Celebrate a special day with this wonderfully delicious Hazelnut Mousse Cake. It is unexpectedly easy to make and will satisfy every taste!
What kind of recipe is this
Mousse cakes are among the best desserts in the world! In terms of texture hey are similar to cheesecakes but even lighter, as they normally contain a lot of whipped cream. Many people think it is hard to prepare mousse cakes, but this is not true. And I will surely prove you this with the recipe below.
How to make the texture creamy
The easiest way to make a Mousse Cake is with whipped cream and gelatin. It always works but you need to make sure you avoid one simple mistake: adding too much gelatin. In fact you need very little of this ingredient in order to make a whole cake firm enough but keep the smooth consistency. If you overdo, the mousse will become too stiff and jelly-like and trust me, you don't want this.
The Hazelnut Mousse Cake contains two types of mousse and only one of them needs gelatin to be added. The reason why you don't need gelatin in the other one is because it contains enough quantity of dark chocolate to make the mousse stiff.
Preparation summary
This cake contains a cake base, covered by two types of mousse on top. For that reason you will need two pans: one for the cake base and in addition a slightly larger springform pan or a cake ring to hold both the base and the mousse.
In my case I used a cake ring which I extended in a plate. I put the cake base in the middle of the ring, sprinkled it with syrup and covered with the mousses. Then the fridge does the rest as it makes firm the thickening agents inside the mousses: in this case the gelatin and the chocolate.
I am sure you would enjoy this recipe as it is tasty and creamy! If you have made it, please leave a comment below or tag me in Instagram!
You may like also some of my other recipes with hazelnuts:
Hazelnut Cake with Stracciatella Frosting and Dried Cranberries
Raw Avocado Banana Cake
Healthy Carrot Cake with Almonds and Hazelnuts
Hazelnut Cookies with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
📝 Recipe
Hazelnut Mousse Cake
Ingredients
For the cake base:
- 1 cup/ 200 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup/ 130 g self raising flour
- 3 tbsp/ 30 g cornstarch
- ⅓ cup/ 35 g ground hazelnuts
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp/ 40 ml whole milk
- 2 tbsp/ 30 ml vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
For the syrup:
- ½ cup/ 100 ml milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
For the Hazelnut Mousse:
- 1 ¾ cup/ 400 ml whipping cream, cold
- 5 oz/ 150 g white chocolate
- 1,5 tsp/ 5 g gelatin powder
- 3 tbsp/ 50 ml water
- ⅓ cup/ 35 g ground hazelnuts
For the Chocolate Mousse:
- ⅞ cup/ 200 ml whipping cream, cold
- 3,5 ox/ 100 g dark chocolate, melted
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake Base:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F). Line a 18 cm (7 inch) cake pan with a circle of parchment paper.
- In a bowl combine flour, cornstarch, ground hazelnuts and baking powder. Whisk gently and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer beat together eggs and sugar until the volume increases significantly and the mixture becomes pale. Add oil, milk and vanilla and beat again shortly. Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing gently with a rubber spatula, until absorbed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a wooden skewer, inserted in the centre, comes out clean.
- Let cool until room temperature before assembling the cake.
Syrup:
- Heat milk and sugar at a medium temperature (in a saucepan on the stove or in the microwave). Whisk until the sugar is just dissolved: the mixture should be warm but not hot.
- Trim any uneven parts from the top of the cake base. Place it on a serving plate (if you will be using a cake ring) or in a 22-23 cm (9 inch) springform pan. Sprinkle the syrup over the cake until all the liquid is absorbed.
Hazelnut Mousse:
- Combine gelatin and water in a heatproof bowl and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the ground hazelnuts into the cream.
- Place the gelatin and the water on a double boiler (over a pan of gently simmering water). Whisk until the gelatin is dissolved. Add the white chocolate, piece by piece and whisk until it is melted. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes and gradually add it to the whipped cream, carefully folding with the spatula.
- Pour the mousse over the cake base in the springform pan (or in the plate with a cake ring extended around it). Refrigerate while preparing the chocolate mousse.
Chocolate Mousse:
- Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form.
- Using a rubber spatula carefully fold in the melted chocolate, until uniform. Pour the chocolate mousse over the hazelnut mousse in the cake pan. Smoothen on top with a spatula.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 8 hours before serving.
- Decorate with chocolate candies, chocolate shaves and whole hazelnuts.
G.A says
I want to use only the hazelnut mousse as a filling in my cake between layers of sponge cake and was also wondering if you know how thick the layer would be out of this recipe if I have the layer 20cm./8in. in diameter. Ideally it would be best if the layer of mousse would be around 1.5 or 2cm thick
G.A says
Hi, I dont want the hazelnut mousse to be very sweet. What do you think is it ok or should I add less white chocolate?
G.A says
I want to use only the hazelnut mousse as a filling in my cake between layers of sponge cake and was also wondering if you know how thick the layer would be out of this recipe in an 18cm/7in cake ring. Ideally it would be best if the layer of mousse would be around 1.5 or 2cm thick
Daniela says
Hi,
The total quantity of the hazelnut mousse in this recipe is approximately 2 1/2 cups or 650 ml. In a 7 inch/ 18 cm pan it should be about 3-4 cm (1,5 inch), considering other similar cakes that I have made.
You can always place any leftover mousse in 1 or 2 glasses and eat it separately, it is nice.
Daniela says
The sweetness would depend mainly on the chocolate brand. High quality white chocolate would not be too sweet.
Please note that the hazelnut mousse recipe doesn't call for any additional sweetener apart from the white chocolate, therefore it can't be excessively sweet.
G.A says
Thank you very much I will definitely try this mousse out
G.A says
Would you recommend a specific white chocolate?
Daniela says
It is hard to recommend because in every country there are different brands. The one I use the most is called Delices de Belguque: a standard quality Belgian chocolate. I have used also Milka, even though I find it a bit too soft.
The best ones are not melting easily at room temperature and when you break them make a crunching sound, similar to dark chocolate. That means their cocoa butter content is high.