Gluten Free Triple Layer Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Cake

To be kind to our gluten free guests at our Christmas eve party, I made this luxurious Triple Layer Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Cake on a Krusteaz Gluten Free Double Chocolate Brownie crust as part of a bake off challenge sponsored by Krusteaz.

I figured just because someone has to live on a gluten free diet doesn't mean they can't indulge in an over the top dessert at the holidays. If you came to one of my parties and saw all the amazing desserts I serve and weren't able to enjoy any of them, that would be pretty depressing.

Making gluten free desserts is not really part of my normal routine, so I got some help from Krusteaz gluten free mixes. When I attended the IFBC conference last fall, I found myself sitting at a table waiting for a session to begin and my stomach was growling. There on the table sat a plate of tiny little brownies. I grabbed one and gobbled it up quickly, then went back for another.

When I found out they were gluten free, I was really surprised. They had a really wonderfully intense chocolate flavor and a fudgy texture. The brownies even had chocolate chips inside.

Fast forward a few months, and I'm invited to participate in a gluten free bake off for the holidays. Krusteaz has challenged 50 bloggers to create delectable gluten free desserts. Being I haven't done much gluten free baking I had to do some research.

I found that there are lots of brands of chocolate that are gluten free, among them some that were already in my kitchen. I also found some gluten free candy canes.

I had already planned to make my Peppermint Swirl Mousse Cake for the party which is made with a brownie crust and a layer of white chocolate peppermint mousse, so I thought it would be nice to have a complimentary dessert that was gluten free. As much as my family loved the Peppermint Swirl Mousse Cake, I know they will be talking it up the night of the party and now all the party guests can indulge.

So to create this new dessert I started with the Krusteaz Gluten Free Double Chocolate Brownie as the base. I added an extra egg to make the brownie more cake like. To make the dessert just a bit different and maybe a little more over the top than the swirl cake, I  added a layer of dark chocolate mousse along with the layer of white chocolate peppermint mousse.

I wanted to make my cake look festive, so I added some peppermint bark candy canes around the edge of the cake and sprinkled crushed candy canes on top. I thought it looked pretty nice, until I saw the photos. The candy canes really just blend into the top. My husband thought it just looked like dribbles down the side of the cake.

You know some things just look better in person than in pictures. That's why I took them off to take some of the pictures above. If I were to do this again, I'd make my candy canes red instead of white. Then they would pop. Oh, well. there is always next year.

Gluten Free Triple Layer Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Cake

When purchasing ingredients for this cake, be sure to choose gluten free versions. Click here, for a list of Gluten Free Chocolate Bars, and here for a list of Gluten Free Candy Canes. 

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Gluten Free Triple Layer Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Cake

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

59 mins

Total Time

1 hr 44 mins

 

Gluten free brownie topped with a rich and creamy chocolate mousse and a peppermint flavored white chocolate mousse. This delicious dessert is great for Christmas!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten free cake, peppermint mousse cake

Servings: 12

Author: Beth Klosterboer

Ingredients

Gluten Free Brownie Layer

• 1 package Krusteaz Gluten Free Double Chocolate Brownie Mix
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup water
• 1 egg you can add 1 more egg for a more cake like crust

Chocolate Mousse Layer

• 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 egg yolks room temperature

White Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Layer

• ¾ teaspoon powdered gelatin
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream divided
• 6 ounces gluten free white chocolate finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

Peppermint Decorations

• 6 ounces melted and tempered white chocolate
• 4-6 crushed candy canes

Instructions

Gluten Free Brownie Layer

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray. Wipe out with a paper towel, leaving just a thin coating on the pan.
3. Stir together brownie mix, vegetable oil, water and egg. Pour into the 9 inch springform pan.
4. Bake for 48-52 minutes.
5. Cool completely in pan.
6. Remove ring, and loosen brownie from the bottom before you top it with mousse.

Chocolate Mousse Layer

1. Whisk whipping cream to soft peaks.
2. Melt the chocolate. Click here for detailed instructions.
3. Pour water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
4. Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl and slowly drizzle in the hot sugar syrup.
5. Combine eggs with melted chocolate, stirring until well incorporated. Heat in microwave on high power for 15 seconds. Stir until smooth.
6. Add one third of the whipped cream to the chocolate and whisk until well incorporated. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until fluffy.
7. Pour mousse over the chocolate brownie layer.
8. Spread evenly over top then refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes.

White Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Layer

1. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Bring ½ cup heavy whipping cream just to a boil.
3. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin until dissolved.
4. Pour over white chocolate. Let sit one minute, then stir until melted.
5. Combine remaining 1 cups heavy whipping cream and peppermint extract and whisk to stiff peaks.
6. Fold whipped cream into white chocolate.
7. Spread evenly over chocolate mousse layer.
8. Refrigerate cake for at least two hours and up to 3 days.
9. Can be frozen for up to a month.

Peppermint Decorations

1. pipe white chocolate into candy cane shapes
2. sprinkle with crushed candy canes
3. just before serving set cake on cake plate and press candy canes into the side of the cake
4. sprinkle top of cake with crushed candy canes

How to make  Triple Layer Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Cake

Gluten Free Brownie/Cake Layer

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray. Wipe out with a paper towel, leaving just a thin coating on the pan. For easier removal from pan, you can put a cake board in the bottom.

• Stir together brownie mix, vegetable oil, water and eggs.
• Pour into the 9 inch springform pan.
• Bake for 48-52 minutes.
• Cool completely in pan.
• Remove ring, and loosen brownie from the bottom before you top it with mousse. This will make it much easier to slice and remove from the pan. (I wish I would have done that. What did I say about next time?)

Chocolate Mousse Layer

Instructions:

• Whisk whipping cream to soft peaks.
• Melt the chocolate. See my Chocolate Making Tips page for detailed instructions.
• Pour water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
• Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl and slowly drizzle in the hot sugar syrup.
• Combine eggs with melted chocolate, stirring until well incorporated. Heat in microwave on high power for 15 seconds. Stir until smooth.
• Add one third of the whipped cream to the chocolate and whisk until well incorporated. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until fluffy.

• Pour mousse over the chocolate brownie layer.
• Spread evenly over top then refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes.

White Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Layer

Instructions:

• Sprinkle gelatin over water. Set aside for 5 minutes.
• Bring ½ cup heavy whipping cream just to a boil.
• Remove from heat and stir in gelatin until dissolved.
• Pour over white chocolate. Let sit one minute, then stir until melted.
• Combine remaining 1 cup heavy whipping cream and peppermint extract and whisk to stiff peaks.
• Fold whipped cream into white chocolate in thirds.

• Spread evenly over chocolate mousse layer.
• Refrigerate cake for at least four hours and up to 3 days.
• Can be frozen for up to a month.

I usually keep my cake in the springform pan until I'm ready to serve it, then I un-clamp the pan and remove. You might need to run a thin spatula around the outer edge to release it from the pan. Once the cake is removed you can see the outer edge looks rough. Take a spatula run it under hot water, dry it off then run it around the edge of the cake to clean up the sides.

Peppermint Decorations

If you want to decorate the cake with the peppermint bark candy canes-

• pipe white chocolate into candy cane shapes
• sprinkle with crushed candy canes
• just before serving set cake on cake plate and press candy canes into the side of the cake (It's best not to move the cake onto a plate once it's been decorated. I learned that the hard way.)

You can also just sprinkle crushed candy canes over top and even use mini candy canes along the edges of the cake.

I was compensated by Krusteaz and given free products to sample to create and share this recipe with you. I have to say that of the gluten free baked goods I've tried, these brownies are some of the best and they really work well in this recipe.Or course, if you don't have to eat gluten free, you can make this recipe using your favorite brownies, I suggest the one I used to make the Peppermint Swirl Mousse Cake.

If you or someone you love follows a gluten free diet, and you'd like to win a gift pack filled with Krusteaz Gluten Free Baking Mixes, enter the rafflecopter entry form below. If you can't see the entry form, then just leave a comment below telling me who in your life is gluten free and if you've tried the Krusteaz mixes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to residents of the United States who are 18 years or older. Void where prohibited by law. I'll randomly select a winner on December 23rd.

Be sure to check out all my fun Christmas Recipes!

More Chocolate Mousse Dessert Recipes

from Hungry Happenings

Peppermint Swirl Mousse Cake

Chocolate Cherry Mousse Cake

Peppermint Bark Dessert

Flourless Chocolate Cake topped with White Chocolate Mousse and Crushed Candy Canes

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake

Cocoa Almond Nougatine Cups 

filled with White Chocolate Cherry Mousse

• Author
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Beth Klosterboer

Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com

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