Chocolate Tuxedo Cake
A dramatic three-layer chocolate cake with contrasting white- and dark-chocolate mousses, finished in a mirror-shiny ganache—ideal for show-stopping celebrations.
Ingredients
- Chocolate Cake
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup Dutch-processed dark cocoa powder
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temp
- 1 cup egg whites ≈ 7 large, room temp
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk room temp
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp instant espresso optional
- White-Chocolate Mousse
- ¾ cup quality white-chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup warm water divided
- 1 ⅓ cups heavy cream well-chilled
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- Pinch salt
- Dark-Chocolate Mousse
- ½ cup dark-chocolate chips
- Remaining warm water from above
- 1 cup heavy cream well-chilled
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- Pinch salt
- Chocolate Ganache
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup + 1 Tbsp dark-chocolate chips
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter room temp
- 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Bake cake layers
- Heat oven to 350 °F / 175 °C. Grease and parchment-line two 9-inch round pans.
- Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and ½ tsp salt.
- In a second bowl beat butter, then blend in egg whites, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and espresso until smooth.
- Add wet to dry; mix just to combine. Divide batter evenly.
- Bake 30–35 min until a tester is clean. Cool 10 min in pans, then invert to racks and cool completely.
- White-chocolate mousse
- Melt white-chocolate chips with half the warm water in a double boiler; cool to lukewarm.
- Whip 1 ⅓ cups cream + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar to soft peaks in a chilled bowl.
- Fold melted white chocolate into whipped cream. Chill ≥ 2 h.
- Dark-chocolate mousse
- Melt dark-chocolate chips with remaining warm water; cool slightly.
- Whip 1 cup cream + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar to soft peaks.
- Fold in melted dark chocolate. Chill ≥ 2 h.
- Ganache
- Heat ¾ cup cream to a simmer. Pour over 1 cup + 1 Tbsp chips; stand 2 min. Stir until smooth, then blend in butter, corn syrup, and ¼ tsp salt. Cool to pourable, spoon-coating consistency.
- Assemble
- Level cake layers. Place first layer on stand; spread white-chocolate mousse evenly.
- Position second layer; top with dark-chocolate mousse.
- Chill 15 min, then pour ganache over centre, letting it drip naturally down sides.
- Set & Serve
- Refrigerate 1 h to firm. Slice with a hot, wiped knife for clean tuxedo lines.
Notes
Make-ahead: Cake layers freeze 1 month; mousses hold 3 days chilled; ganache keeps 2 weeks refrigerated. Assemble a day in advance for best texture. Stability tip: Chill mixer bowl and beaters 20 min before whipping cream. Flavor tweaks: Substitute Greek yogurt (thinned with milk) for buttermilk, or add 1 Tbsp orange liqueur to ganache for a special-occasion twist. Gluten-free: A 1-for-1 gluten-free flour blend works reliably.
