Home » Cakes » Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake
posted by Liz Berg
on February 6, 2022 (updated 10/30/23)
This rich, luscious Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake is perfect for chocolate peanut butter fans! A winning combo of brownies and mousse!
A brownie layer was topped with chocolate and peanut butter mousses for an exquisite dessert! If you love Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, you’ll swoon with every bite of this exquisite peanut butter dessert recipe! My book club certainly did!
Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 Ingredient Notes
3 Expert Tips
4 Frequently Asked Questions
5 You May Also Like:
6 Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake
Why You Must Make
- If you love Reese’s and the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, you’ll go crazy for this dessert!
- With a brownie base, some mini Reeses cups, and two kinds of mousse, it’s one extraordinary cake.
- Even my two family members who don’t like peanut butter desserts ate a slice!
Ours is a house divided. No, I’m not referring to the Indiana University and Purdue University rivalry between my two sons. I’m talking about the peanut butter division. You see, I love peanut butter in desserts, but never straight up or in sandwiches. Blech.
The hubby is a fan of peanut butter sandwiches but gives a cold shoulder to peanut butter cookies, peanut butter Rice Krispie treats, and all the other peanut butter sweets I adore. My oldest son and daughter are on my team, and our youngest agrees with dad.I save up my most decadent peanut butter creations for when I’m entertaining or bringing a dish to a pitch-in dinner.
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Water, Powdered Sugar, Butter, Semisweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 Box Brownie Mix – or use myOne Bowl Fudgy Browniesand bake for 35 minutes
- 8 ounces Reese’s Minis – reserve extras from bag for garnishing
- Powdered Gelatin – Look for Knox brand next to the boxes of Jello
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips – Look for these in the baking aisle with the chocolate chips
- Heavy Cream – 36% butterfat
- Creamy Peanut Butter – I used Jif, but any brand will work. Do not use natural peanut butter as it’s not the right consistency.
Expert Tips
- Make sure to use a springform pan to assemble this dessert. It has removable sides making it perfect for layered desserts.
- Bake the brownie layer first and cool completely before continuing.
- PRO-Tip: Both the peanut butter mousse and chocolate mousse need 2 hours of chilling time. So even though there’s nothing too complicated about this dessert, there’s a lot of cooling and chilling time involved. It’s best to make it the day before you plan to serve it.
- PRO-Tip: If you don’t have a (affiliate link) small offset spatula, you may want to purchase one. It’s a great tool for spreading and helps makes for smooth and level layers.
- Keep your mousse cake refrigerated until just before serving as it’s perishable. It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days as long as it’s not left out at room temperature longer than two hours.
- To store, it can be set back in the springform pan and covered with plastic wrap or foil. Or wrap the cake on the serving plate with a couple of lengths of plastic wrap, making it airtight.
Even though we were all stuffed to the gills with all the marvelous food at our book club pitch-in dinner, everyone had room for a bit of dessert. There were swoons and groans and slices taken home after I dished up some slivers of this mousse cake.
The biggest surprise of all, though, was at home. Both Bill and Nick had a slice the next night. I told them they could scrape off the peanut butter mousse and focus on the chocolate elements. Well, they both licked their plates clean. Nick commented that the peanut butter flavor wasn’t overly intense, though he didn’t eat his peanut butter garnish. Baby steps!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Make Mousse?
A dessert mousse is a rich, light dish commonly made with fruit purees or chocolate. Adding whipped cream or beaten egg whites make them fluffy, and gelatin is often added to stabilize them. Mousse is the French term for froth or foam.
What is a Mousse Cake Made Of?
Most importantly, a mousse cake is made with a layer (or more) of mousse. Other components like a brownie layer, cookie crust, ladyfingers, or cake may be used as a base or layers, providing structure to the mousse cake.
How Do You Make Even Layers?
Use an offset spatula to smooth the surface. You should be able to gauge whether your layer is even by eying the distance from the top surface to the top of the pan. If this isn’t your strong suit, you can always pull out a ruler to double-check. Any adjustments need to be done before the mousse is chilled as the gelatin will set it.
How Can You Garnish a Mousse Cake?
Use a simple buttercream frosting and pipe swirls around the perimeter of the cake. Top each swirl with a mini Reeses cup. The iconic shape of these candies gives a clue to the flavor of this dessert. Chocolate curls or shavings over whipped cream roses/swirls would also create a beautiful restaurant-worthy topping.
You May Also Like:
- Reeses Peanut Butter Pie
- Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars
- Homemade Reeses Bars
- Plus More of the Best Dessert Recipes
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The Recipe:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time1 hour 35 minutes
Yield16 servings
A decadent chocolate and peanut butter dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 box brownie mix (I used my One Bowl Fudgy Brownies and baked for 35 minutes)
- 8 ounces Reese's minis (reserve extras from bag for garnishing)
Peanut Butter Mousse Layer:
- 1 ⅛ teaspoon powdered gelatin
- 1 ½ tablespoons water
- 9 ounces Reese's peanut butter chips
- 2 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Chocolate Mousse Layer:
- 1 ⅛ teaspoon powdered gelatin
- 1 ½ tablespoons water
- 9 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 ¼ cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Peanut Butter frosting for decorations:
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Bake brownies in a greased and parchment-lined 9-inch springform pan. Cool, then remove the brownie from the pan once cooled.
- Place the cooled brownie back in the pan but also line the sides all the way around with parchment. It should extend above the pan to "hold" mousse.
- Sprinkle the Reese's on the brownie.
Peanut Butter Mousse
- To make peanut butter mousse, sprinkle gelatin on top of the water in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Heat ¾ cup cream in the microwave till boiling and then add the gelatin. Whisk well.
- Place the peanut butter chips in a heatproof bowl and pour the cream over the chips. Let it sit for a minute and stir until smooth.
- Cool for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat 1½ cups heavy cream on high. Add powdered sugar and beat to stiff peaks.
- Slowly fold the cream into the peanut butter mixture.
- Spread this over the brownie and Reese's layer.
- Chill 2 hours.
Chocolate Mousse
- Again, in a bowl sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Let the gelatin dissolve for about 5 minutes.
- Microwave ¾ cup of the heavy cream to a boil.
- Add the gelatin mix to the hot cream and whisk.
- Place the chocolate chips in a bowl and pour the cream over them. Let sit a couple of minutes and whisk until smooth.
- Meanwhile, beat 1 ½ cups heavy cream on high. Add the powdered sugar and beat to stiff peaks.
- Fold a little cream at a time into the cooled chocolate.
- Once all incorporated and smooth, pour this over the peanut butter mousse layer and chill another 2 hours or longer if not firm.
To finish the cake:
- Once firm, remove the sides of the cake pan and parchment collar.
- To make peanut butter frosting, beat together peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar till whipped and creamy.
- Pipe on rosettes with peanut butter frosting. Top each rosette with a peanut butter cup.
Notes
Total time does not include the 5+ hours of cooling and chilling times.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1 slice
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 578Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 188mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 2gSugar: 36gProtein: 8g
HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?
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Cakes Chocolate Desserts Entertaining Popular
posted by Liz Berg on February 6, 2022
34 Comments // Leave a Comment »
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Sherry Alcaraz — Reply
I cannot stop making this mousse, it is definitely a favorite in our household!
Thankyou sooooo much for this recipe!🙂-
Liz Berg — Reply
I’m so glad you are a fan, Sherry!!! It’s one of my favorite chocolate peanut butter treats, too!!! xo
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John / Kitchen Riffs — Reply
I LOVE the combo of peanut butter and chocolate. Can’t. Get. Enough. So you know I’m drooling over this mousse cake. Really good stuff — thanks.
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Lindsay Cotter — Reply
You make these most incredible desserts! Totally swooning over here!
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Carolyn — Reply
You know I am the world’s biggest chocolate and peanut butter fan, right. RIGHT???
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Suzy — Reply
Liz, GIRRRL, you really can bake! This looks awesome!
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Jennifer Blake — Reply
This is the perfect compliment of chocolate to peanut butter for a dessert. I love peanut butter in any form. To have a decadent dessert like this is quite the treat, but love that the light fluffy mousse doesn’t make you feel that regretful feeling after you’ve eaten it!
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Claudia Flynn — Reply
I thought this was going to be so much harder than it was! My whole family loved it! Thank you.
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Kayle (The Cooking Actress) — Reply
LIZ OHMYGAWD. There’s chocolate mousse and pb mousse AND a brownie base??!!! pinningggggggggggg
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Winnie — Reply
Taking the chance of sounding like a broken disk/record – this cake looks absolutely HEAVENLY !!
PB and chocolate is one my favorite combination ever.
It’s not fair! It’s morning here and I’m already drooling…. 🙂 -
The Ninja Baker — Reply
I’d be Switzerland in your family, Liz! Whether it’s a PB sandwich or an elegant Liz Berg PB Chocolate Mousse Cake, I’m in!!! P.s. Your book club is sooooo lucky =)
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Sandra — Reply
I can get my hubby to try lots of things but peanut butter isn’t one of them. So this would be for me only. I guess that’s good and bad!
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TheKitchenLioness — Reply
Dear Liz, although we do not eat a lot of peanut butter around here we still love it and whenever we visit the Netherlands, I always make sure to bring a few jars for baking cookies – I have never attempted to make a cake like this decadent treat but I already know that I would love this flavor combination a lot! It looks amazing!
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Ramona W — Reply
Peanut Butter and Chocolate has to be my favorite dessert combination. This mousse cake will make me happy with every bite!
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El — Reply
Do you think Is it possible to make this 2 days ahead of time? This looks so delicious!
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Liz Berg — Reply
I think it should be OK since there is gelatin stablizing a couple of the layers. Hope you enjoy!
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Emma @ Bake Then Eat — Reply
I’m on both PB teams, in a sandwich or in a dessert I love it!
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Michele~West Via Midwest — Reply
Holy Cow…. my husband is going to out right kiss me when I serve this! Its all his favorites rolled into one!
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Sammie — Reply
This truly is a celebration dessert. Absolutely wonderful and my cup of tea.
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cheri — Reply
This sounds and looks like a home run Liz, especially if your whole family loved it. I am a huge fan of anything peanut butter.
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Megan @ MegUnprocessed — Reply
What a gorgeous creation!
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Evelyne CulturEatz — Reply
I like a tablespoon sometimes before bed or middle of the night craving. On toast not so much. In any dessert form I love it too. And savory stews. This Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake sounds just amazing.
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Mary @ LOVE the secret ingredient — Reply
Swoons and groans, haha I can only imagine! I wouldn’t want to pass up a slice of this, even if I was already stuffed from a lovely dinner. Looks rich but so light at the same time, perfect!
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Jane Couric — Reply
I love cakes and chocolate, i am definitely trying this out asap.
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Bird — Reply
This recipe looks divine! I’m a chocoholic and can’t stop starring at it! 🙂
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Cakelaw — Reply
Phwoar Liz, yes please! And Bill licked his plate clean – surely that proves that the recipe is a winner.
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gloria — Reply
This cake looks stunning !! Love it Lizzy!! xoxoxo
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Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen — Reply
What a stunning looking mousse cake. Love peanut butter, love chocolate, and love cakes too! A HUGE slice of this cake and I will be the happiest person in the whole wide world! 🙂
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Laura | Tutti Dolci — Reply
Be still my heart.. those layers of mousse look divine!
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Chris Scheuer — Reply
This is a delightful amalgamation of two delicious favorites. And when you love them both, it’s even better! YUM!
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Eva Taylor — Reply
PB and chocolate are a favourite over here too and I know this would definitely come out on top. So pretty too.
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Catherine — Reply
Dear Lizzy, what sweet decadence! This cake is a showstopper. I love layer cakes…this is just marvelous. xo, Catherine
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Danielle — Reply
Wow Liz!!! This came out looking just gorgeous!! So glad the son
And hubby enjoyed it too!! another fab month. The cheesecake I made from you was out of this world!!!! -
Lynn@Happier Than A Pig In Mud — Reply
Wow, this looks truly special! Bet it was great:@)
