Chocolate Mousse Tiara Cake

This cake looks like it took all day, but it leans on two clever shortcuts. The cake itself starts from a chocolate cake mix baked in a tiara pan, the fluted ring pan with a wide well in the center. Once you invert it, that well becomes the perfect crater to fill.

What fills it is an almost embarrassingly easy chocolate mousse: milk chocolate chips melted with a splash of water, then folded into whipped topping until light and pillowy. Two ingredients, no eggs, no gelatin, and it sets up soft and moussey in the fridge.

A couple of details separate a clean release from a stuck mess. Grease the pan but don’t flour it, since flour leaves a chalky coating on a chocolate cake. And let the cake cool in the pan only briefly before inverting, then cool it completely before filling so the mousse doesn’t melt. Pile the mousse into the center, smooth it out, and dress it up with chocolate curls or berries. You’ll have batter left over, so bake a few cupcakes alongside.

Kitchen Tips

• Grease the pan but do not flour it. Flour leaves a pale, chalky film on a dark chocolate cake.
• Cool the cake only 5 to 10 minutes before inverting, then let it cool completely before adding the mousse, or the filling slumps.
• Chill the filled cake so the mousse firms up and slices cleanly.
• Use the leftover batter for cupcakes so nothing goes to waste.

Variations

• Swap milk chocolate chips for dark or white chocolate in the mousse.
• Fold fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries into the center with the mousse.
• Drizzle the whole cake with chocolate ganache for an extra-decadent finish.