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This Baileys Chocolate Mousse Brownie Cake has a dense, delicious brownie base with smooth Baileys chocolate mousse on top. You won’t be able to stop eating it!
Baileys Chocolate Mousse Brownie Cake
So I’m totally loving the new series at our church. This week was the second message of the series (called What Happy Couples Know) and it was perfectly on target in so many ways. We all bring certain hopes and dreams into marriage – how could we not? – that turn into expectations. Those expectations change the nature of the relationship and not necessarily for the better. How to overcome that is the trick. He talks about how happy couples do that and WHY they do what they do.
A lot of what he’s talking about is stuff that the hubs and I experienced and worked through at one point years ago. It was a challenge to let go of certain expectations and put the other person before yourself. And as he mentions, it’s scary! But my gosh it was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but the change I look back on now was massive – both for me in my faith and for my relationship with my husband. If you ever want to get married or are already married, it is SUCH a great message! I can’t wait to see where he takes the rest of it.
And of course since you can watch it online, you could even enjoy a slice of this cake while watching. 😉 Score!
Speaking of this cake – oh my gosh! It’s no secret that I’m a fan of the combo of chocolate and Baileys. Between this Baileys Chocolate layer cake, these mini Baileys chocolate cheesecakes, these mini Baileys chocolate cheesecake trifles, Baileys fudge brownies and more Baileys and chocolate treats, it’s hard to decide a favorite. But there’s no doubt that this combination of brownie and mousse in a cake is pure Baileys and chocolate heaven!
How to Make This Heavenly Cake
The brownie bottom is one of my favorite brownies. SUPER easy to put together – just mixing of the ingredients! I don’t even bother with a mixer. Pour it right into a 9×13 inch pan, bake and let it cool.
The mousse isn’t quite as simple, but it really isn’t hard. It’s a more traditional cooked mousse, rather than an easy no-cook one. The smooth and silky texture of a cooked mousse is the best!
To start, you’ll combine the egg yolks, sugar and Baileys in the top of a double boiler (or in a metal bowl over a pot of boil water, which is what I do). The main goal here is to slowly and gently cook the eggs without scrambling them. You want them to reach 160°F so they are safe to eat. I like to use an instant read thermometer to test the temperature of the mixture, but you could also try eyeballing it and looking for things to thicken and grow in volume.
Once the egg mixture is ready, it’s combined with the melted chocolate chips, cooled to room temperature, then gently combined with whipped cream. Once made, spread it evenly over the cooled brownie and refrigerate until firm. The waiting is the worst!
Fortunately, after the worst part of waiting comes the best part – eating!! So, so good! The smooth, silky mousse with the dense, chewy brownie is to die for. When you consider that it’s also Baileys and chocolate, it’s maybe my new favorite dessert ever!
Watch How To Make It
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Baileys Chocolate Mousse Brownie Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: 12-15 Slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Baileys Chocolate Mousse Brownie Cake has a dense, delicious brownie base with smooth Baileys chocolate mousse on top. You won’t be able to stop eating it!
Ingredients
BROWNIE LAYER
- 1 1/2 cups (336g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup (195g) all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (85g) natural unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
BAILEYS CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
- 6 large egg yolks
- 6 tbsp (78g) sugar
- 3/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream
- 1 3/4 cups (296g) semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
BAILEYS WHIPPED CREAM
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1/4 cup (29g) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream
- Chocolate bar, for shavings
- Mini chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
1. To make the brownie, preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. Combine the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and Baileys in a medium sized bowl. Add eggs and mix until well combined.
3. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in another medium sized bowl, then slowly add dry ingredients to the egg mixture until well combined.
4. Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
5. While the brownie cools, make the chocolate mousse. Combine the egg yolks, sugar and Baileys in the top of a double boiler until combined. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can use a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly and occasionally lifting the bowl to release the steam so it doesn’t get too hot. The mixture will thin out at first, then begin to thicken. The mixture will be ready when is has thickened and has more volume. It should take about 7-10 minutes and reach 160 degrees. Do not boil. When done, remove egg mixture from heat and set aside.
6. Place chocolate chips for mousse in a medium sized bowl and melt in the microwave in intervals of about 15-20 seconds, stirring between each interval, until smooth. You could also melt them in a double boiler, if you prefer.
7. Add the chocolate to the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool to about room temperature.
8. In another bowl, make the whipped cream. Add the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to a large mixer bowl and whip until it reaches stiff peaks.
9. Fold about a ¼ cup of whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until combined. Then fold about a 1/4 of the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream. Slowly fold in the remaining chocolate mixture into the whipped cream.
10. Spread the chocolate mousse into an even layer on top of the brownie, then refrigerate until firm, 4-5 hours.
11. To finish off the cake, make the Baileys whipped cream. Add all ingredients to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
12. Pipe swirls of whipped cream onto each slice, then finish with chocolate shavings and mini chocolate chips, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 697
- Sugar: 56.1 g
- Sodium: 128.9 mg
- Fat: 43.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 70.9 g
- Protein: 8.1 g
- Cholesterol: 220.1 mg
Enjoy!
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I made this already and it is wonderful I am wondering. I saw some ask if could be frozen. Has anyone tried and what are results?
Can you make a day ahead without whipped cream on top?
I have made this and it is divine!
Definitely! So glad you enjoy it!
Hi a you freeze this after the two layers but before the cream swirls
See the earlier comment just wondered if anyone had tried it
Thinking of Xmas dessert
Thanks
Cath
Well I haven’t tried it, I would expect it to be fine.
Hi ???? I’m admittedly the WORST baker in the states but I have to tell you, THIS RECIPE IS PERFECT. Wow! Brownies turned out perfect, mousse even better and the whipped cream was such an added lightness to the dish. Thanks! I’ll be making this for years to come!
Wonderful! So glad to hear that! Thanks Michelle!
Hi Lindsay, can help I am from Singapore so your measure of 3/4 cups Baileys Irish Cream in gm will be???
And also 1 3/4 cups of whipping cream in gm?
As I am still new in baking can help me/
Thank you so much 🙂
cheers!
I don’t believe it’s typical to measure liquid by weight, but rather by volume. In this case, ml.
Would like to make this in advance for a meal, does it freeze and defrost successfully? Don’t mind decorating after defrosting. Thanks.
I would think it’d be fine, though I admittedly haven’t tried it to know for sure. I’d suggest defrosting in the fridge.
Hi – I have tried this recipe – but a bit confused – where does the 3/4 cup baileys go in?
The Baileys in the chocolate mousse is added in step five.
I am an experienced cook but won’t make this recipe a second time. Made this yesterday and my Easter Sunday crew found it to be disappointing in several ways. The key issue is the consistency of the brownie base. It was neither over or undercooked… just not a desirable texture. Not a preference issue either. It is a given that some people like a more cake-like brownie while others prefer a more gooey texture. This brownie was neither. Rather, is was just too dense and almost difficult to spoon out of the serving dish, at least relative to the soft, creamy mousse. The mousse, BTW, is best refrigerated overnight. I refrigerated it the suggested four hours before serving and noticed was tremendously better this morning after a longer time in the fridge than it was after the four hour stay. Unfortunately, the brownie was still the ruin of the dish after the night in the fridge. One of my guests also commented the flavor of the Baileys in all three places: the brownie, mousse and whipped cream topping made the dish less interesting. Not that the Baileys flavor is overwhelming/super strong- it’s not. Just too much sameness being in all three parts of the dessert. I agreed with this sentiment. If I tried this idea again I would make DRASTIC modifications: I would use my own tried and true brownie recipe ( with no Baileys added to this), DOUBLE the given mousse recipe then put it on top of a brownie baked in a small individual soufflé cup rather than the suggested 9 X 13. Individual serving dishes take a bit of extra time on the front (prep) end but save time when serving and make for a MUCH more elegant presentation served buffet style or table side on a lovely silver tray. I would refrigerate overnight then add pure whipped cream- NO added Baileys and “chocolate dust” just before serving. (Chocolate dust is created by putting a bit of good chocolate of your choosing into a food processor or blender. You can then turn your chocolate dust into a small tightly covered dish and save at room temperature to top desserts for some time to come. A little chocolate dust goes a long way and creates an elegant finish without ruining a smooth texture.) To our crew, even mini chocolate chips are far too large/crunchy and truly ruin the smooth texture of a bite of this meant to be rich and creamy dessert. People have different tastes and preferences, for sure. However, when recipes are posted I like to think they have been tried and tried again, tested, tinkered with and worked out. It annoys me when people post comments about how good a recipe “looks” but no posts are included where real people have actually tried the recipe. Well, my foodie friends and I tested this one. Our group had FAR too many changes to call this recipe even close to a keeper. Sorry Lindsay, truly don’t mean to be mean about it.
I’m sorry you weren’t happy with it Mealnie. It sounds as though the brownie might not have been baked correctly, since it’s a widely loved brownie on this site (sans the baileys). As far as being tested, it actually has been tested by no less than 5 other people besides myself who were very happy with the amounts of things. That said, it is certainly a preference thing. Thanks for the feedback!
Made this for a St. Patty’s party last night. So decadent and tasty! Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it!
Although the brownie recipe looks delicious, how do you get to watch that series online, the one you mentioned, Things Happy Couples Know? Would I just google that?
Thanks for any info you care to share, I’m interested.
Absolutely – here is the link to the full series. I hope you enjoy it!
Could you substitute Kuhlua for the Baileys?
That should be fine.