As a professional baker, I’ve made some pretty complicated desserts—fancy cakes that would have been formidable projects without my years of baking experience and a kitchen full of specialty tools.  

And yet, I firmly believe that spectacular homemade desserts should be within reach of any enthusiastic home baker, regardless of the person’s baking expertise. With that in mind, I set out to create a drop-dead delicious chocolate mousse cake that any avid home cook can make. This cake doesn’t require any special equipment, and you can bake, assemble, and decorate it over the course of several days. I’m giving three options for dressing it up; review the instructions to decide which is right for you. Beginners might want to stick with the simple, clean look of chopped nuts on the sides, but many cooks will find the next choice—chocolate shavings and curls—to be much easier than it looks. If you’re a baking pro, you might want to tackle the dramatic chocolate bands with white chocolate curls. Whichever way you go, the cake will be delicious, your guests will be thrilled, and you’ll feel like a genius.

Watch the video

Think that fancy chocolate band is impossible? Watch our how-to video and you’ll be decorating like a pro in no time.