Chocolate Mousse may well be the ultimate chocolate fix! Rich and creamy, yet light and fluffy, one pot is satisfying but always leaves me wanting more…….
This is a classic chocolate mousse made the proper French way, as served in fine dining restaurants. Less cream, more chocolate, a more intense chocolate flavour and a beautiful creamy mouth feel.
A classic, proper Chocolate Mousse recipe
I’ve never been 100% happy with the various chocolate mousse recipes I’ve tried in my lifetime. Not fluffy enough, not chocolatey enough, too sweet, grainy, etc etc. Many “easy” chocolate mousse recipes tend to use too much cream so the end result is more like custard, rather than aerated like real chocolate mousse should be.
Thus, when Chocolate Mousse was submitted by a reader as a Recipe Request, I had reason to focus and make it over and over again until it was exactly what I wanted.
Let me repeat: I had to make chocolate mousse over and over again for work purposes.
Life is tough, my friends. The sacrifices I make…. (she says sadly, shaking her head, thinking about the various body parts on which all that chocolate mousse appears to have ended up residing…)
What goes in chocolate mousse
Just FIVE ingredients, all good stuff we like: chocolate, cream, sugar, eggs and butter.
Chocolate
Make sure you use chocolate purchased from the baking aisle of grocery stores, not the confectionary aisle (ie eating chocolate). Chocolate intended for cooking is made especially so it melts smoothly and properly (unlike eating chocolate).
All types of chocolate can be used for chocolate mousse but I like using 70% cocoa dark chocolate (which is a bittersweet dark chocolate) because it has a good intense chocolate flavour, it’s not as sweet as milk chocolate and I don’t need to hunt down a gourmet store to find it because it’s sold at supermarkets.
Milk chocolate is more milky but you still get a great chocolate flavour. The higher the cocoa % (dark chocolate), the more chocolatey and less sweet it will be.
High quality bittersweet dark chocolate is what good restaurants typically use – not the stock standard. The quality of chocolate used by restaurants is not sold at grocery stores, you need to go to speciality stores and expect to pay upwards of $20/kg ($10/lb).
Eggs
Raw eggs are key for real chocolate mousse, the classic way to make it the way its served at fine dining restaurants. You will not achieve a result as good using a recipe that doesn’t use raw eggs, no matter what they promise. It’s just not possible to replicate the fluffy-yet-creamy texture with anything other than eggs whipped into a foam. Those “no egg” recipes will either be too dense, taste like whipped cream, or have a weird jelly-like texture.
Note on raw eggs concern
Raw eggs in food is more common than you think – and you’ve probably eaten it without even realising.
It is true that eating uncooked eggs carries a risk of salmonella food poisoning which is transmitted to the eggs via infected hens, but in this day and age, I do not consider it any greater risk than eating sushi.
This concern seems more prevalent in some regions around the world, most notably in the US and Canada, presumably because of the outbreak in 2010 which resulted in the recall of millions of eggs.
Raw eggs are used in a number of popular desserts including Tiramisu, it’s used in mayonnaise, the Japanese eat raw eggs on rice, the Koreans top Bibimbap with raw egg. And I don’t know about you but runny yolks is the only way I have fried eggs!
If you are concerned about eating raw eggs, you can used pasteurised eggs for this recipe. If you cannot find pasteurised eggs in stores, you can pasteurise eggs yourself at home if you have an accurate thermometer (have a read of this resource).
Note: raw eggs is not advisable for pregnant women and babies.
How to make chocolate mousse
The path to light and fluffy Chocolate Mousse involves just a few key steps:
Beat egg whites and sugar until foamy;
Soft peaks – it should be foamy but have SOFT peaks that flop at the top – as pictured above – not standing upright (“firm peaks”);
Whip cream;
Fold together cream and egg yolks;
Fold in melted chocolate;
Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture. Don’t beat furiously – that’s the sure fire way to a pot of liquid chocolate!
Spoon into individual pots or a larger dish, chill until firm.
The recipe video is super helpful to see the consistency of the egg whites and cream, as well as how to fold the ingredients into each other.
I chose to make little pots (using whisky glasses!) but you can make one dish if you prefer, then scoop out to serve.
First timers – never fear!
If you’re a chocolate mousse first timer and are concerned about deflation because you’re taking your time with the steps, don’t be worried! When I film recipe videos, I’m always faffing around with camera set ups and batting away a certain giant dog who is always sprawled where I want the tripod to be.
So it probably took me 3 times longer than it usually does to get the mousse in the fridge so I was quite concerned about deflation of the egg whites and cream.
But it was fine! The chocolate mousse came out exactly the same as it always has. Fluffy, chocolate perfection, as show in the photo above! – Nagi x
PS More ways to get a serious Chocolate fix: Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting or Ganache and Chocolate Mirror Glaze, Chocolate Cream Pie and BROWNIES!
Chocolate Mousse
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 3 eggs (~55g/2 oz each)
- 125g / 4.5 oz dark cooking chocolate , bittersweet / 70% cocoa (Note 1)
- 10g / 0.3 oz unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup cream , full fat (Note 2)
- 3 tbsp caster sugar (superfine white sugar)
Decorations:
- More whipped cream
- Chocolate shavings (Note 3)
Instructions
- For reliable results, work at a steady pace so your whipped egg whites and cream do not get too warm!
- Separate eggs and yolks while eggs are cold. Place whites in a large bowl and yolks in a small bowl. Leave whites while you prepare other ingredients. (Note 4)
- Yolks: Whisk yolks until uniform.
- Melt chocolate and butter: Break chocolate into pieces and place in a microwave-proof bowl with the butter. Melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until smooth. (Stir in optional flavourings at this point, but read Note 6 first). Set aside to cool slightly while you proceed with other steps.
- Whip cream: Beat cream until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-whip (see video).
- Whip whites: Add sugar. Beat whites until firm peaks form (see video, Note 5)
Fold together all ingredients:
- Fold egg yolks into cream using a rubber spatula – 8 folds max. Some streaks is fine.
- Check chocolate temperature: The chocolate should still be runny but warm (min 35C / 95F; ideal 40C / 104F). If too cool or thick, microwave in burst of 5 seconds at a time until runny.
- Pour chocolate into cream yolk mixture. Fold through – 8 folds max. Some streaks here are ok.
- Add 1/4 of beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture. Fold through until incorporated – "smear" the spatular across surface to blend white lumps in – aim for 10 folds.
- Pour chocolate mixture into egg whites. Fold through until incorporated and no more white lumps remain – aim for 12 folds max, but ensure there are no obvious egg white patches.
- Divide mixture between 4 small glasses or pots. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
- To serve, garnish with cream and chocolate shavings. Raspberries and a tiny sprig of mint for colour would also be lovely!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Back at the beach with his mates! Under strict instructions to take it easy* and ease back into it. Unfortunately, he doesn’t understand what “taking it easy” means…..
* Post knee op a few months ago. According to Dozer, he was back to 100% the week after surgery, but the doc says no! It will be months! 😂
Making this for the 2nd time serving for my Easter Sunday lunch doubled recipe. Really good recipe light and lovely with the dark choc as not sickly sweet.
I used cooking chocolate (Plaistiowe, topped up with some belcolade because I doubled the recipe) but it still turned out grainy 😞 any ideas why?
My first time making Mousse, I upscaled to 8 serves for a dinner party … I always trust Nagis recipes and I was not disappointed !! Hubby can be a harsh critic and he is a great cook, but he told me it was good ✔️ so I am very happy. Thanks Nagi. My son has asked me to print the recipe for him too so that’s another tick ✔️it was super easy and even though I worried I just watched the video twice and followed the instructions, doing things in my own order. It was perfect 🙏🙏
Thanks for this! I made one slight adjustment, I added salt and vanilla to the whipped cream. It’s much safer and easier than trying to add it to the butter and chocolate. I don’t have the slightest clue how on earth you manage to incorporate this stuff in just 8 folds. After 8 I didn’t have streaks of whipped cream in my egg yolks, I had entire Islands of cream in a sea of yolk. Same with the chocolate, it took twice as many spatula strokes to incorporate. But it still turned out great, in fact the final mousse looked more stiff than yours does in the video.
It turned out fantastic! It’s just for my boyfriend and I so I didn’t make it all pretty, just plopped it into ramekins. But it was so dreamy. Good tip on using good quality baking chocolate, a recipe like this lives or dies on the quality of your chocolate. Hershey’s ain’t gonna cut it.
This looks so yummy.
One question: at the moment I have only unsweetened chocolate POWDER for cooking from Trader Joe’s. Would that be sufficient? Or does it have to be that 70+% baking chocolate bar. Thank you.
I don’t think cocoa/chocolate powder in substitute for real chocolate would work at all
The best chocolate mousse recipe ever! It’s so easy to make and tastes absolutely divine. You have to try it! Ciao from Italy!
Yummy! It’s quite sweet (which makes sense because it’s a dessert!) so I think it really needs the cream and maybe raspberries to offset that but it’s a delicious chocolate mousse!
This was lovely. However the mousse ended up with choc bits in it where the melted chocolate must have hardened in bits once mixed in and put in the fridge. Maybe it wasn’t the stated temp when I added it in? Everyone enjoyed the added bits but would like to try again to get a smooth consistent
Thanks for the recipe. It was awesome!
I used it to frost a cake. I used a mix of chocolates I had on hand, unsweetened chocolate, Hershey chocolate bars, semi-sweet chocolate chips and some cocoa powder since those were so sweet. It’s not something that had much form or that you could make details with in case you wonder.
This dessert is so heavenly! The lightly whipped mousse and flavor is everything! I finally mustered up the strength to make it and so glad I did. Five star quality! Thank you!
Great recipe. I’ve made it times now. Just two asks, Can you include imperial measurements/ tbs or tsps, since it’s less than 1 tbsp, for the butter? Because in the U.S. that’s how it’s measured on the stick. And could you suggest the size of the bowl that each thing is done in so that the largest bowl is the one where we combine everything? I got it wrong by about 2 bowl sizes Thanks!
The whole world is metric except for the US so with respect, it’s a good thing to learn. Or just Google for a conversion like the rest of us ((ironically, US recipes very seldom convert) Another great option is to buy a set of kitchen scales. They measure in grams and ounces and, truly, once you get used to them you’ll wonder how you lived without them.
This is absolutely delicious and easy enough for someone like me who isn’t a whizz in the kitchen. I will definitely make again! Yummy
Fantastic recipe! SO easy to make and foolproof! And of course super yummy! I did not have castor sugar, so I used regular sugar and it turned out perfect.
So delicious! I misread the instructions the first time I made it, but it was still so yummy. Second time I used it as a filling in a devil’s food cake and it was phenomenal!
At last! Perfect real mousse without horrible gelatin. Made with Valhrona choc it is unbeatable. Even worthy of my special merengue mixing copper
Amazing recipe! My first time trying out chocolate mousse, and it turned out to be an absolute blast! Everyone loved it.
I highly recommend adding a teaspoon of instant coffee when melting the chocolate to intensify the chocolate flavor of the mousse and take it to the next level 😋
I’m 12 years old and just made this for my mom for Mother’s Day. I do cook and bake a lot but it was super easy. It tasted great and she loved it. If you are wondering whether to make this or not, make it! It’s actually the best mousse ever and you won’t regret it!
Working from home today so I secretly made this for my husbands birthday tomorrow and hid it in the back fridge, Watch the video before making this as you do need to work fast and timing is everything. Tastes delicious.
Sorry, forgot to leave a 5 star rating!!!
Hi Nagi! Made this mousse yesterday as a trial run for a party. It was fabulous and SOOOO easy!! Thank you, you are great and so are your recipes!!