Better Than Costco Tuxedo Cake Recipe (2024)

This recipe is the exact same four layers as the Costco Tuxedo Cake, but homemade! You can make this cake with wholesome ingredients excluding unnecessary preservatives and additives that spoil desserts! When you shop, purchase real buttermilk and cream, pure vanilla extract and well sourced cocoa powder. The difference that quality ingredients make is well worth it.

Although it may seem overwhelming with the four layers and many steps to assemble the cake, I tried to keep them short and basic so that you can easily move from step to step. Once you have made this cake once and are familiar with the steps, you will see that it is not a tricky cake after all. I think this is a cake recipe for the books.

The name of the cake is called “tuxedo” because of the black and white layers, like that of a traditional tuxedo or suit.

The Costco four layer cake skips out on the vanilla cake, which makes it easier when baking at home since you only need to mix and bake one type of cake layer. The cake is kept moist with the flavour filled two chocolate mouse layers: regular chocolate and white mouse.

Tools You May Need

5 Mixing bowls (x2 Small, x2 Medium, Large)

Double Boiler (I use a small pot and my regular glass mixing bowsl)

Kitchen Scale or Measuring Cups

Measuring spoons

Hand mixer or Stand Mixer

2 Cake Pans (8 inch worked well for me)

1 Bread Loaf Pan (9 x 5 inch worked well for me)

Whisk

Spatula

Small Pot

Cake Mold (I used an oven dish the same size as my cake pans)

Cling Wrap (also called Glad wrap)

Step-By-Step Costco Tuxedo Cake Recipe

Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease x 2 cake pans (8 inch pans work well). In a MEDIUM bowl, mix dry ingredients together.

In a LARGE bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract, and then whisk in the oil and sour cream until combined.

Fold in HALF of the dry ingredients, then fold in the buttermilk and coffee. Then fold in the OTHER HALF of the dry ingredients.

Pour batter into cake pans and bake for 35 minutes (or until a fork comes out clean without any batter attached).

Remove the cake pans from the oven and let them rest for a few minutes. Extract cakes from pans and let them cool.

Brownie

Layer parchment paper into bread pan.

In a MEDIUM bowl, mix dry ingredients together. In SMALL bowl, melt the chocolate and butter together on a double boiler on your stovetop.

In a LARGE bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars and vanilla until it’s fluffy. Once the chocolate is melted, whisk into egg mixture (LARGE BOWL) until it is thick. Then fold in there dry ingredients.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes (or until a fork comes out clean without any batter attached).Once cool, dice into 2-3 inch squares.

Chocolate Mousse

In the SMALL bowl, melt the chocolate and butter on a double boiler on your stovetop

Separate egg whites from egg yolks.

Ready 3 mixing bowls for the next steps (preparing your egg whites, cream, and egg yolks mix)

In BOWL 1 (medium), whip the EGG WHITES, cream of tartar and salt until it reaches stiff peaks. Mix in HALF of the sugar as you whip the egg whites.

For BOWL 2 (small), whip the CREAM until it reaches stiff peaks.

Then in BOWL 3 (medium), whisk the EGG YOLKS + OTHER HALF OF SUGAR and vanilla extract over a double boiler on your stovetop

Still on the stovetop with the heat turned down to low, fold in the egg whites mixture (into the egg yolk mixture on the stove). Then fold in the cream until just combined.

Construction of Cake

Layer a oven dish with cling wrap (or Glad wrap) carefully to ensure the entire base and sides are covered well. If you have a cake mold, you don’t need to do this step.

Start with a cake layer at the bottom, then sprinkle the brownie pieces on top.

Pour over the chocolate mouse and place cake in fridge to cool for 1 hour.

White Chocolate Mousse

Ready 3 bowls for the next steps (preparing the heavy cream, cream cheese and chocolate).

In your BOWL 1 (small), mix the HEAVY CREAM until it has stiff peaks. My handheld mixer is at full speed for this step.

For the BOWL 2 (medium), whip the CREAM CHEESE until its fluffy.

Then in BOWL 3 (small), melt the chocolate and butter on a double boiler on your stovetop.

Whisk the chocolate into the cream cheese until combined. Add the vanilla extract and then fold in the heavy cream until combined.

Pour the white chocolate mousse over the chocolate mousse layer and then layer the second cake on top. Return to fridge and cool overnight (or at least 8 hours).

Chocolate Ganache

You have come thus far!!

Remove the cake from the mold by pulling upward on the cling wrap carefully and place cake on a cake plate.

In a small bowl, melt the chocolate and heavy cream on a double boiler on your stovetop to make th ganache.

Next, pour the ganache onto the cake beginning in the centre (it will flow slightly outward). You can use a cake spatula to smooth out the ganache layer.

I have stored the cake in fridge for up 2 weeks!

My Favourite Kitchen Appliances

Tuxedo Cake Recipe

Finally, the long awaited Tuxedo Cake Recipe. If you make this recipe, please come back and give this recipe a rating!

Tips for Making Tuxedo Cake

1. Where you can, use a volume scale: this will make measuring the ingredients much quicker and save you form having to wash your measuring cups and spoons every time!
2. Buy wholesome ingredients: this makes the difference between a good tasting cake and a great tasting cake! And you want to benefit from the true taste of this tuxedo cake recipe, so choose to use the “real” stuff.
3. Sift old dry ingredients: I’ve used an older batch of cocoa before that had some clumps in it, and these did not mix well into the cake batter. I recommend that you sift ingredients like this if they’ve been on your shelf for some time.

Master List of Ingredients

If you need to check if you have all the ingredients or need to go grocery store:

Flour – 396ml

Cocao – 205ml

Baking Powder – 10ml

Baking Soda – 375ml

Salt – 8.75ml

Cinnamon – 6.25ml

Butter – 230ml

Espresso – 8.75ml

Sugar – 578ml

Vanilla – 12.5ml

Sunflower Oil – 30ml

Sour Cream – 30ml

Buttermilk – 180ml

Strong Coffee – 80ml

Bittersweet Chocolates – 270ml

White Chocolates – 90ml

Light Brown Sugar – 60ml

6 Eggs

Cream of Tartar – 1/8 tsp

Heavy Cream 223ml

Pin the Tuxedo Chocolate Mousse Cake

Happy baking and celebrating!!