Chocolate Mousse

A traditional chocolate mousse is served in fine restaurants and deserves its honored place on a French menu. It’s creamy, fluffy, and chocolaty (intensely chocolaty). And it offers a rich, velvety mouthfeel for truly comforting food.

Contents… What is Mousse? What Chocolate is Best for Mousse? Recipe Ingredients Ingredient Substitutes Tips & Tricks for a Perfect Mousse What Goes Well with Chocolate Mousse? More Easy Sweets to Try How to Make Chocolate Mouse Watch How To Make It

This luxurious chocolate mousse will satisfy the most intense chocolate craving. Just one cup of this decadent dessert is all you need to put a smile on your face.

After trying out several recipes, I decided on this practically foolproof recipe. I especially love the kiss of coffee in this one.

You can use pretty juice glasses, martini glasses, champagne flutes, small bowls, or espresso cups to serve mousse. Please make sure you have time to let it chill a couple of hours (minimum) before serving.

Because chocolate mousse is so simple with few ingredients, and chocolate is the star, it’s essential to use high-quality chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate makes my favorite mousse. 

Remember that the French word mousse means foam. Not pudding, not gelatin, not custard, foam. Light, airy, and foamy is so much easier than you think. I mean, with chocolate, cream, sugar, eggs, and butter, how can you go wrong?

What is Mousse?

No, it’s not the colossal animal that wanders around in the frigid north of Canada and the northern States. And it’s not the tiny creature that gets in the house and eats your cheese. It is a French word that means foam.

This wonderfully light, foamy, and mouthwatering concoction made from eggs and cream beaten into light fluff can be sweet or savory. My favorite way to make it is chocolate, of course.

What Chocolate is Best for Mousse?

My personal favorite is dark chocolate at least 70%, if not 80-90%. Don’t worry about it being too bitter because the eggs and cream will bring it down to an intense and pleasurable experience that will have you drooling in no time.

I have included milk chocolate in this recipe to accommodate a broader range of tastes, but feel free to use all bittersweet chocolate.

Recipe Ingredients

• Cold heavy whipping cream – cold because that will get it to whip up better. This is half of the fluff in a mousse. The other half comes from the eggs.
• Bittersweet chocolate gives that intense chocolaty flavor.
• Milk chocolate gives it a little more smoothness, but if you want pure bittersweet chocolate, go for it.
• Unsalted butter adds creaminess in a way that only a good-quality fat can. Butter is sooo good.
• Instant coffee gives the chocolate mousse an added spark of flavor. Chocolate and coffee seem to have been made for each other.
• Vanilla extract amps up the flavor profile, especially in chocolate desserts. And you can make it even better by making your own super simple homemade vanilla extract.
• Eggs are one of the five essential ingredients in mousse and are required for the light, fluffy texture.
• Sugar sweetens up everything.

Ingredient Substitutes

The list of essential ingredients for this recipe is so short that, for the best results, the only ingredient I can recommend using as an alternative is chocolate.

Feel free to use your favorite, whether it’s milk chocolate, semisweet, or bittersweet. You can also have fun playing with different flavors of chocolate—orange chocolate, raspberry chocolate, or whatever flavor you like.

Tips & Tricks for a Perfect Mousse

• The best chocolate makes the best mousse. Since this recipe has so few ingredients, it’s worth the effort to make sure they’re high quality. So don’t scrimp on quality for the main ingredient.
• Clean equipment. The slightest bit of oil can keep your egg whites from whipping up perfectly, so make sure your bowl and beaters are ultra-clean.
• Whip the eggs to the right point, soft peak. More than that, and it will be hard to fold in the chocolate. (Note: separate cold eggs, but let them come to room temperature before whipping.)
• Note on raw eggs.We eat raw eggs more than we may realize. I’ve never had a problem with them, but I’m also careful to use clean, fresh eggs and eat this yummy dessert up the same day I make it. If you have a compromised immune system, are pregnant, are very young, or are very old, you may be better off getting pasteurized eggs.
• Melting the chocolate. This job needs to be done gently. It’s amazing how easy it is to burn the chocolate. I use the microwave to make it easier. However, you can use a double-boiler or a metal mixing bowl set on top of a pan of boiling water. Just make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the mixing bowl.
• Folding it all together. This is the time to be especially gentle. Carefully fold the whipped cream and eggs together, so they don’t deflate.

What Goes Well with Chocolate Mousse?

My first reaction is a pot of coffee. My second reaction is a big spoonful of homemade whipped cream on the mousse and in the coffee😉. I do like something crunchy with my smooth and creamy, so shortbread cookies are a nice treat.

More Easy Sweets to Try

• Sweet Potato Pie – This classic holiday dessert is super easy, making it perfect even when it’s not a holiday.
• Coconut Sweet Bread – A tropical version of holiday fruit bread touting grated coconut, dried fruit, and a secret ingredient for a rich and buttery sweet-tooth craving-satisfier.
• Chocolate Molten Lava Cake – Do you need a chocolate fix in 20 minutes or less? This is the one.
• Egg Custard Pie – This simple egg custard in a flaky pie crust is as easy as… well… as easy as pie.

How to Make Chocolate Mousse

Separate & beat eggs

• Separate egg whites from yolk and place in two bowls. (Photo 1)
• Whisk the yolks – Add half of the sugar to the eggs yolks and whisk for about 4-5 minutes or until the mixture is pale and foamy, and a ribbon forms when you lift the whisk. Set aside. (Photo 2)

The chocolate base

• Prepare the chocolate – Place chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes in 30-second intervals, stirring each time before returning to the microwave until fully melted. (Photos 3 & 4)
• Add coffee granules and vanilla extract and stir until completely smooth. Set aside to cool. (Photos 5 & 6)

Beat the egg whites and cream

• Beat egg whites for about 2 minutes, then add in the rest of the sugar and continue beating until egg whites form peaks. Set aside. (Photos 7 & 8)

• Whip the cream – In a large bowl, beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. (Photo 9 & 10)
• Add the egg yolks – Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the cream until just combined. (Photo 11)

Put it all together

• Pour chocolate into the cream and egg yolk mixture and fold gently. Streaks are okay. (Photo 12 & 13)
• Add ½ of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture and fold gently. (Photos 14 & 15)
• Add in the rest of the eggs whites and gently fold them in until incorporated and there are no visible white lumps. (Photo 16)

• Chill out – Pipe or spoon the mousse into glasses, bowls, or pots. Refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours, preferably overnight. (Photos 17-20)

• Serve – When ready to serve, top with extra whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and raspberries if desired. (Photos 21-24)

Watch How To Make It

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