Exceptional Tuxedo Cake

Three layers of chocolate cake, white chocolate mousse,dark chocolate mousse and a chocolate glaze sit on an old fashioned cut glass tray.

5 from 4 votes

This Exceptional Tuxedo Cake is based on the Tuxedo Cake at Costco. An easily made decadent chocolate cake it's layered with both a chocolate and Bailey's white chocolate mousse. This is the perfect celebration cake for any occasion.

Prep Time3

Total Time3

Course: Cake

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Celebration Cake, Costco, Tuxedo Cake,

Servings: servings

Calories: 970kcal

Author: Helen S. Fletcher

Equipment

1 half sheet pan

Ingredients

Very Chocolate Cake

1 cup very hot water
2 ½ teaspoons instant coffee
1 cup dark brown sugar (200 grams)
1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour (245 grams)
1 cup Dutch cocoa (90 grams)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream (225 grams)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Mousse

1 cup heavy cream
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (85 grams)
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla

White Chocolate Mousse

¼ cup Bailey's liqueur
3 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (85 grams) [not coating chocolate]
1 cup heavy cream

Dark Satin Ganache & Chocolate Curls

½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup corn syrup
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (70 grams)
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (280 grams)
4 ounce white chocolate bar (114 grams)
4 ounce milk chocolate bar (114 grams)
4 ounce dark chocolate bar (114 grams)

Instructions

Very Chocolate Cake

It is most important to mix this recipe at low speed to ensure the cake comes out flat.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment. Spray the parchment only with a non-stick baking release. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a mixer, place the very hot water and the coffee; whisk to mix and dissolve the coffee. Whisk in the brown and granulated sugars. The mixture will be rather syrupy.
Add the flour mixture and mix on low to incorporate - aobut 2 minutes. It will be very thick, Scape the sides and bottom as necessary.
Add the oil, mixing on low, next add the sour cream and then the eggs and vanilla, each time mixing completely, about 30 seconds each time.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.
Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and it springs back when the middle is touched lightly. Do not over bake.
Cool completely on a rack. Freezing the cake after cooling makes it easier to make clean cuts for the layers. For extended freezing, freeze the cake in the pan, well covered in aluminum foil for up to 2 months.

Chocolate Mousse

Coarsely chop the semisweet chocolate.
Heat ½ cup cream and coffee until steamy but not boiling. Off heat, submerge the chocolate and let it sit for 3 or 4 minutes. Stir until smooth, making sure to get into the corners of the pan.
Stir in the vanilla. Cool completely.
Whip the remaining ½ cup of cream to the medium stiff stage and fold into the chocolate. This is most easily done with a whisk using the folding motion. Refrigerate until cold or up to 2 days before using.

White Chocolate Mousse

Cut the white chocolate up coarsely. Combine the chocolate and Bailey's in the top of a double boiler. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water and keep the water at a bare simmer.
As soon as the chocolate begins to melt, stir it until it is smooth. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
Beat the remaining cream until medium stiff Stir about ¼ of the cream into the chocolate to lighten it. Fold the remainder into the white chocolate. Refrigerate until cold or up to 2 days before using.

Chocolate Curls

Any good quality semisweet chocolate is fine. My preference is Callebaut Semisweet callets #811. Although they look like chocolate chips they are pure chocolate.
Instant coffee of your choice can be used. Espresso should be cut in half. The coffee is used to enhance the chocolate and not as a discernible flavor.
Heavy cream is necessary for not only the taste but for the thickness to which it can be whipped.
The Bailey's Liqueur is used as a flavoring with the white chocolate. Small ¼ cup bottles can be found at liqueur and grocery stores. It is just enough for this recipe. If omitting, use ¼ cup cream with the white chocolate.
Real white chocolate, not compounds, should be used. If the ingredients on the label list cocoa butter it is real white chocolate. If there isn't it won't taste or act as will white chocolate. of each bar is enough to decorate the cake.
Wrap the bottom of the chocolate bar where you hold it with a double thickness of paper towels so the chocolate doesn't melt from the heat of your hand.
Place a piece of wax paper in front of you. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the short end of the chocolate bar to make curls over the paper. The amount of pressure with which you peel will determine the size of the curls.
Mix them together.
The white chocolate will make the best curls and the milk chocolate after that. The dark chocolate is more difficult due to the rigidity of the chocolate. They may end up in shards but that is fine,

Assembly

Freeze the cake for 30 to 40 minutes to make it easier to cut. Place a piece of parchment over the top of the cake and turn it out onto a cake board.
Turn the cake with the long side facing you. Cut 3 - 5" wide rectangles from top to bottom. There will be a small piece left over. That's the bakers reward.
Place one layer on a cake board. Spread the cold chocolate mousse evenly over the layer. Top with a second layer of cake.
Spread the white chocolate mousse over this layer. Place the top layer over the mousse. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill overnight or freeze. If the cake has been frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator to finish it.

Dark Satin Ganache

Combine the cream, corn syrup and butter in a small saucepan. Heat until the butter melts and the mixture is steamy but do not let it come to a boil.
Submerge the chocolate under the hot cream and let it sit for 3 or 4 minutes. Stir until it is smooth, making sure to get into the corners. It should be thick enough to use immediately. If it is hot cool it to lukewarm. Do not let it get completely cold or it will be too set.
Pour about ⅔ to ¾ of the ganache over the cake. Using a large offset spatula, smooth the top and let the remainder go over the sides and top and bottom of the cake. Smooth them out. If they aren't covered right away, the extra ganache can be used when it is cold and set up to finish them.
Immediately, after covering the top of the cake, use a spoon to distribute the chocolate curls down the center of the cake. Press them in lightly. Collect the ganache that has dripped off the cake and return it to the unused portion. Refrigerate the cake to set the ganache.
Use the remainder of the ganache to finish the sides if necessary.
Transfer the cake to a serving dish or a cake board if freezing. The easiest way to do this is to go under the cake with a metal spatula so make sure it is free. Use two pancake turners, on on each short end to lift it up. If you are unsure, freeze the cake first and then release it.
At this point the cake can be frozen. Freeze it all the way through. Carefully cover it in foil and freeze up to a month. To thaw, leave the wrapping in place and thaw in the refrigerator overnight or the day before. Carefully remove the wrapping before cutting and serving.
By leaving the cake wrapped, any condensation that normally happens when thawing will go to the top of the foil and not the top of the cake.
Store the cake in the refrigerator.

Notes

There is always an abundance of photos to guide you in the post above. If you have questions, look at the photos or read the header of the article. Many of them will be answered there.

As always, I recommend using a scale for accuracy and consistency. Flour, in particular, is difficult to measure by volume. For my recipes, I use 140 grams per cup of unsifted all-purpose, bread or whole wheat flour and 125 grams of cake flour. Others may use different weights so use whatever they suggest.

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

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To keep the chocolate cake from rising in the middle during baking, no matter if you prepared the cake pan properly or not, it is crucial to beat it at every stage on low. We found this out in the bakery as this was our base chocolate cake.

When removing the paper from the bottom of any cake, keep the paper being removed close to the cake to prevent tearing some of the cake away.

To keep the Dark Satin Ganache from becoming dull, it is important to just let the liquid heat until it is very steamy but not boiling. If the chocolate becomes overly hot when added to the liquid it will lose its sheen.

Stir the chocolate into the ganache. Do not use a whisk as it can make air bubbles making a smooth ganache difficult.

When folding the cream into the chocolates for the mousses, use a whisk and a folding motion - down, up and over, turning the bowl a quarter turn each time. It goes faster than using a spatula, deflating the cream less.

Any good quality semisweet chocolate is fine. My preference is Callebaut Semisweet callets #811. Although they look like chocolate chips they are pure chocolate.

Instant coffee of your choice can be used. Espresso should be cut in half. The coffee is used to enhance the chocolate and not as a discernible flavor.

Heavy cream is necessary for not only the taste but for the thickness to which it can be whipped.

The Bailey's Liqueur is used as a flavoring with the white chocolate. Small ¼ cup bottles can be found at liqueur and grocery stores. It is just enough for this recipe.

Real white chocolate, not compounds, should be used. If the ingredients on the label list cocoa butter it is real white chocolate. If there isn't it won't taste or act as will white chocolate.

Nutrition