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You are here: Home Ā» Food Preparation Ā» Recipes Ā» Allergy Friendly Ā» Chocolate Mousse Cake (Grain-Free)

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Chocolate Mousse Cake (Grain-Free)

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Dense, smooth and sort of fudgy, the original recipe for this Grain-Free Chocolate Mousse Cake is in a Betty Crocker Cookbook. I've added a pinch of sea salt and vanilla, plus the coffee substitute to make the chocolate 'pop'. It makes a perfectly delicious cake for any special occasion (or not). | TraditionalCookingSchool.com

This was my birthday cake. Twice.

On Wednesday, my friend Brenna and her family surprised me with it. It was so good that I called Brenna yesterday morning — my birthday morning, the day I turned 37 (just when did I begin to approach 40? I feel like I should be edging toward 30). I asked her for the recipe so I could make it again for myself. “It was so good and I want more of it.” That about sums it up.

Since I’ll probably take the leftovers as little squares to a Christmas party tonight, I might have to make more of it on the weekend. You might have to make some, too. You just might.

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Chocolate Mousse Cake

Dense, smooth and sort of fudgy, the original recipe is in a Betty Crocker cookbook. I've added a pinch of sea salt and vanilla, plus coffee substitute to make the chocolate "pop."
Course Dessert
Author Wardee Harmon

Ingredients

  • 2 cups grass-fed butter
  • 1 cup raw honey mild flavor preferred
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee substitute * optional
  • 8 organic or pastured eggs

Instructions

  1. Makes (1) 8" x 11" pan.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Butter an 8-by-11-inch cake pan and set aside.
  4. Over low heat, melt butter with honey, cocoa powder, sea salt, vanilla and coffee substitute (if using).
  5. When ingredients are smooth and butter is melted, remove from heat.
  6. Lightly beat eggs in a mixing bowl.
  7. While whisking, add chocolate mixture.
  8. Mix until smooth.
  9. Pour into buttered cake pan.
  10. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  11. Chill thoroughly.
  12. Cut and serve.

  13. Optional: Spread with whipped cream before serving.

Recipe Notes

*Dandy Blend, Caffix, Pero, Roma, etc. or 1 tsp. ground chicory root or finely ground coffee.
Use the chicory for grain-free (thanks, Rosalyn!). The others are derived from roasted grains. Some grain-free folks drink these anyway.

 

Have a blessed weekend! Got any special plans to which you could take this cake? 🙂

We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).

Posted in: Allergy Friendly Desserts & Cookies Desserts & Cookies (Gluten-Free) Food Preparation Recipes

About Wardee Harmon

Wardee lives in the Boise area of Idaho with her dear family. She's the lead teacher and founder of the Eat God's Way online cooking program as well as the author of Fermenting, Sourdough A to Z, and other traditional cooking books. Eat God's Way helps families get healthier and happier using cooking methods and ingredients from Bible Times like sourdough, culturing, and ancient grains.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Pamela Burleigh Nelson via Facebook says

    December 9, 2011 at 10:45 am

    Happy Birthday Wardee! 37 sounds so young, I am fast approaching 58!

    Reply
  2. Julie Anderson Feickert via Facebook says

    December 9, 2011 at 10:50 am

    This recipe makes my day šŸ™‚ Have a wonderful day birthday girl!

    Reply
  3. Christine Sullivan-Kennedy via Facebook says

    December 9, 2011 at 10:58 am

    Wardee, I think I forgot to wish you a happy birthday yesterday! I meant to, so I hope you had a wonderful day. That cake looks delish!

    Reply
  4. Rosalyn Newhouse via Facebook says

    December 9, 2011 at 10:59 am

    Mmmm, happy birthday! I think I will have to make this for dinner. As the main course. šŸ™‚

    Reply
  5. Rosalyn Newhouse via Facebook says

    December 9, 2011 at 10:59 am

    BTW – you can use ground chicory instead of instant coffee for the same effect!

    Reply
  6. Shannon Hazleton says

    December 9, 2011 at 11:19 am

    Oh, I was hoping you’d share this recipe when I saw the b-day cake picture on your FB yesterday. But I didn’t want to ask. Thanks! I’m now wishing I had more butter and eggs in the house so I could make it while the kids are napping. šŸ™‚ I beat you to 37 by just a few months… it’s not so bad… especially since my hubby just turned 40. šŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Wardee says

      December 9, 2011 at 11:36 am

      Shannon — You can ask any time! It does take alot of eggs and butter. I wish you had more around, too. My husband is older as well — 45. So I guess we are the young ones, huh? šŸ˜‰

      Reply
  7. GNOWFGLINS via Facebook says

    December 9, 2011 at 11:28 am

    Thanks for the idea, Rosalyn. I added it to the recipe. Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone! šŸ™‚

    Reply
  8. Pattie says

    December 9, 2011 at 11:38 am

    This looks soooo good. I want to make it now, but I don’t know what chicory is, and we don’t drink instant coffee. Can you use fresh ground coffee by any chance?

    Reply
    • Wardee says

      December 9, 2011 at 11:41 am

      Pattie — You can leave it out. Or you can use finely ground coffee — fine as in espresso grind. Its purpose is to enhance the chocolate flavor. I hope you like it!

      Reply
      • Pattie says

        December 9, 2011 at 11:43 am

        Thank you! (o:

        Reply
    • Kathleen says

      October 12, 2015 at 8:29 pm

      I keep a small jar of Espresso powder on hand for recipes like this. It doesn’t take much, so a little jar lasts a long time!

      Reply
  9. Jami says

    December 9, 2011 at 11:49 am

    Sounds great and simple! I love when conventional recipes need very little tweaking to be real food! Happy birthday yesterday!

    Reply
    • Wardee says

      December 9, 2011 at 11:59 am

      I love that, too. Thanks for the birthday wishes!

      Reply
  10. Kelly says

    December 9, 2011 at 12:04 pm

    Oh YUM! I might have to make that soon. Would it be good with a lightly peppermint flavored whipped cream? I’m thinking holidays, here šŸ˜‰

    Reply
    • Wardee says

      December 9, 2011 at 12:07 pm

      Peppermint whip cream would be AWESOME!

      Reply
  11. Stacy Makes Cents says

    December 9, 2011 at 12:38 pm

    Holy Moly….and happy birthday! šŸ™‚

    Reply
  12. Christie says

    December 9, 2011 at 12:49 pm

    Happy Birthday! (I turn 37 in a few months, so we are the same age šŸ˜‰

    The cake looks delicious!

    Reply
  13. Jen says

    December 9, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    I tried Roma once and thought it was AMAZING and I don’t even like coffee… I’ve been grain-free on and off but wish I could get my hands on some Roma.

    Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  14. Meagan says

    December 9, 2011 at 1:36 pm

    Wardee – looks fantastic!!

    Reply
  15. Mary says

    December 9, 2011 at 2:56 pm

    Sounds so good. Happy Birthday Wardee. I turn 58 in February so 37 sounds so young and far, far away…… I still don’t think I’m in my 50’s. Hard to imagine. Probably even harder to imagine for my mom! šŸ™‚

    Reply
  16. Marg says

    December 9, 2011 at 3:46 pm

    Looks so good! I’ll be trying the recipe! What is it in the picture that looks like white dots on the cake?

    Reply
    • Wardee says

      December 11, 2011 at 7:22 am

      Marg — I’m not sure! I did beat the eggs by hand and our homegrown egg whites are so thick — maybe bits of egg white? It hasn’t bothered any of us. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  17. Meg says

    December 9, 2011 at 6:51 pm

    Looks really awesome! I’ll be making this for my birthday next week. I’ll be 46. Happy Birthday to another December baby.

    Reply
  18. Chris says

    December 9, 2011 at 6:58 pm

    Have a blessed birthday year Wardee! This recipe looks delish! I’ll be making this one over the holidays. Thanks for sharing and all that you do!

    Reply
  19. Charlotte says

    December 10, 2011 at 6:16 am

    Hi Wardee, you are the same age as me! I turn 37 in January. Perhaps i will make this for my birthday cake too!

    Reply
    • Charlotte says

      April 24, 2014 at 5:43 am

      A number of people seem to have had problems making this cake so I just wanted to share a success story! I did make it for my birthday and it was yummy if a little heavy (and my attempt at icing wasn’t the greatest). My daughter liked it enough to ask for it for her birthday and for the 2nd attempt I WHISKED THE EGGS SEPARATELY and folded them into the rest of the ingredients. This made an amazing light and fluffy cake which I topped with a whipped egg white + honey frosting, lightly coloured with beetroot powder and a few drops food grade rose essential oil. Wow! This cake was awesome and the party guests agreed!

      Reply
  20. Orrie says

    December 10, 2011 at 3:35 pm

    I’ve been wanting to make a special dessert for my friends at christmas. This will fill the bill and more some. Thank you so very much.

    Reply
  21. Jennifer J says

    December 10, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    I hope you had a happy birthday, and thank you for sharing the recipe!! Believe me, you are still very young. When you get past 50, you won’t believe how much you have picked up in the intervening years!

    Reply
  22. Yolanda says

    December 11, 2011 at 4:34 am

    Wow~!! Happy Birthday, Wardee! And thank you for the great recipe. Do you think I could use Teechu (is that how it’s spelled?) instead of the coffee substitute?

    Reply
    • Wardee says

      December 11, 2011 at 7:25 am

      Yolanda — Yes! Just grind it up more finely — like espresso fine.

      Reply
  23. erica says

    December 11, 2011 at 11:24 am

    that looks heavenly! can i buy chicory at my local store? i’d love to make this for christmas, but i don’t think i want to give my kids a caffeine high…or does the caffeine get cooked out of the coffee?

    Reply
    • Wardee says

      December 11, 2011 at 2:15 pm

      I think you’re most likely to find chicory in the bulk spices/herbs section. Perhaps at a health food store if your grocer isn’t that well stocked. But I’m not sure. Mine came from Azure Standard.

      Reply
      • erica says

        December 11, 2011 at 4:19 pm

        Thanks! I’m heading to the HFS tonight, and I’m hoping they have it. They no longer have a bulk herb section, unfortunately. If they don’t have it, I may order from MRH.

        Also, I just realized how silly I must have sounded asking about the caffeine being cooked our of the coffee…apparently, I’ve never heard of hot coffee! Ha!

        Reply
  24. Emily says

    December 12, 2011 at 7:49 am

    That looks absolutely delicious! You could make it Christmas-y by adding some peppermint extract.

    Reply
  25. erica says

    December 13, 2011 at 12:27 am

    Well, I think I messed up. Mine doesn’t really look anything like yours, but more like a chocolatey bread. I think two things happened…One, I used duck eggs, instead of chicken eggs. That is usually a good thing for me with baking, but I think it may have been a bad thing here, because it caused the cake to rise like crazy. Also, I may have overcooked it, because it’s cakey on the outside, and while it’s moist on the inside, it doesn’t look anything like the yumminess in the picture here!

    I’m going to try again in a few days, maybe after I get some coffee or chicory root. I’ll use chicken eggs, and I’ll be sure not to overcook it!

    Reply
  26. Kirsten says

    December 13, 2011 at 8:05 am

    Wow. Simply brilliant- this looks so good! I made some sourdough brownies yesterday that remind me of this, but I love that it’s grain free. .. I’m prepping for a grain-free January to see if that clears up my son’s eczema and need some good options for baking. This is new territory for me; I’m a sourdough girl. lol

    I did a double-take with the butter and honey amounts but I’m sure you only need a *tiny* square to be satisfied! šŸ™‚

    You’re always right there with a new adventure when we need it! Thanks Wardee!

    Reply
  27. Soli says

    December 14, 2011 at 5:37 am

    BTW, I am with you in the feeling like I am closing in on 30. (Having celebrated this birthday a few months ago.) Where is all the time going?

    Reply
  28. Joanna Moore says

    December 18, 2011 at 8:34 pm

    was looking for a grain-free recipe for my birthday dessert and this looks yummy! could i make cupcakes out of the same batter or would it not work out well?

    Reply
  29. Ellie says

    December 23, 2011 at 5:51 pm

    Hi, came across this today as I was frantically searching for anything w/chocolate & easy. (I’ve been sick w/the flu & all things Christmas stopped till today–1st day out of bed : ) This looks divine!!. Is there anything I can substitute for the coffee flavor? I’m probably am one of the few who do not enjoy the taste of coffee/mocha in my food. Any ideas from anyone?? Merry Christmas everyone!!!

    Reply
    • Wardee says

      December 23, 2011 at 6:11 pm

      Ellie — Just leave it out. šŸ™‚ Feel better soon!

      Reply
  30. Whitney says

    December 24, 2011 at 8:24 pm

    I baked this today and it puffed up crazy big in the oven, started to burn on top while solidifying in the middle, and then deflated by about half while cooling. So interesting! I’m chilling it overnight and will trim as needed tomorrow before topping with whipped cream…yum! I baked it in a well-buttered 9″ round silicone cake pan…do you think the shape made that big of a difference?

    The batter tasted great and we look forward to enjoying it tomorrow. Thanks for another recipe!

    Reply
    • anna says

      January 24, 2012 at 6:49 pm

      yeah mine did that, too, and it just turned out plain gross! threw it all out-what a waste of expensive ingredients!! Never gonna make again! lol the whipped cream was good!! =P

      Reply
      • Whitney says

        February 13, 2012 at 2:59 pm

        I just trimmed off the overcooked lumps from the top after it deflated and then covered the whole thing in vanilla whipped cream…it was fabulous! It turned out a bit too rich for the kids, but DH and I came back for forkfuls over the week until it was all gone!

        Reply
      • Bella says

        April 19, 2014 at 9:09 am

        mine also came out unedible, a light coffee cream colour in the middle like scrambled egg texture and dark brown on the outter, all cooked thoroughly and all. it doubled in size pretty fast and deflated instantly after taking them out. total waste of ingredients!!!

        Reply
  31. megan says

    December 27, 2011 at 12:27 pm

    Hi! This looks delicious. I’m planning on making it for my son’s second birthday. He’s never had any type of cake, so I wanted to find one with the whole ingredients for his first taste! This may be a silly question, but do you use unsalted butter? Thanks and Happy belated birthday!

    Reply
    • Wardee says

      December 27, 2011 at 4:54 pm

      Megan — I use salted butter. Any butter would be fine, though. Add some more salt (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon to taste) if your butter is unsalted.

      Reply
      • megan says

        December 27, 2011 at 5:38 pm

        Great…thanks!

        Reply
  32. SarahD says

    January 23, 2012 at 6:06 pm

    Hi,

    This is my first comment here…of course, it has to be on something chocolatey. šŸ™‚ I’m just curious if you separated the eggs, beat yolks in with the chocolate mixture and whipped the egg whites to soft peaks and then folded those into the chocolate mixture, if it would have a lighter, more airy texture, like a sponge cake, or even a mousse cake.

    I’m totally hungry right now. This looks sooooo good. Thanks for the grain-free recipe. I’m planning on going grain-free starting next week. I also have some of your other grain free recipes bookmarked.

    Reply
    • Wardee says

      January 24, 2012 at 7:27 am

      Hi, Sarah! That is a good idea — I really don’t know if it will work or not. I’d hope so! Be sure to let me know if you try it. šŸ™‚

      This cake does puff up tremendously in the oven, as others have noted, and that is with the beating of whole eggs I call for.

      Reply
  33. Kelly says

    August 18, 2012 at 5:54 am

    Hello, I was wondering if I could use coconut oil instead of butter?

    Reply
    • Wardee says

      August 20, 2012 at 10:00 am

      Kelly — Yes!

      Reply
  34. Karen says

    September 8, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    Here’s the answer to your question about gluten, Wardee:

    http://www.dandyblend.com/FAQ.asp#HOW%20CAN%20THERE%20BE%20NO%20GLUTEN%20WHEN%20IT%20CONTAINS%20BARLEY%20AND%20RYE?

    (Hope it’s okay to post a link from the Dandy Blend page)

    ~Karen

    Reply
  35. Sarah Schatz says

    September 14, 2013 at 5:53 am

    HI Wardeh!
    I was excited to see this cake and tried it out for a belated birthday dinner for a friend of mine. I’m trying to figure out what I did wrong – maybe you can shed some light.

    Don’t ask me why, I decided to do half butter and half coconut oil. My butter was salted so I’m wondering if this messed things up. I didn’t add the coffee flavoring because I don’t have any. I also was short a large pan because I was roasting chicken and the other one ended up in the rat cage (yes we have a pet rat!). Anyway, I put the batter in 2 round cake pans, probably 8 or 9 inches. I also placed parchment paper on the bottom to keep it from sticking.

    So what happened was on both cakes, a thin layer of cooked egg formed on the bottom and slightly underneath the parchment paper separate from the regular chocolate layer. It was very strange and I’m wondering if it is because I did half butter and half coconut oil – I just didn’t think it would affect it.

    Maybe I got the chocolate mixture too hot and then when I poured it into the pan, the egg started cooking??

    I just don’t know what I did to make this egg layer. We ended up just scraping it off the bottom but it was kind of funky. Any suggestions would be helpful and if anyone else had this happen then please let me know!

    Thanks so much,
    Sarah

    Reply
  36. Lorraine says

    November 17, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    This recipe looks wonderful and I can’t wait to try it. I am hoping someday you can put a print option on your web page. It would be so helpful!

    Reply
  37. DavetteB says

    February 22, 2015 at 11:39 am

    Questions:

    Can I use organic cane sugar – no honey or maple in the house and we are in a state of emergency due to freezing rain/icy roads.

    Where do you find an 8 x 11 pan? I have a 7 x 11, and a couple 9 x 13s. Do you think cutting the recipe in half and using a square 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan might work?

    Thanks – it looks yummy!

    Reply
  38. Evette says

    April 27, 2015 at 4:01 pm

    I baked this today because I had no flour in the house and needed something sweet. I baked in an 8 x 11 pan. It baked and tasted like a chocolate soufflĆ©. It took about an hour and a half to cook all the way through. Next time I might just bake it in little ramekins and make individual portions. It’s a good recipe and yummy.

    Reply

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