Orange Chocolate Mousse Mirror Cake

Total Time

Prep: 45 min. + freezing

Makes

16 servings

Updated: Jun. 09, 2023
A shiny, mirrorlike orange glaze covers a chocolate mousse cake to create a delicious showstopping dessert your guests will be talking about for weeks to come.—Matthew Hass, Franklin, Wisconsin

Ingredients

  • 2 cups crushed Oreo cookies (about 20 cookies)
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • FILLING:
  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • 6 tablespoons orange juice
  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
  • 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup dark baking cocoa
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
  • GLAZE:
  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon water, divided
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup white baking chips
  • Orange paste food coloring

Directions

  1. Mix crushed cookies, orange zest and butter; press onto bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over orange juice; let stand 1 minute. Stir over low heat until gelatin is dissolved. Set aside.
  3. For filling, melt chocolate with 1/2 cup cream in microwave; stir until smooth. Cool slightly; stir in dissolved gelatin. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and cocoa until smooth. Gradually add chocolate mixture and orange zest; mix well. In another bowl, beat remaining cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into cream cheese mixture. Spoon over crust. Refrigerate, covered, until set, about 4 hours. Freeze, covered, overnight.
  4. For glaze, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup water in a small bowl; set aside (mixture will solidify). Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine sugar, milk and remaining water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Add baking chips; stir with a whisk until melted. Stir in food coloring; mix well. Cool glaze, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 90°, about 40 minutes.
  5. Place cake on an inverted 9-in. pie plate in a foil-lined 15x10x1-in. pan. Remove the sides of the springform. Pour cooled glaze over frozen cake, allowing excess to drip off. Let glaze set 15 minutes before removing drips from bottom edge of cake. Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

Test Kitchen Tips
  • Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature to avoid lumps in the filling. If you're having trouble getting the cream cheese smooth, pass it through a fine mesh strainer before adding the chocolate mixture and orange zest.
  • Glaze-pouring tip: For a perfectly smooth finish, start pouring in the center of the cake, working your way out toward the edges. Let the glaze fall over the edges.
  • Nutrition Facts

    1 piece: 610 calories, 43g fat (25g saturated fat), 97mg cholesterol, 244mg sodium, 47g carbohydrate (40g sugars, 1g fiber), 7g protein.