Tuxedo cake is moist chocolate cake filled with rich chocolate mousse and sweet white chocolate filling. It’s a chocolate lover’s dream come true!
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I operate under the philosophy that cake is an everyday food, because every day is somebody’s birthday. (Have I ever mentioned that I’m able to justify eating pretty much anything at any time?)
And this tuxedo cake is totally worthy of being someone’s birthday cake. OMG. From the moist chocolate cake to the rich dark chocolate mousse to the tangy-sweet white chocolate cream cheese filling, every bite is is decadent beyond your wildest imaginings.
This cake is not quick to make by any stretch. It’s a celebration cake both because it’s totally fancy-pants and dramatic, but also because it will take the better part of a day to make, and who has time for that on a regular basis?
But you can divide the work up over two days if you’d prefer; make the cake layers a day ahead, then make the fillings and frosting and assemble it all on the second day.
Wrap the cake layers well with plastic wrap the night before and you’ll be good to go. You can store them on the counter at room temperature overnight without a problem.
Assembling your tuxedo cake
First make your white chocolate cream cheese filling, your chocolate mousse, and your chocolate buttercream.
- Spread half of the white chocolate mixture over the top of one of your cake layers. Don’t go all the way to the edge—this makes frosting your cake easier because you don’t have to worry about any filling seeping out into the chocolate frosting.
- Pipe two circles of buttercream over the filling around the edge of the cake; this is the dam that will hold the mousse inside. Use a large round tip for this.
- Last, you’ll spread the mousse inside the dam, then refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes so it doesn’t wobble as you finish the assembly.
Be sure to refrigerate the cake again after you’ve added the final cake layer or frosting the cake will be almost impossible. I know—I tried and almost knocked that top layer onto the ground.
And that would have been tragic.
Because this cake? I don’t even have words for how much I love it. Tuxedo cake is my new favorite dessert and I think it will be yours too.
Tools to help you assemble this cake
You’ll need a large round tip and pastry bags to pipe the dam that holds your mousse in.
A small offset spatula is helpful for spreading the white chocolate filling–the small size lets you have more control so you don’t spread it all the way to the edge.
And finally, while the chocolate glaze on top of the cake is OPTIONAL, it makes the cake look really professional. I like to use a plastic squeeze bottle to add glazes to cakes.
To add the glaze: pour the glaze into the bottle (a funnel is helpful). Squeeze a circle of glaze around the edge of the cake, squeezing harder in places to create drips. Pour the remaining glaze over the cake and use an offset spatula to smooth.
For tips on frosting your cake, see this death by chocolate cake–I share my favorite tools and techniques.
How to store your tuxedo cake
Should you happen to have uneaten cake you can store it, covered, in the fridge for about 2 days. (Unlike some cakes, this one must be stored in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese in the white chocolate filling.)
If you can’t eat all the leftovers in two days, this tuxedo cake freezes beautifully.
Slice the cake, set the slices on a baking sheet, then put the baking sheet in the freezer for about half an hour to set the frosting and filling.
Once the frosting has hardened, tightly wrap each slice individually with a few layers of plastic wrap and/or freezer paper. You can store it this way for a couple of months.
Did you make this tuxedo cake? AWESOME! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below. And post a pic on Instagram too! Tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see! Then like IBK on Facebook and follow on Pinterest for more fun and decadent recipes.
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups warm coffee or substitute flat cola
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate finely chopped
- 1/2 cup + 3/4 cup heavy cream divided and very cold
- 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 ounces white chocolate
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces dark chocolate finely chopped
- Preheat the oven to 350. Spray 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment, spray the parchment with more cooking spray, and set pans aside.
- Combine the sugar, butter, and oil in a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
- Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then slowly add the coffee (or flat cola) until just incorporated. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until the cakes spring back when touched gently with your fingertip.
- Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes then invert cakes onto the rack and peel off parchment paper. Let cake cool completely before proceeding. (Once cooled you can wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 1 day.)
- Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Place 1/2 cup of the heavy cream in a small saucepan set over medium heat and bring cream to a simmer. Do not allow to boil. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let stand for 3 minutes. Add the corn syrup then whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Let stand at room temperature until cool but not firm, about 30 minutes.
- Place sugar and the remaining 3/4 cup of heavy cream in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer set to high speed until the cream holds soft peaks. Stir one quarter of the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula until combined. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream.
- Microwave white chocolate at 50% power in 15-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Allow to cool for several minutes.
- Beat cream cheese and butter together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in melted white chocolate until combined. Add powdered sugar and salt and beat on low speed until combined. Turn mixer to high and beat until very fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until very smooth and creamy. Turn mixer to low and beat in cocoa powder, then gradually beat in 4 cups of powdered sugar. Beat 1 to 2 minutes more. Add 3 tablespoons of milk, vanilla, espresso powder (if using), and salt and beat to combine. Turn mixer to medium and beat until frosting is smooth. Add additional powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or additional milk if it is too thick.
- Trim the tops of the cake layers so they’re even—a long serrated knife is your best choice of utensil here. Place 1 cake layer on a cake circle. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip and fill the bag with about 1 cup of frosting.
- Spread half of the white chocolate filling over the top of the cake—don’t go all the way to the edge of the cake. Pipe two lines of frosting around the edge of the cake. (This is the dam that will hold your mousse inside the cake.) Place a little less than half of the chocolate mousse on top of the white chocolate filling. You want enough to fill in the dam but not so much to overflow. Make sure the mousse reaches the edge of the buttercream, then smooth the top of the mousse. Refrigerate cake layer for 20 minutes.
- Repeat the filling instructions from the previous layer. You may not be able to use all of the mousse; keep the remainder as a well-deserved treat. Again refrigerate cake for 20 minutes.
- Top with the remaining cake layer and. Frost cake with chocolate buttercream, then refrigerate the cake while you make the glaze.
Place the chocolate in a small heat-proof bowl. Heat the glaze in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to steam. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for 3 minutes. Whisk until mixture is smooth.
Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes (until it’s thick but still pourable) then pour over the frosted cake.
Alternatively, you can pour the glaze into a plastic squeeze bottle and squeeze a circle of glaze around the edge of the cake. Squeeze a little more glaze out in some places to create drips. Pour the remaining glaze over the cake and smooth the top.
Refrigerate to set the glaze then slice and serve.
- Because this cake requires so many steps I strongly encourage you to read through the recipe at least once before getting started baking.
- The chocolate glaze is optional.
- If you opt not to add the glaze, try serving the cake with some hot fudge sauce for extra decadence.
- I used white chocolate chips to garnish the cake; this is also optional.
- Uneaten cake can be stored in the fridge (covered) for up to 2 days or in the freezer (tightly wrapped) for up to 2 months.
Cake layers adapted from The New Best of Betterbaking.com
Mousse and glaze adapted from The Model Bakery Cookbook
Nicole says
Hi! So excited to try this recipe! Do you think the batter recipe could be enough for 6 – 9×13 thin sheet cake layers? I was debating adding a 1/3-2/3’s batch. Planning to make a number 30 cake for my husbands birthday! I think the fillings should be okay!
Kelsie says
Hi Nicole! I’m not totally sure. There’s a lot of batter and I think it’s possible you could get enough layers but I can’t really give you any guidance. I’m sorry! I’d love to see a pic of the finished product though!
Rachel says
If I could give more than five stars, I would. This cake is worth every minute of the time it takes to make. It is an absolutely wonderful cake for special occasions (or any day, really!) and is easily one of the best cake recipes I’ve made.
Kelsie says
Thank you so much, Rachel! You’ve made my whole day!
Cecilia Castro says
I’m going to be making this today! Is there a substitute I can use for the Corn Syrup? My grocery store keeps running out.
Kelsie says
You can just omit the corn syrup–I think that would be fine!
ss says
Hi there! This cake looks amazing!!! I was just wondering if it is at all possible to make the mousse’s the night before? So make them on Friday, fill/frost on Sat, serve on Sunday?
Kelsie says
H there! I haven’t tried making them ahead so I’m not sure. I apologize that I can’t be of more help!
Kyla says
Hi there! With the chocolate mousse, I beat the whipping cream to soft peaks, folded it to the cooled chocolate, but it ended up waaaayyyy too loose. I even put it in the fridge to see if it would firm up before assembling the cake as I didn’t want a disaster on my hands. Any idea why?
Kelsie says
Hi Kyla! My best guess is that using whipping cream, rather than heavy cream, is the problem. Because of the difference in fat content, whipping cream doesn’t hold its shape as well as heavy cream does. The only other thing I can think of is that maybe the chocolate wasn’t cool enough! Sorry you had an issue!
Kristin says
Is it possible to substitute the dark chocolate in the glaze for some other type of chocolate, like milk chocolate? I have a child coming to my daughter’s bday who is allergic to dark chocolate.
Kelsie says
You can definitely use milk chocolate instead of dark. I’d use just a little less heavy cream (like maybe a tablespoon or two less) for milk chocolate because it tends to make a runnier glaze. If it still seems too thin let it sit at room temp for a few minutes to thicken up. Hope you love it!
Kristin Unger says
Thank you so much! I’ll let you know how it goes, and my deepest appreciation for the response!
Shamila says
I really want to try out this recipe. Is there measurements in grams
Kelsie says
Hi Shamila, I’m sorry but I don’t have the recipe in grams
Rachelle Child says
I made this cake a few weeks ago and my family LOVED it!!! I wanted to make it again for my husbands birthday, but into 3 6in round cake pans. Do you think that would work. And after I have the buttercream on, can I put fondant over it? Looking to do a toilet paper cake and say” holy crap your old.” Im just worried the fondant may be too heavy for it all, what do ya think???
Kelsie says
First of all, I LOVE your decorating idea, haha! And I’m so glad you guys liked the cake! I think 6-inch cake pans are going to be too small for all of the batter though. I actually just made these cake layers again today and there’s SO MUCH batter I’m afraid it would spill out of 6-inch pans. (You could always try four layers or even five, and let the extra batter sit while the first three layers are in the oven.) As for the fondant, I’m not sure because I’ve never actually covered cakes with it; I’ve only ever used fondant as cut-out decorations. One option would be to use a different recipe for the cake layers (if you have a favorite chocolate cake that you know is sturdy enough for fondant). Then use the same filling and frosting from this recipe. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help! Please let me know how it goes and send me a picture!
Marie says
This was SOOO good! Thank you. Just one question. The white chocolate filling was so yummy, but how do you prevent the melted chocolate from hardening when mixing with the rest of the ingredients? I had little tiny bits of white chocolate pieces mixed into the filling–not totally a bad thing, but it wasn’t as smooth as I was wanting it to be. It seemed to harden around the paddle and around the bowl so when I scraped the bowl, bits of white chocolate mixed in.
Kelsie says
Hi Marie! I’m so glad you liked it! To prevent the white chocolate from hardening, make sure all the filling ingredients are totally at room temperature and use real white chocolate (not chocolate chips) because it melts better and should stay melted. I hope that helps!
Amber says
How can I make this with two layers only?
Kelsie says
I think the easiest way would be to halve the recipe, then just bake the layers in two cake pans. You’ll need to reduce the baking time (I’m not sure by how much) and you’ll have a little less filling and frosting, but cutting a recipe in half is pretty simple math. The other option, if you want to maintain the filling-to-cake ratio, is to cut the recipe in thirds. Here’s a guide to reducing a recipe. I hope that helps!
Lisa says
I made your cake recipe for my Mother in Law’s birthday because it’s her favorite and it came out absolutely perfect! I think this is my new favorite cake lol I’ve never been more proud of a cake I made before. Thank you for this great recipe! Even turned out great at high altitude 🙂
Kelsie says
You just made my day, Lisa! I’m so happy you loved the cake–it’s one of my favorites too :). Thanks so much for the feedback! Have a great rest of your week!
Kelsey says
I received a lot of praise for this cake. It’s time consuming but worth it.
I made two 8″ cakes (a chocolate and beet version) and cut these in half so that I had 4 layers. I only had enough buttercream to use as the dam for the mousse and not to frost the whole cake. I didn’t miss it. The white layer turned out to be a bit harder than i expected, because of the hardened chocolate, but still very good. Oh and the recipe should call for whipping cream rather than heavy cream for the mousse layer. I should have expected that.
Overall, delicious treat! Just make sure you have the layers ready in the right order for the cake assembly.
Kelsie says
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for the feedback, Kelsey!
Beenish Ismail says
Hi Kelsie ! Love this recipe and really want to try it. The only thing I need is you to advise me on cutting this recipe to a small size. 9 inch would be too big. How do I reduce this recipe?
Kelsie says
Hi Beenish! Since I haven’t cut the recipe in half myself, I can’t give you precise guidelines. But you should be able to halve all of the ingredients and bake the cake in smaller pans for less time. Here’s a link to some guides! https://thewhoot.com/whoot-news/recipes/making-half-or-a-third-of-a-recipe
Neha Khanam says
Hi.. i had planned something else for my husband’s birthday… but not anymore.. i am making your Tuxedo Cake 😀..
What is the purpose of using corn syrup in the mousse? I dont get corn syrup here, so what can i add instead )?
Thanks 😊
Kelsie says
Hi Neha! You can omit the corn syrup without a problem. It just makes the mousse a bit sweeter without adding additional powdered sugar–omitting it will make very little difference. Hope you love it!
Bea says
Can’t wait to try your Tuxedo Cake Recipe because it couldn’t be more different from mine. Mine I use whipped cream only to frost it .. I need to send you my recipe ..it’s to die for! Thanks for sharing.
Kelsie says
Oohhh yours sounds delicious too!
Linda says
My mother loves chocolate so I made this for her birthday and it was delicious. Will be making again. Thanks for a great recipe!
Teesh says
Your cake justification is always on point, Kelsie!
Kelsie says
Haha! Thank you, Teesh!
Pies and Prejudice says
haha I’m the same way, any excuse to make a cake (pie, cupcakes) is a good one for me. I get excited when it’s someones (anyones) birthday haha This cake is a stunner Kelsie, I LOVE the layers and chocolatey goodness. It would be absolutely perfect for a birthday party or just a showstopping dessert for a nice family dinner. And don’t get me started about that drip…YUM! I need to make this cake ASAP….there’s gotta be someone’s birthday coming up in the near future. Or maybe we need to start Cake Wednesdays (as we’ve already got Cupcake Mondays, Taco Tuesdays etc) haha Now that sounds good to me 😀
Kelsie says
RIGHT? Any excuse to whip out my bakeware, haha! Thank you so much, Dana! PS, I like the sound of cake Wednesdays but I feel like I’ll have to start making some healthier cakes or a new wardrobe will be in order 🙂