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! This looks amazing and would love to try it. However, I’m not able to find cooking chocolate in the local supermarket. Any tips for using 95% cacao chocolate (the best I can find)?
Hi Bruce, I would just add a little more sugar to counteract the bitterness of the chocolate – N x
AH-MAZING! Best mousse I’ve ever made.. from the taste to the texture, just beautiful. Although I will try the Cadbury Chocolate you use. I used the Aldi Dark Cooking Choc which was great.. just keen to try with a little more bitterness. Recipe was simple and easy to follow. Thank you!
Aldi chocolate is great as well! I’m so glad you loved it!
haha im making this with my gf rn and she folded the egg whites into the cream instead of the egg yolks lol, shes so silly ha
Doh! How did it turn out in the end Jack?
haha im making this with my gf rn and she folded the egg whites into the cream instead of the egg yolks lol, shes so silly haha
I put in some orange zest superb
Oh great idea!
Hi! Can I use white chocolate for this recipe? I want to make white chocolate mousse. Thank you!
I haven’t tried to be honest!
I’m looking at making these for a party. How long can they sit out of the fridge for?
Hi Tara, I serve these straight from the fridge, but I imagine they would be fine out of the fridge up to half an hour as long at it’s not too warm on the day – N x
Thank you! And will piping the mixture affect it at all?
Made this today and it was perfect! Hubby is not a chocolate fan though so I was wondering about using fruit purée instead. Would that work? I’ve looked for fruit flavoured mousse recipes but they all use gelatin.
Hi Arminta, yes the chocolate is what sets the mousse, fruit flavoured ones will require gelatine to help them set – N x
Best Chocolate Mousse I have ever made
Woah thanks so much Lorena!
Hi, could this recipe be doubled, or even tripled? Or do you recommend making it one batch at a time?
Hi Stephanie, yes definitely – you can NEVER have enough Mousse! You should be fine to do it in one batch – N x
Hi Nagi, I often lurk around in this beautiful space you have created. We just tried this recipe today. Could only wait for 1 hour for the testing and it was sufficient for it to set. Your recipe is very forgiving. I used 140 gms of dark chocolate (because you know, 15 gms…). Then I forgot to whip the egg white with the sugar. I instead whipped the sugar with cream. But everything came together so well. It tastes fabulous. I am not a dessert person and dont really have a good dessert in my arsenal. This will be now my go to dessert when we have guests. Thank you!
Im so glad it worked out for you Sam!!
Hi Nagi,
I want to try to make this recipe this weekend. I wanted to know if I could chocolate shaving in the mixture?
Of course you can! I hope you love it!
Diviiiiiine!
I’ve failed a couple of times making a mousse cake before (over beat the cream), so your video was helpful when deciding when to stop beating the egg whites and cream.
I used eating chocolate, but put maybe 1/3 of the butter in the recipe, and it turned out deliiiish — not dense at all.
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I’m so glad it worked out for you Owee!! Wahoo!
The chocolate mousse recipe lured me and it sold me on your site. I love the detailed explanations of technique and why they work. Congrats on the visuals and layout, too
Thanks so much Margo!
Hi Nagi
I have made the chocolate mousse myself and I liked it a lot! It was very easy to make and the result impressed me. I’ve used brown chocolate instead of the dark chocolate because I don’t like dark chocolate, but the taste was still very good. I appreciate that you post this recipe in a very simple way. I know some people who struggle with making chocolate mousse, so I referred them to this post. My mom struggles a lot with it, so thank you for this post! Again, the recipe was very simple and the result was very tasty and good. In the future I would really like to try more of your recipes!
Konings Ansel
Thanks so so much – I’m so glad you love it!
I don’t know how you can answer all these questions and comments from all these different recipes !,!!!
You are like a Houdini , girl!!!
Would like to add some whiskey to these for Saint Paddy’s day !🍀☘️
how much can I get away with without making it runny?😘
Loving talking to my readers makes it easy Sarah! ☺️ I don’t usually add booze to my mousse, but if I did I would just stir in a little at a time and check the consistency as you go. As long as it doesn’t change much it will set fine. — N ♥
This choc mousse recipe is soooo good. I made them for the first time on Friday, doubled the recipe and it made 8 ramekins. They disappeared from the fridge that evening. I made them again Saturday but whipped 500ml of cream, put half in the mousse and half on the top, just made it quicker but they are so good people make a noise and their eyes roll back when they eat them. Thankyou
Glad your guests enjoyed it, Ash! 🙌 — Nxx
Hi there, my 13-year-old son and I made this together the other evening for a family dinner party. We enjoyed making it and loved the rich chocolate flavour! The instructions were really clear so thank you for that (!).
However, the consistency of the mousse had little lumps throughout… my only thought is that it could be the yolks, or maybe the butter. Any suggestions on what might have caused this? Thanks in advance!
The recipe tips and video are so helpful. With these even a novice is able to create a wonderful chocolate mousse. It worked for me and turned out superb! It was delicious, rich, creamy, light & fluffy. A special treat for the chocolate lover! Topped mine with fresh whipped cream flavored with coconut extract for a dark chocolate & coconut sensation. Thanks for the great how-to instructions!
Sounds divine Peggy, you nailed it!
Turned out fantastic, smooth and fluffy. Thank you very much for this easy recipe
Awesome Reena!