Indulge In Layers Of Chocolate Perfection With This Olive Garden Black Tie Mousse Cake Copycat Recipe

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"Black tie" on an invite means it's a dressy occasion, and Olive Garden's Black Tie Mousse Cake is certainly fancy-looking with its decorative swirls of glossy dark chocolate frosting. This dessert is so popular that Olive Garden doesn't just sell it by the slice, but offers whole cakes to go. You don't need to shell out big bucks for a party-worthy cake, though, since with a little time and effort — and with this copycat Olive Garden Black Tie Mousse Cake recipe from developer Patterson Watkins — you can make something that looks just as good and tastes even better.

As Watkins so aptly puts it, "This is one choco-coma-inducing cake!" Truly, there is so much chocolatey goodness going on here that it really is any chocolate lover's absolute dream come true. "We have a brownie base, we have a dark chocolate mousse layer, we have a white chocolate mousse layer, we have chocolate ganache, and we have chocolate frosting," Watkins says. "Oh! Can't forget the decorative white chocolate drizzle!" The cake may be black tie, but your dress code for eating it probably shouldn't be unless you're willing to risk chocolate stains on your tuxedo shirt. "The cake is fancy, so you don't have to be," says Watkins.

For the brownie base, you'll need a box of brownie mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and coffee. The filling ingredients include whipping cream, dark chocolate chips, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, white melting chocolate, and granulated sugar. You'll also need mini chocolate chips and a tub of chocolate frosting to finish things off.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Thoroughly spritz a springform pan with cooking spray.

Make the brownie base by placing the dry mix in a large bowl with eggs, oil, and coffee. Whisk to combine the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet to catch any batter drips.

Bake the brownie layer for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Once baked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely on a wire rack.

While the brownie base is cooling, place the heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use. (You'll use this whipped cream in both the dark chocolate and white chocolate layers of the cake.)

Once the brownie base has cooled completely, start making the dark chocolate layer. Place the dark chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and warm in 30 second intervals until melted.

Place softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk until fluffy.

Add the melted chocolate to the bowl and whisk until combined.

Add 1 heaping cup of whipped cream and gently stir until combined.

Transfer the mixture to the cooled brownie base and spread out evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Once cooled, start making the white chocolate layer. Place the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and warm in 30 second intervals until melted.

Place the softened cream cheese and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk until fluffy.

Add the melted white chocolate to the bowl and whisk until combined.

Add 1 heaping cup of whipped cream and gently stir until combined.

Dollop the mixture on top of the chocolate layer and spread out evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Once cooled, start making the ganache by warming the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer but be careful not to boil.

Place the chocolate chips in a large bowl, add the warmed cream, and stir until the chocolate has melted and a thick sauce forms.

Carefully remove the cooled cake from the springform pan and place it on a wire rack-lined baking sheet.

Pour the ganache over the cake, making sure the sides and top are completely covered. Smooth the ganache with a spatula.

For the topping, place the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and warm in 30 second intervals until melted. Drizzle the cake with the melted white chocolate.

Use a toothpick to create a marble pattern in the white chocolate and ganache.

Once the ganache has cooled (tacky to the touch), press the mini chocolate chips into the side of the cake.

Place the chocolate frosting in a piping bag fitted with a fluted tip and pipe the frosting around the top edge of the cake.

Place the cake in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour before slicing and serving.

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As Watkins readily admits, "This cake is definitely a labor of love." It's really quite manageable, though, especially if you prepare some of the different elements in advance. The brownie layer is the most forgiving one, since it can be refrigerated for days or frozen for weeks or even months. (If you choose the latter option, thaw it overnight in the fridge before preparing the rest of the cake.)

The chocolate ganache is also something that can be made ahead of time, since it will last for over a week in the refrigerator. You'll need to warm it up a bit before you start working with it, though. Either microwave it in thirty-second intervals until it melts, or heat it in a double boiler over simmering (but not boiling) water.

Both mousse layers do need to be prepped at the time of use, but they don't need to be made at the same time. You can always add the first layer to the brownie base, then refrigerate it and make the second layer the next day. The cake, once filled, can also be refrigerated overnight before you finish up with the ganache and decorations.

One way in which this recipe differs slightly from the Olive Garden Black Tie Mousse Cake is that it's built on a brownie layer instead of a cake layer. The reason is that brownie batter is thick enough to be baked in a two-piece springform pan without seeping out the bottom. The brownie layer is also sufficiently sturdy that it won't get soggy in the fridge once the fillings and toppings have been added. What's more, it also won't dry out as quickly as cake would.

If you really want a cake bottom instead of a brownie one, you can have one, but it'll require an extra step. The cake will need to be baked in a separate pan, then transferred to the springform pan before you assemble the dessert. Another way to change up the recipe would be to make homemade brownies or even blondies. You could also stir sour cream into the batter for extra-chewy brownies or add a few mix-ins like chopped nuts, crushed peppermints, or cayenne.

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