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! 😂
Hi Nagi! I made this mousse for the first time last week (in fact, the first time I’ve made mousse from scratch!) and it turned out AMAZING! So tasty! I loved it so much I am about to make more! thank you 🙂
It was as easy as pie, actually, even easier!! I used cooking cream instead of pudding cream so i had to go and buy the pudding one, but that was my only struggle! It’s finger-licking delicious, and super easy!!
I made this today with both dark compound (Beryl’s compound coins) and white compound (Van Houten white buttons) chocolate, unfortunately I got clumps of chocolate in both, so the final texture was not smooth at all. Was wondering what I could do to prevent this in the future? My chocolate was lukewarm and slightly runny (like lava). Thanks in advance, Nagi!
Hi Kate, sorry you’re having issues here, clumping can happen when the chocolate is too warm and then cools too quickly when it’s added to the cream/eggs. Were these too cold possibly? N x
I’ve made this recipe as a filling for a cake multiple times (chill in a cake pan the same size, lined with Saran Wrap and then simply transfer to the top of your first layer). This recipe is unbeatable and I had a hard time finding it this time-I almost panicked but stayed calm, kept scrolling and I found it. I’m not letting this baby get away again. She’s bookmarked now.
I made the chocolate mousse and the taste was great, but for some reason the chocolate became grainy (turned into little pieces of hardened chocolate) when the mousse chilled in the fridge. I did use semi-sweet baking chocolate. It was smooth when I mixed it together. Do you have any idea what I did wrong? I rarely bake/cook with chocolate so I am not that experienced with chocolate.
Mine did this today. First time using the receipt. For me I am 100% sure it was the brand of Chocolate I used.
Same thing happened to me 🙁 the morning was fine then I ate one in the afternoon and it wasn’t as nice it was more like clumps of chocolate
Can I use heavy cream instead of cream?
Easy enough to make even in a hurry. I added a tsp of vanilla to the ganache before mixing with cream-egg yolk mixture. I used the entire portion to top a chocolate cake (26mm with good for 12 slices), topped with choco dipped strawberries and sprinkled with sucre glace (powdered sugar), It was just the right amount of sweetness. Everybody loved it!
This was the first time I attempted to make this and ofcourse I made a couple of mistakes along the way but the taste was fab!! 🙂
I made this today and it turned out great! I used a small sieve to strain the egg yolks before incorporating so there weren’t any clumps and it really made a difference
How do I make this recipe for 30 people?
I want to make this recipe for 30 people at a dinner party. Should I just times ingredient by 7? And then what about the amount of folds as the mixture would be so much larger? Also I want to put it all in one large dish rather than many small ones, would that still work?
Hands down the best mousse I’ve ever made! So deliciously light and chocolaty.
Thank you for including the max number of folds when mixing the various elements together, as I have a tendency to overmix. Definitely a keeper.
Wahoo, sounds like you nailed it Danielle!! N x
Loved the recipe just like all your recipes. Super easy to whip and done in 10 minutes. I used lindt excellence chocolate. I might reduce sugar a bit next time just because I don’t have a sweet tooth.
Made this for a dinner party and it turned out EXACTLY as promised. Dead impressed at how easy it was. I love I could check back on your video too. I recommend your site to everyone who is a foodie!!
WOOT!!! Awesome Elena! N x
Love this! Can’t wait to try out!! I was wondering, can I swap dark choc for white chocolate?
Good question! I’d like to know too!
Can you use semi sweet baking chocolate?
Hi Morgie, I feel like it would make the mousse very sweet so I prefer dark chocolate here. N x
Can I use lindt excellence 70% cocoa dark chocolate from the eating chocolate aisle. I can’ find bittersweet in the baking aisle
Hiya. This was lovely tasting in the end but my chocolate seized. It never got to the pouring stage – just went hard and grainy. Any suggestions/tips please?
Add a tbsp of coconut oil or vegetable oil while the chocolate is still pretty warm. Then just stir it up until the grainy clumps are smooth and glossy. Not sure if that will incorporate into this particular recipe but for most melting mishaps this is the answer.
Hi Jak! It sounds to me like you used eating chocolate not baking chocolate? That’s what usually happens to eating chocolate, I’m sorry to say! N x
I am wondering if you have tried matcha mousse before (pure match mousse without white chocolate as a base). If so, do you have a recipe?
Hi Jo – I don’t have a recipe but pop a request on my recipe request page if you like! N x
Love this recipe! It turned out great the first time I did it, thanks so much for your tips! Can this recipe be used for a white chocolate mouse instead?
My husband loved this so much he couldn’t stop moaning with every spoonful. I have to agree, it was heavenly. I added a little espresso powder which took it up a notch. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you!
Sounds fabulous Pamela!! N x