, combine dry ingredients- flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg and sugar for 2 minutes, then add oil and vanilla. Add buttermilk.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Add hot water and beat to combine. Strain batter, if there are any small lumps, but do not overtax it, trying to incorporate the lumps.
- Bake for about 30 minutes (28-33 minutes), until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven, let it cool for 5 minutes inside the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the strawberry jelly layer:
- Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water. Let it stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, until it blooms.
- In a saucepan, combine strawberries, sugar, water and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer, cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Blend with a blender, until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
- Warm up over a double boiler or in the microwave to liquify. Add to the strawberry mixture.
- You can either pour the strawberry mixture over an 8-inch cake pan, bottom lined with parchment paper, or into an 8-inch springform pan, bottom and walls of which is lined with plastic wrap. Refrigerate or freeze for at least 3 hours (I suggest refrigerating, until set, then freezing for 30 minutes, for easy removal). I prefer to use regular pan.
- To take the jelly out from the pan- work very carefully. Loosen the sides of the pan with a knife and turn it upside down, holding the jelly with one hand and the pan with the other. Quickly place it over the cake.
For the chocolate mousse:
- Heat 2/3 cup of heavy cream, bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
- Place chocolate in a bowl and pour heavy cream over it. Let it stand for 1 minutes, then using a spatula, stir to incorporate. Let it cool to room temperature.
- Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water. Let it stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, until it blooms. Warm up to liquify. Add gelatin to the cooled chocolate mixture.
- Beat the remaining 1 2/3 cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- Add the chocolate/gelatin mixture to the heavy cream and mix (with a mixer on low or a spatula), until combined.
To Assemble The Cake:
- Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. If using a mousse mold, place a 10 inch cardboard cake circle on the bottom and wrap the mousse mold around it.
- Place the chocolate cake layer (level it if there is a dome) on the bottom. Add 1/3 of the chocolate mousse. Place the strawberry jelly layer on top. Add the remaining mousse on top. Smooth the top with a spatula.
- Freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Warm up the sides of the springform (mousse mold) with a hair dryer for 10-15 seconds, then open the form. Place cake on a rack. Pour the glaze on top and smooth it if needed. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, so the cake can defrost and glaze can set.
- Garnish with strawberries.
For the chocolate mirror glaze:
- Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water. Let it stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
- Combine water and sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil, stir until the sugar has dissolved and remove from heat. Add condensed milk and cocoa powder, whisk to combine. Add bloomed gelatin and stir to melt.
- Place chocolate in a bowl.Pour mixture over the chocolate.Stir constantly, until chocolate is melted. Add corn syrup.
- Using an immersion blender, blend mixture until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
- Let the glaze cool to a temperature of 33-36 Celsius, you need to use a thermometer and to be exact. The warmer the better in my opinion, but no more than 36 Celsius. Pour over the cake.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
You May Also Like:
Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake Recipe
No Bake Three Chocolate Cake Recipe
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
Thanks for responding so quickly. Is the chocolate gelatin mixture supposed to be cooled and set up when you add the cream? Mine was, which made it hard to blend with the whipped cream.
Hi Larissa, sorry for responding days late. Needs to be cooled to room temperature, for 15 minutes, cool to the touch, but not cooled in the fridge and very cold. I bet this was the issue. I’ll make notes in the recipe.
I tried this recipe, my family and friends were impressed.
Thanks for sharing this.
Hi! This cake looks delicious ! What is the decorations on top of the cake? I know it’s strawberries but what’s the chocolate pieces? Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Mary!
Thank you! The chocolate decorations is called “chocolate chips” which is dark chocolate with tiny almond pieces. I buy it from Trader Joe’s, but I believe other stores have it. It costs around $3 per box.
Hi! I feel like I may be missing something (I’m not a very experienced baker), but I’m trying to figure out how, from the instructions, you could replace a 9″ springform pan with a 10″ mousse mold? Wouldn’t they make different sized cakes? Or am I supposed to place the mousse mold on top of the cake board instead of wrapping it around it?
Thank you!
Yes cakes will be different size. This is just an option, if you only have a 10 or 9-inch pan.
When u assemble the strawberry jelly on the cake do u have to keep the cake in the fridge or out will the strawberry jelly melt I
havent tried it but before I try just wanted to check with this as I am from India and its hot here
Hi Dorothy,
Always keep in the fridge because mousse cakes can get very soft. Jelly will not melt, but get soft of let at room temperature for very long.
Hello! This cake looks gorgeous and I hope to try it for Christmas dinner! I am constantly adding things to my baking repertoire but have never made a mousse (I’ve been too obsessed with meringue) so I am a little nervous. Can this cake be made the day before? Would it survive an hour car ride?
Hi Kelly! Yes, this cake can be made 1-2 days in advance. It is pretty easy, if you follow my instructions. It depends, if the weather is cold, it will survive a car ride. Mousse cakes don’t do well at hinger temperatures. Also make sure you put it in a box, to protect it from moving and being smashed. Let me know how it turns. Mira
A few questions…
1. The strawberry layer, step 4, does that refer to the gelatin?
2.thevglaze step 3. Do you liquify the gelatin before adding it or will it liquify in the warm glaze?
3. The glaze step 4…why do you need to strain the glaze? Isn’t everything melted and therefore smooth?
I want to try this cake out in my baking class, but want answers first
Hi Diva,
-Yes it refers to the gelatin.
-Yes always liquify the gelatin. But it will also liquify in the warm glaze, so you can skip liquifying in this step.
-If you’d like, do not strain the glaze, but I always do because sometimes there are unmelted pieces of chocolate and gelatin. Not always everything is melted and smooth in my experience.
Hope you get to try it!
Hi, I tried making a similar cake with mousse layers on top of a sponge cake. However, I noticed the cake collapsed and the mousse layer melted inside the fridge after glazing. Do you have any idea why that happens? Did I whip the whipped cream too much or the fridge has to be set at a colder temperature?
Thanks
Hi, I tried making this cake a couple times and I noticed the mousse layer melted/cake collapsed after glazing. Do you have any idea how that happens? Did I whip the whipped cream too much or the fridge has to be set at a colder temperature?
Thanks
Hi, The mousse layer needs to be frozen. Also the whole cake needs to be frozen before you add the glaze. The temperature of the glaze needs to be the one suggested in the recipe. Not hotter.
Yummy
Thank you!!!