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The very best vegan triple chocolate mousse cake. Cashews blended into an extra smooth and creamy vegan chocolate mousse and spread over a chocolate nut based crust, chilled until firm, and topped with sweet dark chocolate. 3 layers of rich and creamy chocolate. And did I mention no-bake, super easy, vegan, healthy…ish, and so delicious.
We made it to Friday, and as you guys know, Friday’s need chocolate. Yes, even in January. I know you might be on some kind of New Year’s diet, but this is as clean (and delicious) as a cake can get. And let’s just be real, all Friday’s, no matter what time of the year, need something sweet and delicious.
This is your January cake.
Here’s the deal, you guys know me, I’m not one to share many vegan recipes. This is mostly due to the fact that I love dairy. Especially anything goat milk related…kinda weird, but honestly, goat milk is a true delicacy, and so good for you. I try to find a way to include it in as many recipes as possible.
But some recipes just magically turn out completely vegan, even when I wasn’t trying. Which is exactly what happened with this cake, and you know, I kind of love it.
One of the most asked questions I get, especially through Instagram, is what inspires me. I’ve said this before, but I find inspiration everywhere I look. It can be a color, a change of seasons, rotting bananas, literally anything. The one thing that’s consistently inspiring me however, are the people around me. There’s nothing I love more than creating recipes for others.
With my mom’s birthday falling on a Friday this year, I knew I needed to bake up some chocolate goodness. She is very much about the classic chocolate cake, but what she loves even more than cake is chocolate mousse. This got me thinking, why not finally make a chocolate mouse cake, but healthify it a bit for “Healthy January”?
And that’s how this chocolate mousse cake came to be. Oddly, I didn’t have it ready in time for my mom’s actual birthday, so she got this cake instead. But, I did share this cake with her after lunch one day this week, kind of a post birthday dessert.
Verdict? She LOVED it!
Let me take you through this mousse cake layer by layer.
Layer 1: walnuts, dates, coconut, cocoa powder, and flaky sea salt. This might sound odd, but it tastes just like a brownie, and it is so good.
Layer 2: soaked cashews, coconut milk, cocoa powder, vanilla, and a touch of coffee. Oh this mousse. There’s truly nothing better than this mousse. I could eat it by the spoonful. The key to the silkiest, smoothest, vegan “mousse” is boiling the raw cashews to make them extra soft and easier to blend up. When they’re plump and soft, they blend into the smoothest consistency that truly resembles a real mousse. I like to add a touch of vanilla and coffee, to really bring out the chocolate flavors. So good.
Layer 3: dark chocolate and creamy peanut butter. Why? Because an extra layer of chocolate is always a very good idea. Using peanut butter, keeps the chocolate soft, so it’s easier to cut through and doesn’t break apart. Plus, it’s just delicious.
And now you see, right? Best chocolate mousse cake that happens to be on the healthier side, and a million times easier than a classic mousse cake. Love!
Some notes.
It’s really is important to take the time to boil the cashews and let them soak. Because of this, the prep time on the cake is a little longer, but it’s my no means hard.
And, this cake does need to chill a bit, so plan ahead! The mousse can get soft, so be sure to keep the cake in the fridge until ready to serve.
On that same note, since the cake is chilled, the chocolate on top can be a little hard to cut through. My tip? Run your knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and then cut. This works every time and gives you perfect slices.
Other than that, there’s nothing too hard or tricky. In fact, it’s really easy, just a lot of blending and then chilling!
Perfect thing to make over the weekend…or tonight, which I highly recommend. Because Friday’s beg for sweetness.
Enjoy!
If you make this vegan chocolate mousse cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
Vegan Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 1335 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1/2 cup raw unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) pitted packed dates
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt
Chocolate Mousse
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk*
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4-1/2 cup real maple syrup
- 8 ounces dark chocolate
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter or almond butter
Instructions
- 1. To soak the cashews. Place the cashews in medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 2 minutes, then cover and remove from the heat. Let the cashews soak for at 30 minutes or up to overnight. Drain well. 2. Meanwhile, make the crust. Line an 8-inch spring form pan with parchment paper. In a food processor, combine the walnuts, coconut, dates, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt. Pulse until finely ground and the mix forms a ball, about 2-3 minutes. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, making sure to pack it in tightly.
3. To make the mousse. Add the drained cashews, coconut milk, cocoa powder, instant coffee, vanilla, and maple syrup to a food processor or high powered blender. Pulse until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed, about 5 minutes. Taste, adding more maple syrup if needed to sweeten. Pour the mixture evenly over the crust. Press a piece of plastic wrap over the mousse. Transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.If you mouse is still pudding like, transfer to the freeze and freeze until firm.4. In a small, microwave safe bowl, melt together the chocolate and peanut butter until smooth, about 30 second to 1 minute. Let cool 5 minutes and then spread the chocolate overtop the cake. Return to the fridge to set up, about 10 minutes or until ready to serve. 5. Slice and serve! Keep the cake stored in the fridge (or in the freeze if your mousse is on the looser side*).
Notes
*It is important to use full fat coconut milk that is not too watery. You want to use the creamiest, thickest coconut milk. If you open your can of coconut milk and there is water, do not use the water, use the creamy white milk/cream that has separated from the water.
*If your mousse is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons additional coconut milk at a time to help it blend the mousse.
*Depending on the consistency of your coconut milk, you may end up with a mousse that is thinner and will not set up as easy. If this is the case, keep the cake stored in the freezer. To serve, remove from the freezer 5 minutes before cutting. Run your knife under hot water, then wipe dry, and cut.
Super tasty! I’m not vegan and would make this again.
Thank you so much! I am glad you enjoyed this one! xTieghan
Hi
Instead of maple syrup can I use regular / castor sugar? What would be the proportional changes?
Can’t wait to try this out.
Hi Stuti,
I haven’t tested this with white sugar, but I would use about 1/4 cup in place of the maple syrup. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hello! I made this dessert for my mom on her birthday. She doesn’t like to eat dairy or sugar. It was so easy to make and my mom LOVED it. It is her new favorite dessert!! Thank you Tieghan, I know I will be making this again and again.
Aw that is so amazing to hear! Thank you for trying this for her, Angela! xTieghan
Mousse isn’t my favorite but my husband wanted this. He made it while I was making the creamy morrocan tomato soup and he noticed it was much darker than the photo. I realized he hadn’t read the directions and added the dark chocolate chips and peanut butter in with the mousse. Lol. It still turned out great though!
I am glad it still turned out amazing for you! I hope you love it even more with the chocolate chips haha! xTieghan
Amazing! Tastes as good as it looks! I used a shot of espresso instead of instant coffee and barely 1/4 cup maple syrup. It was such fun to make too 🙂 Thank you.
Thank you so much Sally! xTieghan
??Yummy mousse cake, indeed, I can tell! I have been making raw cakes like this for about 4 1/2 years now. You can reduce the amount of dates if you like graham cracker type crust. I only use about 6-7 medjool dates for one “cake”. They are the most sticky and caramel-like date out there! Also, I soak my raw cashews overnight in fridge, no boiling involved, and my processor gets them really smooth. My family and I lovvvve your recipes, and I was thrilled to unexpectedly see your book at Barnes and Nobles recently! It was one of the books on display! With my heart nearly jumping out, I was like, “There’s my friend!!!”, but I refrained myself from yelling it out! ?
Nancy
Hi Nancy! I hope you try this mousse cake!! Also, so glad you saw the book!! Thank you for sharing with me! xTieghna
I always trust HBH to serve a first-time recipe to guests, but this was a complete disappointment. I followed it to a T and it came out terribly. My guests couldn’t even eat it. They were so polite but couldn’t hide that it was simply not tasty. The date-based crust just didn’t go with the mousse, and cashews made for a very heavy mousse.
Hi Kristen! I am really sorry that this did not turn out well for you and your guests! Is there anything that could have gone wrong in the making? Or any questions I could help you with? Please let me know! xTieghan
This looks amazing and I will definitely be makong it for my birthday this weekend! What is the beautiful garnish?
Hi Jenny! The garnish is dried roses! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe and happy birthday! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
Would coconut cream be a good substitute?
Hi Danielle! Coconut cream is great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
So I Made this 2 nights ago and oooh ma God its good!!! Turner out better than i expected! And especially with a bit of coconut yoghurt on top it completed it off perfectly!
Amazing! Thank you so much Kelsey! xTieghan
If i were to use peeled almonds instead of cashews as suggested in another comment (my friend is allergic), would i also soak them, using the same process as the cashews? Or just put them in the blender as is? Thanks!
HI there! Yes, you should soak the almonds just as I direct to do with the cashews. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hey, I just wandered how long this cake will store in the fridge for, without it losing too much freshness? Great recipe btw 🙂
Hi Liam! You can keep the cake in the fridge for 4-5 days. It taste great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
If I want to make this in advance, would I just keep it in the fridge until I want to serve it?
Yes, just keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi there, I can’t wait to make this this weekend! I’m curious: what are those lovely, decorative red flakes on top of the cake in the picture? And a second question: when do I remove the cake from the spring pan? Just before serving? In the video on Instagram, it looks like you drizzled the chocolate/PB combo on top after removing it. Thanks so much!
HI! The red flakes are dried roses! And yes, I like to remove the spring form pan, then drizzle with chocolate. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
In my daughter’s words, this was divine. My crust was a little crumbly, so I stirred in a bit of almond butter. I also added a small handful of melted cocoa butter wafers to the mousse. This gave it a firmer texture when cooled. For the topping, I used the standard ganache ratio of 2:1 for the chocolate with some almond milk. Chilled a bit, this spread right over the cooled mousse. Yum!!
Thank you Kay! I am so glad this turned out so well! xTieghan