Chocolate cake is a sweet, rich sponge cake that you can fill with creamy fillings like coffee pastry cream, banana custard, raspberry mousse, orange or mint infused whipped cream that will mesmorize your taste buds!
Chocolate cake can be an overpowering flavor, therefore it’s best if you choose a strong flavored filling to balance out the flavors.
Espresso Mousse
Espresso mousse is a rich, coffee flavored chocolate cake filling.
Espresso mousse has a base of melted white chocolate infused into heavy cream.
Freshly brewed espresso is whipped into white chocolate mousse, giving it a light coffee flavor.
Espresso mousse is pipeable, and will create delicate designs using the star tip as shown below.
Orange Whipped Cream
Orange cream is a refreshing, citrusy cream filling that compliments chocolate cake well.
Softened cream cheese and heavy cream are beaten together to form the base of the cake filling.
Freshly squeezed orange juice, and orange zest are added to the whipped cream to infuse the invigorating orange flavor for the cake filling.
Orange whipped cream is a thick, creamy, citrusy filling for cakes.
Raspberry Mousse
Raspberry mousse is a fruity, light mousse that pairs well with chocolate cake.
Raspberry mousse is thick and firm, yet easily spreadable. Raspberry mousse holds it shape well, and looks vibrantly pink in between layers of chocolate cake.
Raspberry mousse is made by heating raspberries in a saucepan and adding sugar and water.
This creates a raspberry sauce.
The raspberry sauce is strained to remove the seeds of the raspberries, and only have the infused raspberry sauce left.
The gelatin is added to create a thickened texture.
The raspberry sauce is then adding to folded stiff peaks whipped cream and chilled to create a decadent raspberry mousse.
You can even opt for vegan raspberry mousse which involves using coconut milk instead of whipped cream.
Hazelnut Praline Cream
Hazelnut praline cream is a nutty, creamy filling for chocolate cake or vanilla cake.
Milk is heated in a saucepan over medium heat.
In a separate bowl, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and flour are whisked together.
Just before the milk begins to boil, temper the eggs by whisking the hot milk vigorously so as to not cook the eggs!!
After all of the milk has been added to the eggs, place the entire mixture back into the saucepan, and whisk until the custard has thickened.
Remove the custard from the heat source, and place a couple of cubes of butter in. Whisk until the butter has completely mixed into the custard. Cool the custard to room temperature.
Using a hand mixture, beat butter in a large bowl. Add hazelnut praline paste and beat together. Add in pastry cream slowly and beat into the butter hazelnut mixture.
Chill hazelnut praline cream prior to using it to assemble your cake.
Coffee Pastry Cream
Coffee pastry cream is a delicious espresso flavored cake filling that you can use in between layers of rich chocolate cake.
Half and half is heated in a saucepan with espresso powder to infuse the coffee flavor.
In a separate bowl, egg yolks, sugar, salt and cornstarch are whisked together.
Temper the eggs by added the hot half and half to the eggs slowly, and whisking vigorously.
Once all of the half and half is added to the eggs, place the entire mixture back in the saucepan and heat on medium heat.
Thicken the mixture until it becomes custard consistency. You’ll feel the resistance when the cornstarch becomes activated.
After the custard has thickened, it is removed from the heat source. Cubes of butter and vanilla bean paste are whisked in to finish off the coffee pastry cream cake filling.
Chill the pastry cream, and then it’ll be ready for you to assemble your cake.
Banana Custard
Banana pastry cream is a light custard filling you can use in between layers of creamy chocolate cake.
Milk is heated in a saucepan over medium heat until just before it begins to boil. Granulated sugar is added to the saucepan and set to low heat.
In another bowl, granulated sugar is whisked together with cornstarch and egg yolks.
Temper the eggs by slowly adding the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture and whisk vigorously.
Once all of the milk has been added to the eggs, it’s placed back into the saucepan and heated until the custard begins to thicken.
Banana cream is removed from the heat source, and then cubes of butter are melted into the custard.
Vanilla extract and mashed banana are whisked into the banana pastry cream and then it is set to cool.
Chill banana pastry cream in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble you cake.
Caramel Pastry Cream
Caramel pastry cream is a sweet custard with a hint of vanilla aroma.
Caramel is made by cooking sugar in a saucepan until it turns a golden amber color.
Caramel sauce is then infused into pastry cream to create this luscious custard filling for chocolate cake.
Mint Whipped Cream
Mint whipped cream pairs well in between layers of chocolate cake.
Heavy cream is whipped until soft peaks form. Powdered sugar is added and whipped together until stiff peaks form.
Peppermint extract and green food coloring is added at the end to flavor this minty, creamy cake filling. You could even added chocolate chips and fold them into the cream if desired.
Chocolate Pastry Cream
Chocolate pastry cream is a luscious, chocolate filling for chocolate cake.
Chocolate pastry cream is made heating milk with vanilla paste in a saucepan on low heat.
In a separate bowl, egg yolks are whisked together with sugar and cornstarch.
Temper the eggs by pouring the hot milk into the eggs slowly, and whisking vigorously. You do not want to cook the eggs!
Once all of the milk has been added to the eggs, place the entire mixture back in the saucepan, and heat on low heat to thicken the custard.
After the custard has thickened, add chopped dark chocolate to the custard.
Whisk until the chocolate completely melts into the pastry cream. Let the custard cool, and then chill in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble your cake.
Irish Cream Filling
Irish cream cake filling has a hint of whiskey flavor infused into whipped cream.
Whipped cream is beaten until soft peaks form. Powdered sugar is added and beaten into the whipped cream for a sweetened cake filling.
Irish cream is slowly added to the whipped cream. Taste test to see how you like the flavor before adding more.
When the Irish cream filling becomes a frosting consistency, you can use it to fill in between cake layers, and frost the outside of your cake.
Mascarpone Filling
Mascarpone filling is a thick, tangy filling for cakes.
Mascarpone filling pairs well with compote or raspberry puree for a double cake filling in between layers of chocolate cake.
Heavy cream is whipped together with icing sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form.
Mascarpone cheese is added into the cake filling, and whipped until stiff peaks form.
Mascarpone filling is ready to use to assemble your cake, or you can chill it until you’re ready to use it.
Dulce de Leche Cream
Dulce de leche cream is a caramel flavored whipped cream.
Dulce de leche is added to whipped butter to make the base of the cream.
Whipped cream is whipped until soft peaks form, and then is folded into the dulce de leche butter mixture.
Dulce de leche cream is a caramel cream filling you can use on chocolate cake.
Blackberry Mousse
Blackberry mousse is a light fruity mousse that goes well in between layers of chocolate cake. .
Blackberry mousse is made by adding pureed blackberries and hot water in a blender and mixing together.
The blackberries must be strained and then the remaining blackberry sauce is cooked to thicken it into a puree.
Gelatin is bloomed in a bit of water, and microwaved together.
Heated gelatin is added to blackberry puree and and whisked together.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, heavy cream is whipped with vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
Fold blackberry puree with gelatin into the whipped cream and chill until you’re ready to serve.
Whipped Cream
Whipped cream is a thick, creamy filling for cakes. Typically whipped cream is one of cake fillings, and is paired with a syrup or fruity filling as well.
For example, black forest cake has a whipped cream filling, and a cherry filling in between the cake layers.
Honey Mousse
Honey mousse is a sweetened creamy filling for chocolate cake.
Honey mousse is made by mixing butter, egg yolks, honey, and white chocolate over medium heat in a saucepan. After the chocolate has completely melted, it is placed in a heat proof bowl.
Bloomed gelatin is warmed, and then slowly whisked into the honey mixture, and then it is let to cool to room temperature.
Heavy cream is beat until soft peaks form, and then it’s folded into the honey chocolate mixture.
Egg whites are beaten until soft peaks form, and then folded into the honey cream mixture to make honey mousse.
Honey mousse needs to chill for a few hours prior to serving.
Once combined and thickened, the rest of the whipping cream and be beaten until stiff peaks form and folded into the honey mixture to create honey mousse.
