🍫 Copycat Olive Garden Black Tie Mousse Cake – The Ultimate Chocolate Lover’s Dessert

No meal at Olive Garden is truly complete without a bite of their decadent Black Tie Mousse Cake — and now you can make it right at home! 🍰✨ With four indulgent layers of pure chocolate bliss, this dessert is every bit as rich, creamy, and luxurious as the original. It might look fancy enough for a restaurant menu, but it’s surprisingly doable in your own kitchen.

This cake starts with a moist, deep chocolate base that’s dense and fudgy, followed by a silky chocolate mousse layer that melts in your mouth. Then comes the light, dreamy cheesecake mousse that balances the richness perfectly, all crowned with a smooth, glossy chocolate ganache that makes this dessert shine. 🍫💛 Each bite is a masterpiece of texture and flavor — rich, creamy, and perfectly balanced.

While it might look like something that takes all day to make, this recipe is easier than you think! Each layer comes together with simple ingredients and step-by-step guidance, making it totally approachable even if you’re not an expert baker. It’s the perfect make-ahead dessert for holidays, dinner parties, or anytime you want to impress your guests with something truly showstopping. ✨

More Delicious Cakes you’ll love:

There are desserts that satisfy a craving, and then there are desserts that make jaws drop—and Mississippi Mud Cake definitely falls into the second category. With its rich chocolate layers, gooey marshmallows, crunchy pecans, and a silky chocolate icing that ties it all together, this cake is the ultimate indulgence for chocolate lovers.

If you love the delicious flavor of hot chocolate and the ease of dump cakes, then you are in for a real treat today! This scrumptious Hot Chocolate Dump Cake Recipe is easy to make and absolutely mouth-watering.

If you love chocolate, chances are you love peanut butter too! This mouth-watering Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake is rich, delicious and makes the perfect dessert for any occasion!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Cake Layer-

• 1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Chocolate Cheesecake Layer- 

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

White Chocolate Mousse-

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces white baking chocolate, melted and cooled

Ganache-

• 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Garnish-

• 2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup white baking chips, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a small bowl, combine baking cocoa and boiling water. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla until just combined.
4. Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix just a bit before adding in the chocolate mixture.
5. Pour batter into a parchment-lined 8-inch springform pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.
6. For the chocolate cheesecake layer, in a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
7. Next, beat in the melted and cooled dark chocolate until combined.
8. In another bowl, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Fold the cream into the chocolate cream cheese mixture.
9. Spread the chocolate cheesecake mixture over the cake layer. Refrigerate for 1 hour or freeze for 30 minutes. I go the freezer route because it is faster.
10. For the white chocolate mousse, in a bowl, beat the heavy cream and sugar until you get stiff peaks. 
11. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese and melted white chocolate until smooth.  Fold in the whipped cream. 
12. Spread the white mousse layer over the chocolate cheesecake layer. 
13. Refrigerate until set 1 hour or freeze 30 minutes.
14. For the ganache, add 2 cups of cream to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until the cream is hot. 
15. Add your chocolate chips to the hot cream and let sit for 5 minutes.
16. Whisk the chocolate chips and cream together until combined and smooth.  Let cool slightly. 
17. Set aside 1 cup of the ganache and place into the refrigerator.
18. Remove the cake from the pan and place on a wire rack.  Pour the ganache over the cake and down the sides. Press mini chocolate chips into the sides.
19. In 30-second intervals, melt your 4-ounce bar of white baking chocolate.
20. Drizzle the white chocolate over the ganache layer on top of the cake. 
21. Refrigerate the cake while you prepare the frosting.
22. Using an electric mixer, whip the chilled ganache until frosting consistency. 
23. Pipe around the edges and top with a chocolate chip. 
24. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Tips and Tricks

• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• You can use a box of chocolate mix, but you won’t need to use the whole batter.
• You can also make this in a 9-inch springform pan

Print the Recipe:

Copycat Olive Garden Black Tie Mousse Cake Recipe

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Additional Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes

No meal at Olive Garden would be complete without dessert and this Copycat Olive Garden Black Tie Mousse Cake is a stunning, impressive, rich dessert you can make right at home.  Yes, it might seem hard to make with its four delicious layers, but it's so worth it! A deep chocolate cake is the base layer, topped by a rich chocolate mousse layer, followed by an easy cheesecake mousse layer and the whole thing is topped with a perfect chocolate ganache.  This is the ultimate dessert and a lot easier than you think.  Perfect for entertaining.

Print

Ingredients

• Cake Layer-
• 1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Chocolate Cheesecake Layer-
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• White Chocolate Mousse-
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces white baking chocolate, melted and cooled
• Ganache-
• 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• Garnish-
• 2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup white baking chips, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a small bowl, combine baking cocoa and boiling water. Set aside to cool. 
3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla until just combined.
4. Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix just a bit before adding in the chocolate mixture.
5. Pour batter into a parchment-lined 8 inch springform pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.
6. For the chocolate cheesecake layer, in a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
7. Next beat in the melted and cooled dark chocolate until combined. 
8. In another bowl, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Fold the cream into the chocolate cream cheese mixture. 
9. Spread the chocolate cheesecake mixture over the cake layer. Refrigerate for 1 hour or freeze for 30 minutes. I go the freezer route because it is faster.
10. For the white chocolate mousse, in a bowl, beat the heavy cream and sugar until you get stiff peaks. 
11. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese and melted white chocolate until smooth.  Fold in the whipped cream. 
12. Spread the white mousse layer over the chocolate cheesecake layer. 
13. Refrigerate until set 1 hour or freeze 30 minutes.
14. For the ganache add 2 cups of cream to a microwave safe bowl and and microwave in 30 second intervals until the cream is hot. 
15. Add your chocolate chips to the hot cream and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk the chocolate chips and cream together until combined and smooth.  Let cool slightly.  
16. Set aside 1 cup of the ganache and place into the refrigerator.
17. Remove the cake from the pan and place on a wire rack. Pour the ganache over the cake and down the sides. Press mini chocolate chips into the sides.
18. In 30-second intervals, melt your 4-ounce bar of white baking chocolate.
19. Drizzle the white chocolate over the ganache layer on top of the cake.
20. Refrigerate the cake while you prepare the frosting.
21. Using an electric mixer whip the chilled ganache until frosting consistency. 
22. Pipe around the edges and top with a chocolate chip. 
23. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Pin it for Later!