Olive Garden Black Tie Mousse Cake

A New Mousse Cake Recipe

I was thumbing through some recipes trying to determine the perfect cake to make for my sisters birthday this year. Those of you who know her already know that the is a baker extraordinaire. So, I wanted the cake I would make, a gift for her to be not just a plain Jane cake, but to be something really special.And then I settled on the Black Tie Mousse Cake. I ended up texting her with a few questions along the way, but after all she is the family expert when it comes to cakes. I dont think she minded my inquiring and the cake did turn out delicious!

Did You Make This Recipe

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How To Make The Chocolate Ganache

The fourth layer is chocolate ganache. We are going to make one large batch of ganache and pour ¾ of it over the cake like in my Prinzregententorte recipe. Then the rest we will let cool further to pipe on top of the cake.

• Once the mousse cake has set, break up your chocolate and put it into a bowl. I used a mixture of milk chocolate and dark chocolate for this as I feel the flavor combination works really well with the mousse cake. But if you want an extra dark chocolate ganache then you can skip the milk chocolate and replace with an equal amount of dark chocolate.

• Pour the cream into a saucepan and heat on medium-low until it starts to steam and tiny bubbles begin appearing on the surface.

• Remove the cream from the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for a minute and then gently start to stir. Keep going until the chocolate is totally melted and it turns into a smooth, glossy mixture.

• Let the ganache cool slightly, the perfect pouring temperature is about 89°F / 32°C. If you don’t have a thermometer just look for the ganache to thicken slightly so it leaves a slight trace in itself when you drizzle it back into the bowl, but not so thick that it won’t flow easily and spread over the cake.

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How To Slice Mousse Cake

You don’t want to put all this time and effort into making a gorgeous cake like this just to ruin it at the last step and end up with messy slices! Here are my tips for getting beautiful, perfect slices every time.

• Make sure the cake is cold when you are about to cut it.

• The key to getting nice clean cuts is to use a warm knife! Soak a very sharp knife in hot water for a minute or so before beginning.

• Once you are ready to take the first slice, remove the knife from the hot water and dry it off quickly with a paper towel.

• Line up the pointed edge of the knife with the very center of the cake and plunge the tip in first, followed by the rest of the knife. Keep the knife perfectly straight all the way down until you hit the plate, then, making sure not to wiggle or angle the knife at all, gently pull it out towards you – dragging the knife along the plate.

• Now the important part – dip the knife back in the hot water and dry it off with a paper towel in between every single cut! Yes, every cut! I know it sounds tedious but I promise you will have the most beautifully perfect, clean-cut slices.

Why Choose This Recipe

• Tastes just like the Black Tie Mousse cake from the Olive Garden Restaurant!
• Even though it takes a bit of time to make and requires planning ahead to insure proper chilling, it’s actually an easy dessert to prepare!
• From scratch using ideas from my Death by Chocolate Cake recipe and Chocolate Mousse Pie!

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Can I Use Chocolate Chips In This Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe

Yes. Using chocolate chips where chocolate is called for works just fine for this recipe. Chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips are usually readily available in most grocery stores. Using chocolate chips does not alter the flavor or consistency and is a good solution.

Making This Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe

There are multiple steps to making this cake, but none of these are difficult. Most of the time required to make this cake is chilling time. And thats the best part about making this cake in advance. It is set up perfectly to do so.Keep in mind that the key to having this cake turn out well is to not rush it. Youll end up with a soupy melted mess. Rather, take your time and work through each step, allowing it to cool every step of the way. There is a lot of chocolate and heavy whipped cream in this cake. And there is value in letting those ingredients cool before moving on to the next step. Youll be glad you did. The results are amazing!

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White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Seriously, could this dessert be any more stuck in the 90s? Objectively, there’s nothing wrong with that: classics will always be delicious, but only if they’re executed well. This cake wasn’t. The raspberry tasted syrupy and artificial, and the white chocolate was twice as sweet as it needed to be. Together, the result was a tooth-achingly sweet cheesecake with no tang or contrast. No one went back for a second bite of this one.

How To Make The Chocolate Cheesecake

This is a super simple no-bake chocolate cheesecake recipe. When I first looked at the Black Tie Mousse cake I thought the second layer was a creamy chocolate mousse, but after some more research, I realized it’s actually chocolate cheesecake – and man is it delicious!

• Melt chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until totally melted. Set aside to cool slightly. This chocolate cheesecake absolutely tastes best with dark chocolate, but you could swap it for semi-sweet chocolate if you really want to.

• Cream the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until completely smooth and free from lumps. It’s easiest to get a smooth, lump-free cheesecake if you let your cream cheese come to room temperature before beginning.

• Pour melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture and beat until combined. Your melted chocolate shouldn’t be hot at this point, it should be room temp or just slightly warm. If it still feels hot, let it sit for a bit of time to cool a little, otherwise, it will melt your cream cheese.

• In a separate bowl, whip up the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. I definitely recommend using a stand mixer or electric mixer for this, as doing it by hand can be pretty tiring! It’s easiest to whip your cream if it is cold, straight from the fridge.

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Just Like Olive Garden’s Black Tie Mousse Cake

One of the most indulgent restaurant desserts, the Black Tie Mousse Cake at Olive Garden is rich, chocolatey and oh so delicious. Now, with this recipe for Just Like Olive Garden’s Black Tie Mousse Cake, you can re-create that indulgence right in your own kitchen! It’s a little bit dangerous to have a copycat restaurant dessert recipe this good just lying around, but you only live once, so go ahead and make this mouthwatering black tie mousse cake recipe the next time your chocolate craving kicks in. You can thank us later!

Thanks for your comment. Don’t forget to share!

AuntKarolyn

This Just Like Olive Garden’s Black Tie Mousse Cake recipe may seem complicated, but thankfully it is well written and easy to follow. It has a lot of ingredients, and a lot of steps. I have come to think of the steps as my pathway to chocolate heaven. Do yourself a favor and take the time and “steps” to make this recipe. You will be glad you did.

Edmund K

I’ve dined at Olive Garden, but never had quite enough room at the end of the meal to indulge in one of their desserts. This looks absolutely incredible, and I really want to make this. The fact that it uses dark chocolate is a real selling point for me since I’ve grown away from milk chocolate over the years. I’m not turning my nose up at milk chocolate, of course, just that my preferences have matured. This is just a wicked indulgence and I’m looking forward to splurging on this.

Black Tie Mousse Cake

Published: May 15, 2021 by Mindee · This post contains affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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If you LOVE Olive Garden’s Black Tie Mousse Cake as much as I do surely you want to make it at home! This copycat recipe tastes just like the real thing!

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How To Make The White Chocolate Mousse

The third layer of white chocolate mousse is probably the easiest to make and has only three ingredients.

• Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments. It will melt faster than the dark chocolate, so keep a close eye on it.

• While it cools slightly, whip up the whipping cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. You want this to be well whipped so that the white chocolate mousse layer will hold its shape. Just like before, the cream will whip up better if it is cold, so make sure you put the cream back in the fridge after making the chocolate cheesecake so it will be cold for this layer.

• Pour the melted white chocolate into the whipped cream and fold gently until completely combined. As before, you don’t want to knock too much air out of the mousse so don’t overmix.

• Pour into the cake pan on top of the chocolate cheesecake layer and smooth out the top. Put in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours. Do not try to remove the mousse cake from the pan before 3 hours have passed, or you run the risk of it turning into a gloopy mess all over your countertop!

We Try All The Desserts At The Olive Garden

If you make it past the unlimited breadsticks, oil-slicked salad, and a carb-heavy entrée at the Olive Garden and still manage to be in the market for dessert, you’ve got a lot of options14, to be exact . In addition to five different “Piccoli Dolci” available individually or as a trio, there’s a decent variety of cakes by the slice, along with zeppoli and tiramisu.

I don’t know about you, but it’s been ages since I last had dinner at the Olive Garden. My relationship with the Orlando-based chain is short, but intense, peaking in the early 90s, and fizzling out by the decade’s end . The restaurant was a go-to spot for special occasions during my teenage years, and consequently, all of my memories of it are frosted in a thick layer of adolescent nostalgia.

Stepping into an Olive Garden for the first time in 15 years was surreal. It was as if the entire restaurant had been cryogenically frozen since my last visit, existing untouched by time. From the over-abundance of cream-colored stucco, to the chairs on casters, and even the dessert menu, nothing seems to have changed…except maybe the cost and the fact that calorie counts are now displayed on menus .

With price tags ranging from $5.99 to $8.29 , and calorie counts from 210 to over 1,000, if you’re going to order dessert at The Olive Garden, it pays to be smart about what you choose. Of the 14 different options, only three were really excellent, while many more were duds .

• Black Tie Mousse Cake

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What Is Black Tie Mousse Cake

There are four elements to Black Tie Mousse Cake:

Chocolate Cake Base

White Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Ganache Coating

There are a lot of steps, but none of the steps are difficult or particularly complicated. And you have plenty of time waiting for things to set or cool in between each layer, so you can take it slow and easy. Once it’s broken down into different sections it’s actually quite a simple recipe, but is an absolute showstopper of a dessert and would be perfect to impress guests at a dinner party or to celebrate a special occasion.

How To Make The Chocolate Cake Base

This is the same chocolate cake recipe I use for a lot of my chocolate-based cakes – it’s super quick and easy and uses the all-in-one method, and it works out perfectly every time.

• Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C and grease your cake pan.

• Put all the chocolate cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat together until it’s smooth and there are no more lumps.

• Add the hot water to the chocolate mixture and mix until combined – this will help release the flavor in the cocoa powder. The batter will be very liquid.

• Pour the chocolate batter into your prepared cake pan and tap on the counter a few times to release any large air bubbles.

• Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.

• Let cool for 20 minutes before removing from the cake pan onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

• Slice off the domed top of the cooled chocolate cake to make a nice flat cake layer. Never try to cut a warm cake as it will not be a clean cut.

• Place the leveled cake into your mousse cake pan/ring to make the bottom layer. If it is the same size as the pan you baked it in, put it right in. If the pan you are using is slightly smaller than the cake layer, use the pan as a template and trim the edges of the cake so it will fit.

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How To Decorate Black Tie Mousse Cake

• Once the mousse cake is set and the ganache is at the right temperature, carefully remove the cake from the cake pan. It should slide out easily, but if it doesn’t you can gently heat the outside of the cake pan with a hairdryer or blowtorch, this should slightly melt the outer layer of mousse cake so it slides out easily. Don’t go too far though!

• Reserve about a quarter of the ganache and set it aside to cool further for piping later.

• Place the cake on a wire rack and pour the chocolate ganache all over the cake. You want a thin layer on top of the chocolate mousse and an even coating around all sides of the cake, all the way down to the bottom. Pour slowly so you can control where the ganache goes and cover up any gaps. If you have any stubborn gaps that didn’t get filled in by the pour, use a warm offset spatula to smooth out the ganache immediately and cover any open spots.

• If you want to add the design on top, melt a small about of white chocolate and pipe a design on top of the ganache immediately after pouring. For feathering, pipe circles around the cake and then run a toothpick from the middle of the cake to the outer edge. Or for an easier design, just pipe some random blobs and do a knife swirl to make a pretty pattern.

• Once the remaining ganache has cooled and thickened to piping consistency, put it in a piping bag with a star tip nozzle and pipe around the outside of the mousse cake to decorate.

• Transfer the cake gently onto your cake plate or serving platter.

Black Tie Mousse Cake Recipe: Olive Garden Copycat

This is the absolute BEST Black Tie Mousse Cake Recipe. It tastes just like Olive Gardens. If youve had theirs, you know how delicious it is and that its to die for. And if youve had it, have you ever wondered how you can make it at home for a fraction of the cost? Well, Im here to help you with that one.We have researched and tested this recipe and have come up with one that we think tastes just like the real deal. The process can be slightly time consuming. But let me tell you, its so worth every minute of time to indulge yourself in the delicious results. Just make sure you allow enough preparation time so that you can allow for the portions to chill as instructed. Otherwise, youll end up with a soupy mess.

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Dark Chocolate Caramel Cream Piccoli Dolci

If all you can manage is one tiny dessert, this is the best of the five options for “piccoli dolcini,” but it’s by no means great. Like the other mini desserts, it’s just a cup of mousse, but at least in this case, you get three flavors , topped with chocolate curls, which introduce a bit of textural contrast. It’s not sickeningly sweet like the others, but it’s not much more exciting than a pudding cup.