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Irish Chocolate Mousse Cake

posted by Liz Berg on March 10, 2019 (updated 11/14/23)

This no-bake Irish Chocolate Mousse Cake is made with ladyfingers and mousse infused with Irish Cream for your St. Patrick’s Day pleasure. Easy as can be!

A slosh of Irish cream passes a little luck o’ the Irish to your taste buds. Have you tried Irish cream before? It gives this Baileys Cake a touch of the Irish!

Irish Mousse Cake on a white ceramic cake stand.

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You Must Make

2 Ingredient Notes

3 Recipe Tips

4 Frequently Asked Questions

5 You May Also Like

6 Irish Chocolate Mousse Cake

Why You Must Make

Irish cream is a magical blend of cream, Irish whiskey, and chocolate. Perfect to add to your hot cup of coffee on a bitter winter’s night and just as sublime in chocolate or coffee desserts.
Try a bit to flavor your whipped cream—you’ll be swooning, I promise. This mousse is made of just a few simple ingredients, so use good quality products for the best results. It’s sinfully delicious!
Making mousse is simple! Butter and sugar are whipped until fluffy, then eggs and chocolate are mixed in along with the Irish Cream. I added two tablespoons, but you can be a little heavy-handed with your measurements if you’d like more of a kick.

And since you have that bottle handy, my family loved these Irish Cream Pots de Creme, too.

Ingredient Notes

Kitchen Staples – Sugar
Butter – Have at room temperature
Unsweetened Chocolate – I like Ghirardelli brand which can be found at most grocery store chains.
Soft Ladyfingers – I can find them at our Kroger grocery stores. Buy 2 packages, though you won’t need them all.
Eggs – Note that they will not be cooked as often is the case when making mousse. Do not serve this to the very young, very old, or immune-suppressed unless you use pasteurized eggs.
Irish Cream – I use Baileys
Sweetened Whipped Cream and Green Candies – Optional to garnish.

Overhead view of Irish Chocolate Mousse Cake.

Recipe Tips

Of all the fancy, schmancy desserts I make, this is one of the easiest. With a crust made of store-bought ladyfingers and an easy, homemade mousse to fill it, the hardest part of creating this dessert is washing the dishes!

Ladyfingers line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan. Start by lining the sides of the springform pan with ladyfingers standing up like soldiers. Next, fill the bottom of the pan with as many whole ladyfingers as will fit, and then cut pieces to tuck into any voids.
If you’d like, place an empty mixing bowl, slightly smaller than the inside of the crust, into the pan. It will help keep the ladyfingers in line as you make the mousse.
To make the mousse, make sure you start with room-temperature butter so it will blend well into the sugar.
Don’t worry if the mixture looks a bit curdled as once the chocolate becomes incorporated, eventually the mousse will become silky smooth. As always, I use one of my favorite kitchen tools, the offset spatula, to smooth out the top of the mousse.
If you have access to fresh eggs from a trusted source or pasteurized eggs, use those to prevent or minimize the chance of acquiring salmonella, a food borne illness that’s often associated with raw eggs.
PRO-Tip: If you don’t use pasteurized eggs (they’re hard for me to find locally!), use caution and don’t serve this dessert to the very young, elderly or anyone who is immune suppressed.
The raw eggs really do add a silkiness that’s hard to imitate with substitutions, though some of my Tuesdays with Dorie friends used plain Greek yogurt when we made our Marquise au Chocolat. I have not tested this recipe with yogurt.
You can also try to self-pasteurize your eggs at home.
This dessert can be flavored with other liqueurs if you don’t have Irish Cream on hand. I like Grand Marnier, Kahlua and Frangelico with chocolate. But for St. Patrick’s Day, go for Baileys.
If you’d prefer not to add any alcohol, I’d add a couple of teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Irish Chocolate Mousse Cake slice on a white ceramic plate with a garnish of whipped cream and a green candy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Mousse?

Mousse is a French term for foam or froth. Mousse is a light, airy rich dish that can be sweet or savory. Dessert mousses are usually made with whipped cream or eggs mixed with fruit purees or chocolate.

Is It Safe to Eat Mousse Made with Raw Eggs?

There is always a risk when eating uncooked eggs. They may contain salmonella bacteria which may cause food poisoning. Recipes with uncooked eggs should be avoided by the very young, very old, or anyone with a compromised immune system.

Pasteurized eggs used to be readily available in some grocery stores, but this product seems to be discontinued. See my recipe tips above for a link on how to pasteurize your eggs at home.