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! 😂
I’ve just made this, its truly delicious, haven’t even put in fridge yet, going to be a good evening!
Can I use baking margarine instead of butter and can this be made with a hand whisk if I don’t have the electric one?
This is a great recipe! Only one question–I had small slivers of chocolate throughout the mousse. Is that normal? Or did I not mix it quite well enough? Or was the chocolate not runny enough when I mixed it in? (It had definitely cooled a good bit and wasn’t as runny as when I removed it from the microwave but still flowed off the spoon well)
I read if the chocolate has cooled to much, when adding it to the cream, the cream causes the chocolate to start setting. Hope that helps, I’m just looking up why to use cooking chocolate instead of eating chocolate and found that, came to the comments for more help and thought I could help you out lol.
It sounds like it wasn’t fully melted when you added it! N x
It was definitely fully melted. But perhaps it had cooled too much. I’ll try again and try to make sure it is still warm enough to see if that’s it.
Hi Nagi,
Can these be made in a silicone mould?
Thanks!
I haven’t tried that Janu but if you do you might need to freeze them to unmold. N x
That’s awesome to know, thanks Nagi! I’ll watch for it!!
Hello,
Can I use ghirardelli baking chocolate for this recipe?
Hi Desiree – yes you could as long as it is 70 percent! N x
Perfect every time! I’ve made this a few times and even though once I slightly stuffed up the recipe, it still turned out beautifully! I have made many mousse recipes over the years and have never been happy… until now. Is there anything Nagi can’t do? 😍
I can’t reach the top shelves in my kitchen!! N x
Hi Nagi. This is a fabulous recipe! Could I turn it into a chocolate mousse cake by spooning the mousse over an appropriate crust?
I am working on a mousse cake in development now! That would be a chocolate mousse tart which would also be good! N x
Just made this and it’s delicious! It tastes like chocolate cake batter before you add the flour.
The only thing that’s missing here, that I added in, is a big pinch of salt. Chocolate tastes too flat without some salt.
Thanks for the simple, easy, and fun recipe!
Dear Nagi, I followed the recipe to a T but my chocolate did not mix well with the cream and caused it to not even give it a chocolate colour. Must the cream be room temperature or must the chocolate be cooler as I think that was the problem?
Hi Alida! Can I ask exactly what chocolate you used?? 🙂 N x
I made this exquisite recipe, it tasted amazing but I issue. I had grainy chunks of the chocolate even though I followed instructions to a T?? Any idea what happened Or more importantly how to avoid next time?
Hi Hilary – if the chocolate went grainy it means that some liquid got in it somehow – either steam or a drop of water on your spoon or spatula. You have to be careful that all of your equipment is dry when starting. N x
How many servings is the current recipe?
It makes 4 servings Dylan as it says at the top of the recipe. There is also a sliding scale if you need to make more or less. N x
I had a little trouble with the whipping the cream, it just took a long time. My chocolate did seize when I added amaretto liqueur (1 tbsp), but I fixed it by adding some cream, and it worked.
Also, I couldn’t find 70% cocoa, so bought one tablet of 100% cocoa, and one of 60% cocoa. Used half of each, and it’s very chocolatey.
Overall a very easy recipe. Thank you!
What size glasses or ramekins does this go in as it does make a difference to me
Hi Beth – I used a small juice glass, about 200ml. N x
Made this for dessert, Christmas Day. The second time I have made it. A great recipe that is so quick and easy to make. A nice light dessert after a full day of eating!
The instructions before recipe says egg whites should be soft peaks but the recipes says they should be firm. Which is it?
Thank You NAGI, for your wonderful Site; every time ive needed a fresh outlook, or recipe, and have dialled up google, up you pop with Great ideas. i have now bookmarked your site as a go to place of excellent cookery results.
i love that you show pics then give detailed recipe instructions – i am old school, so video is only something i do on tricky stuff, but your site is very well laid out to cater for us all – thank you and have a wonderful Xmas – i’ll be eating mousse this year!! lol
Good
Is there anything that can be substituted for caster sugar? It’s difficult to get near me and I won’t be able to get it in time to try out this recipe.
Superfine sugar will work and regular white sugar will work in a pinch. N x
Thanks
I made the mousse a couple of times and it turned out great. I was in a bit of a hurry yesterday and didn’t measure my butter and chocolate exactly. Today when I took it out of the fridge, there was water stuff that had separated near the base.
Was this because of the chocolate and butter? Is this still fit for consumption?
Will try some of your recipes and feedback