Lucky you: We’re sharing December’s BA Bake Club drop early so you can get started on holiday planning right…now!

For members of Bon Appétit Bake Club, every month is filled with special treats, but the holiday season calls for something bigger, grander, even more spectacular. This Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake ticks every box. And it’s just enough of a challenge to ensure you feel accomplished. The one-bowl chocolate cake is dense and deeply fudgy; the mousse is airy and light; and the thin slip of ganache on top brings it all together. No matter what kind of year you’ve had, this dessert is the way to cap it all off. Here’s how to make it:

1-2-3 mousse

This mousse has three foundational pastry techniques hidden in plain sight. It starts with a crème anglaise , a lusciously pourable custard. Adding that to a bowl of chopped chocolate yields a crémeux, a velvety and dense emulsified custard. Folding in whipped cream finally turns it into a fluffy mousse .…