Drop of Disney

Happy Friday! This week, Mickey Mouse celebrated his 92nd birthday and I’m so excited celebrate with this special Mickey Mousse Cake! Inspired by the cakes from Amorette’s Patisserie in Disney Springs, this classic Mickey Mouse cake has a chocolate cake base, a white and dark chocolate mousse dome, and a shiny red mirror glaze. Topping it all off are two chocolate ears, a chocolate tail, yellow fondant buttons, and black fondant trim.

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When I visited Amorette’s Patisserie for the first time, I remember being surrounded by so many beautiful cakes and pastries. I loved seeing all of the different dome cakes that looked like Mickey and Minnie and wishing I could make that at home. Over the past couple of years, I’ve definitely learned more about baking and picked up some new skills, and after making a mirror glaze for my WALL-E Galaxy Cake and mousse domes for my Toy Story Mousse Cakes, I finally felt confident enough to put these techniques together and take a stab at these Mickey Mousse Cakes! These cakes are very much inspired by the ones at Amorette’s Patisseries and while they aren’t identical, they’re still pretty close.

Given the number of different elements and techniques involved in this recipe, I know it can feel overwhelming. But it is totally doable, just give yourself lots of time. I actually made these cakes over two days and spent the first day making the cake and the two mousses and the second day making the mirror glaze and decorations, and assembling the cakes.

Start by making the chocolate cake. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, and milk Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture in thirds, mixing with a spatula after each addition. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, filling about halfway. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

After the cake has cooled, use a serrated knife to trim the top of the cake off so that it’s flat and even. Then, cut the cake into rounds using a round cookie cutter that matches the size of your mousse mold. I used these dome mousse molds (the larger ones for the white chocolate mousse and the smaller ones for the dark chocolate mousse), which meant my cakes were about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. My cakes were a bit thick, so I decided to slice them in half so they were not as thick. Place the cake rounds in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.

Next, make the dark chocolate mousse. Place the chopped bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof and set aside. Combine the gelatin and cold water in a small bowl and stir until dissolved. Place the milk in a small saucepan and bring to just under a boil. Whisk in the gelatin mixture and then pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 30 seconds and then gently whisk until smooth.

Whip the heavy cream on medium high speed until it reaches soft peaks, about 5 minutes. I find it helpful to place the the bowl and beaters in the freezer for a couple minutes before beating. While the chocolate mixture is still warm, slowly pour it over the whipped cream, a little at a time, folding it in with a spatula. Scoop the mousse into the small dome molds and let set in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

After the dark chocolate mousse has set, start making the white chocolate mousse. Fist combine the gelatin powder and water in a small bowl, stirring until dissolved. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and salt. Set aside. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream, a little at a time, stirring until smooth and warm. Melt the gelatin mixture in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir into the chocolate mixture, whisking constantly. Continue whisking for 1 minute and then remove from the heat and place in the refrigerator until the mixture cools to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Whip the heavy cream on medium high speed until it reaches soft peaks. Whisk the cooled chocolate mixture briefly and then fold it into the whipped cream. Pour the mousse into the large dome molds, filling about 2/3 – 3/4 full. Pop the dark chocolate mousse domes out of their molds and gently press one into each white chocolate dome. Let the mousse set in the freezer for at least four hours.

After the mousse has set, prepare the the chocolate and fondant decorations. To make the chocolate ears and tails, place some cocoa candy melts into a disposable piping bag and melt in the microwave, checking and manipulating the bag every 30 seconds. Pipe round circles and tail shapes onto a piece of wax paper. Smooth with a spatula if needed. Let set.

To make the fondant decorations, first roll of some yellow fondant on a piece of wax paper. You can also dye some white fondant yellow using gel food coloring. Once the fondant is rolled out, use a sharp knife to cut out small ovals to make Mickey’s buttons. Next, take some black fondant and roll it into a rope that will fit around the diameter of your cakes. Place the fondant rope on a piece of wax paper and gently flatten it with a fondant roller or rolling pin. Trim the sides with a sharp knife so that they are straight. Repeat until you have enough for each cake. Set the decorations aside until you are ready to assemble.

After the mousse domes have set, prepare the mirror glaze. First, place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Make sure you’re using a white chocolate that has at least 30% cocoa butter. I used white chocolate pieces from Cacaoholic, which I purchased on Amazon. Next, combine the water, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and then remove from the heat.

Fill a large bowl with 8 cups of water. Place the gelatin sheets in the water and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove the gelatin sheets from the water, squeezing out any excess water. Add the gelatin sheets to the sugar mixture and stir until combined. Pour the sugar mixture over the chocolate and let sit for 2-3 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, Slowly blend the chocolate and the sugar mixture together. Make sure not to lift the blender too much as you’ll create excess air bubbles. Once combined, pour the mixture through a mesh sieve and into a large liquid measuring cup or other vertical container. If you have a lot of bubbles, you can also press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the mixture and then remove it to remove the bubbles. Gently stir in the desired amount of red gel food coloring, making sure the color is evenly distributed. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and let cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 90-96 F. Keep it covered until ready to assemble the cakes so that it doesn’t form a skin.

Now, prepare to assemble the cakes. First, place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Place the cake rounds onto the wire rack, and after carefully un-molding the mousse domes, place the one mousse dome on top of each cake round. When the glaze has reached the right temperature, pour it over the tops of the mousse domes, making sure all sides are covered. Repeat with additional coats as needed.

Wrap the black fondant trim around the bottom of each cake, covering the chocolate cake. Gently press two yellow ovals onto the front of the cake. Add two chocolate ears and one chocolate tail to the top of each cake, smooth side out.

Store cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy! Happy Birthday Mickey!

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Mickey Mousse Cakes

Inspired by the cakes at Amorette’s Patisserie, these Mickey Mousse Cakes have a chocolate cake base, white and dark chocolate mousse dome, and a white chocolate mirror glaze!

Course Dessert

Keyword Disney Springs, mickey, Mousse

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 2 hours

Rest Time 6 hours

Total Time 10 hours

Servings 6 cakes

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake Base

• 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• ⅔ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup whole milk

Dark Chocolate Mousse

• ½ tablespoon + ⅛ tablespoon unflavored gelatin powder
• ½ tablespoon cold water
• ½ cup whole milk
• 5.5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ¾ cup + 3 tablespoons cold heavy cream

White Chocolate Mousse

• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin powder
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 5 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• pinch salt
• 2 egg yolks
• ¾ cup cold heavy cream

Mirror Glaze

• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons water
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 7 ½ gelatin sheets
• 13 ounces white chocolate, over 30% cocoa butter, chopped
• red gel food coloring

Decorations

• yellow fondant
• black fondant
• chocolate candy melts
• Equipment
• medium dome silicone molds
• small dome silicone molds
• round cookie cutter, 2-½ – 3 inches
• immersion blender
• mesh sieve
• piping bag

Instructions

Chocolate Cake Base

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, and milk.
4. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture in thirds, mixing with a spatula after each addition.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, filling about halfway.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Using a serrated knife, trim the top of the cake off so that it’s flat and even. Then, cut the cake into rounds using a round cookie cutter that matches the size of your mousse mold (ex: 2 ½ to 3 inches in diameter). If the cake rounds seem too thick, cut them in half horizontally so they are about ½ inch thick.
9. Place cake rounds in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.

Dark Chocolate Mousse

1. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside.
2. Combine the gelatin and cold water in a small bowl and stir until dissolved.
3. Place the milk in a small saucepan and bring to just under a boil. Whisk in the gelatin mixture.
4. Pour the milk mixture over the chocolate and let it stand for 30 seconds. Gently whisk the mixture until it is smooth.
5. Whip the heavy cream on medium high speed until it reaches soft peaks, about 5 minutes.
6. While the chocolate mixture is still warm, slowly pour it over the whipped cream, a little at a time, folding it in with a spatula.
7. Scoop the mousse into the small dome molds and let set in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

White Chocolate Mousse

1. Combine the gelatin powder and water in a small bowl, stirring until dissolved. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and salt. Set aside.
3. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Add ¼ cup heavy cream, a little at time, stirring until smooth and warm.
4. Melt the gelatin mixture in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir into the chocolate mixture, whisking constantly.
5. Continue whisking for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and place in the refrigerator until the mixture comes to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
6. Whip the heavy cream on medium high speed until it reaches soft peaks.
7. Whisk the cooled chocolate mixture briefly and then fold it into the whipped cream.
8. Pour the mousse into the medium dome molds, filling ⅔ -¾ full.
9. Pop the dark chocolate mousse domes out of their molds and gently press one into each white chocolate mousse dome. Let set in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Decorations

1. To make the chocolate ears and tail: Place some chocolate candy melts into a piping bag and melt in the microwave, checking every 30 seconds. Pipe chocolate rounds and tails onto a piece of wax paper. Let set.
2. To make the fondant buttons: Roll out a piece of yellow fondant. Cut out ovals using a sharp knife. Place on a piece of wax paper and set aside.
3. To make the fondant trim: Take a medium sized piece of black fondant and roll it into a rope that will fit around the circumference of one cake. Place on a piece of wax paper and roll flat using a fondant roller or rolling pin. Trim the sides into straight lines using a sharp knife. Repeat so you have one piece of fondant trim for each cake.

Mirror Glaze

1. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine the water, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Boil for 1 minute and then remove from the heat.
3. Fill a large bowl with 8 cups of cold water. Place the gelatin sheets in the water and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove the gelatin sheets from the water, squeezing out any excess water.
4. Add the gelatin sheets to the sugar mixture and stir until combined.
5. Pour the sugar mixture over the chocolate and let it sit for 2-3 minutes.
6. Using an immersion blender, slowly blend the chocolate and the sugar mixture together. Make sure not to lift the blender and create excess air bubbles.
7. Once combined, pour the mixture through a sieve into a large liquid measuring cup or other vertical container to remove the air bubbles. If you have a lot of bubbles, you can also press a piece of plastic wrap on top of the mixture and then remove it.
8. Gently stir in the desired amount of red gel food coloring, making sure the color is evenly distributed.
9. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and let cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 90-96 degrees. Keep it covered until ready to assemble the cakes.

Assembly

1. Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
2. Place the cake rounds on top of the wire rack.
3. Carefully unmold the mousse domes and place one dome on top of each cake round.
4. When the mirror glaze has cooled to the right temperature, pour it over each dome making sure all sides are covered. Repeat with additional coats of mirror glaze as needed.
5. Wrap the black fondant trim around the bottom of each cake, covering the chocolate cake. Gently press two yellow ovals onto the front of the cake. Press two chocolate rounds and one chocolate tail into the top of the cake (smooth side out).

Recipe Notes

elements adapted from Dominique Ansel and Tasty