If you have always wondered how they make those fancy pastries at upscale French patisseries, then hopefully this recipe will give you a little insight into their complexity. This cherry chocolate mousse cake is a beautiful and impressive dish your guests will love.

In fact, this cherry chocolate mousse cake may just be the most complicated thing I’ve ever done. The technical name for this type of dessert is an entremet cake. I fell in love with these types of cakes when I was in Singapore and Alona and I were finding the best dessert places.
What makes this dessert just so complicated is that there are four different components. There is the chocolate mousse, the wild cherry gelee, the mirror glaze, and the Earl Grey Victoria sponge. And because the cake is all put together you’ll actually have to plan a few days ahead if you want to serve this at your next party.

You will actually need some silicone molds for this cake. I chose these rounded disc molds, but you can use domes, or hearts, or whatever you feel like. I just chose this because I wanted to make it the same shape as what we had at Nesuto in Singapore.

You will also need some semi-circle silicone molds as well for the cherry gelee filling. You can make these far in advance because they can stay in the freezer until you are ready to make the mousse.

Cherry Chocolate Mousse Cake Part 1: The Cherry Gelee
As this can be stored for a long time, it is best to make it first. I used 1-inch dome silicone molds, and they only need to freeze for about 4 hours before you can pop them out and store them in a more space-saving container.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Cherries
- 3 tbsp Sugar; granulated
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 1/2 sheets Leaf Gelatin
- 2 tbsp Water
In a saucepan you’ll have to simmer the cherries and sugar until they start to dissolve. Add the lemon juice and water. While this is happening, bloom the leaf gelatin in a bowl of cold water. Once the cherries have begun to “melt” add the gelatin and stir everything up. Transfer to a blender (or a cup with an immersion blender) and blend everything up. Pour into the molds and place in the freezer for at least 4 hour.
Cherry Chocolate Mousse Cake Part 2: The Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate mousse is one of the easiest things to make, yet people seem to fear it for some reason. The only difficult part is making sure your timing is correct. If you’ve got that, then this recipe is extremely easy.
Ingredients
- 200 grams 74% Dark Chocolate (+ or – 10%)
- 40 grams Butter
- 200 ml Heavy Cream
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 3 Eggs; whites only
In a double boiler melt together the chocolate and the butter.

While that is happening, use a stand mixer to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Slowly incorporate the sugar one tbsp at a time slowly. Once the whites are finished stop the mixer. You don’t want to over mix.

Move the egg whites to a separate bowl, clean the mixing bowl, and put in the heavy cream. Place back in the stand mixer and let run on high for about 5 minutes, or until you have whipped cream. While the cream is whipping, slowly fold in the melted chocolate into the egg whites. Don’t over mix.

By now the whipped cream should be done. Fold in the chocolate egg white mixture into the whipped cream. When you have incorporated everything, scoop some mousse into the silicone molds, and place a cherry gelee into the center. Add more mousse if needed to fill to the top. Place in the freezer overnight.

Cherry Chocolate Mousse Cake Part 3: Earl Grey Victoria Sponge Cake Base
You could use any base you wanted, but I made some Earl Grey cupcakes with tea I brought back from Sri Lanka last week, and it’s kind of my favorite cake flavor right now.
Ingredients
Earl Grey Cake
- 288 grams Flour All Purpose
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Earl Grey Tea powder or dust, no need for loose leaf
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 226 grams Butter room temperature
- 350 grams Sugar granulated
- 3 Eggs large
- 230 ml Milk Earl Grey infused
Earl Grey Infused Milk
- 350 ml Milk 3.2% (aka full fat)
- 1.5 tbsp Earl Grey Tea loose leaf, high quality
Boil the milk and tea leaves together for 5 minutes. In a bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and Earl Grey dust (cheap quality). In a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or a hand mixer) cream together the sugar and the butter. Slowly add the eggs one at a time. Then add some flour, then some infused milk, then flour etc… until all the wet and dry ingredients are together in the stand mixer. Once everything is combined, turn off the mixer. Do not over mix.
Pour the batter into a parchment lined baking tray and spread it thinly. You want about 1/2 cm thickness. Bake at 175 C or 350 F for 10-12 minutes.
Use a ring mold to cut out discs of cake. Like the cherry gelee, the cake can also be made in advance. Take the cut out discs and place them in a seal-able container and place in the fridge for up to a week.
Cherry Chocolate Mousse Cake Part 4: The Mirror Glaze

Now to the messy and slightly wasteful part, making the mirror glaze for the cherry chocolate mousse cake. This part should be made the morning you want to serve the cakes, but that is fine because everything is currently in the freezer. For this part you will also need some gel food color. If you want to copy the exact same color I did, I used 2 drops brown, three drops lavender, and three drops coral red.
Ingredients
- 6 sheets Leaf Gelatin
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2/3 cup Glucose Syrup
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 200 grams White Chocolate
Add the leaf gelatin to a small bowl with water and let sit for 5 minutes. In a pot add the sugar, glucose syrup, and water and bring to a boil. Whisk to mix. Then add the sweetened condensed milk and stir again, bring the heat down a bit. Place the white chocolate into a separate bowl. Squeeze the water out of the gelatin and add it to the pot. Whisk to incorporate. Pour the pots contents over the white chocolate, let sit for a minute, then stir everything together with a rubber spatula. Place a thermometer in the glaze and wait until it reads between 90-95 degrees.

When it comes to temperature, add the gel food coloring to your preference and mix together.

Assembly Time!
Now you can remove the molds from the freezer and pop out the chocolate mousses. Place on an upturned shot glass and pour over the mirror glaze.

Let sit for 5 minutes, then move to the refrigerator for at least a half hour. Then you can plate. Take a square of parchment paper and put a cake disc on top. Using two knives, or offset spatula, carefully lift the cherry chocolate mousse cake from the shot glass and place it atop the Earl Grey Victoria sponge base.

You can garnish with whatever you want. Here I added some raw chocolate pieces, and a squiggle of red dyed white chocolate.
Bonus Pictures



Cherry Chocolate Mousse Cake With Mirror Glaze (Entremet)
Equipment
- Silicone Molds
- Pot
- Saucepan
- (Immersion) Blender
- Thermometer
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Tray / Sheet Pan
- Ring Molds
Ingredients
Wild Cherry Gelee
- 1 cup Cherries I find frozen wild cherries work best, as fresh are too firm.
- 3 tbsp Sugar granulated
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 1/2 sheets Leaf Gelatin
- 2 tbsp Water
Chocolate Mousse
- 200 grams 74% Dark Chocolate +- 10%
- 40 grams Butter
- 200 ml Heavy Cream
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 3 Eggs whites only
Earl Grey Victoria Sponge Cake Base
- 288 grams Flour All Purpose
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Earl Grey Tea powder, can be low quality
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 226 grams Butter room temperature
- 350 grams Sugar granulated
- 3 Eggs large
- 350 ml Milk Earl Grey Infused
- 1.5 tbsp Earl Grey Tea high quality, loose leaf (to make the infused milk)
Mirror Glaze
- 6 sheets Leaf Gelatin
- 1 cup Sugar granulated
- 2/3 cup Glucose Syrup
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 200 grams White Chocolate
Instructions
Wild Cherry Gelee
- In a saucepan on high heat add the cherries and sugar. Smash the fruit a bit with a fork.
- Add the lemon juice and and water.
- In a small bowl bloom the gelatin with a couple tbsp of water. When it is softened, add the gelatin to the saucepan and mix everything up.
- Transfer to a blender, or a cup that can accommodate a stick blender, and mix everything up.
- Pour into 1-inch diameter domed silicone molds and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours. Pictured is the silicone molds I used, but it is blackberry gelee being popped out.
Chocolate Mousse
- In a double boiler place the chocolate and the butter and allow to melt.
- In a stand mixer add the egg whites and mix on high. Slowly add the sugar until stiff peaks form. Do not over mix. When the whites are done, transfer to a bowl and clean the mixing bowl.
- Add the heavy cream to the mixing bowl, and place in the stand mixer for 5 minutes on high.
- While the cream is being whipped fold together the chocolate butter mixture and the egg whites.
- When the cream is whipped, fold in the chocolate butter egg white mixture into the whipped cream.
- Place the mousse into the silicone mold and put a cherry gelee into the middle. Add more chocolate mousse to make everything completely filled. Place in the freezer overnight.
Earl Grey Victoria Sponge Cake Base
- In a small pot bring the milk and loose leaf Earl Grey tea to a boil. Then turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
- In a bowl sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and Earl Grey dust
- In a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or a hand mixer) cream together the sugar and the butter. Slowly add the eggs one at a time. Then add some flour, then some infused milk, then flour etc… until all the wet and dry ingredients are together in the stand mixer. Once everything is combined, turn off the mixer. Do not over mix.
- Pour the batter onto a parchment lined sheet pan. It should be about 1/2 cm thick. Bake at 175 C or 350 F for 10-12 minutes. You will have extra batter, use it to make cupcakes or something.
- Remove from the oven and let cool. Then use a ring mold to cut circles out of the cake. Place cake rounds into an airtight container and place in the freezer until needed.
Mirror Glaze
- Add the leaf gelatin to a small bowl with some water and allow to bloom for 5 minutes. Also put the white chocolate into a heat proof bowl and set aside.
- In a pot on high heat add the sugar, glucose syrup, and water and bring to a boil. Whisk everything together.
- Squeeze the water out of the softened gelatin and add to the pot. Whisk it to combine.
- Add the condensed milk and whisk to combine.
- Pour the hot mixture over the white chocolate. Let sit for a minute, then mix everything together. Place in a thermometer and wait until it reads 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit. Then add your food colorings and mix it up.
Assembly
- Take the mousse out of the freezer and pop them out of the molds. Place them on an upturned shot glass on a plate or tray.
- Pour the mirror glaze over the mousse liberally making sure all parts are covered. Let sit for 5 minutes then move to the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Take a cake disc and put it on a plate, then using two knives or offset spatulas, lift the entremet cake off the shot glass. Place it atop the cake. Serve now, or put back in the fridge to serve later.