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 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.
We (the RecipeTin Family) tried this with various types of chocolate – bittersweet dark chocolate / 60 to 70% cocoa dark (best at supermarket plus from speciality store), standard dark and milk chocolate chips (semi-sweet in US/CAN), usually around 30% cocoa.
The darker the chocolate (ie higher cocoa %) = more intense chocolatey flavour and high quality bittersweet dark chocolate is what good restaurants typically use.
But even milk chocolate is lovely in this recipe. Chocolatey enough – I think partly because this chocolate mousse recipe uses less sugar than many. I would happily serve milk chocolate mousse to company.
All types of chocolate are great and it comes down to personal taste. I typically use 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.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
The path to light and fluffy Chocolate Mousse involves just a few key steps:
- Melt chocolate with a bit of butter;
- Beat egg whites and cream until firm;
- Fold the ingredients into each other. 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.
Note on RAW EGG concerns: Classic chocolate mousse is made with raw eggs. It is true that eating uncooked eggs carries a risk of salmonella food poisoning which is transmitted to the eggs via infected hens.
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.
In Europe, raw eggs is used in a number of popular desserts including Tiramisu, we use it 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.
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. See? ↓↓↓ – Nagi x
PS More ways to get a serious Chocolate fix: Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, Chocolate Cream Pie and BROWNIES!
Chocolate Mousse
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 3 eggs (~55g/2 oz each)
- 125 g / 4.5 oz dark chocolate , bittersweet / 70% cocoa (Note 1)
- 10 g / 0.3 oz unsalted butter
- 125 ml / 1/2 cup cream , full fat (Note 2)
- 35g / 3 tbsp caster sugar (superfine white sugar)
Decorations:
- More whipped cream
- Chocolate shavings (Note 3)
Instructions
- 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.
- Melt Chocolate: Place chocolate and butter in a bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until smooth. Set aside to cool - proceed with other steps.
- Cream: Beat cream until stiff peaks form (see video).
- Whites: Add sugar. Beat whites until firm peaks form (see video, Note 5)
Folding:
- Fold egg yolks into cream using a rubber spatula - 8 folds max. Streaks is ok.
- Check Chocolate Temp: Touch the chocolate. Should still be runny but only lukewarm. If too thick, microwave 2 x 3 seconds until runny.
- Pour chocolate into cream yolk mixture. Fold through - 8 folds max. Streaks 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.
- Divide mixture between 4 small glasses or pots. Refrigerate for at least 5 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! 😂
Doubled up for a dinner party. It was a huge success. A well written and executed recipe. Thank you. It’s a keeper.
Wahoo! That’s great Greg! N x
Hi Nagi,
Can I double the quantity of ingredients to serve 8 people? Will the recipe still work fine and how many times can i fold the batter to mix enough?
Hi Maria, yes you can double it – just mix until combined 🙂 I hope you love it! N x
Hi, would cooking cream be suitable for this recipe?
Hi Sam, it needs to be whipped – so as long as it’s thickened it should be fine. N x
Made this again for the second time and it’s my go to chocolate mousse recipe. Absolutely fantastic. Such a lovely smooth fluffy texture. I use 85% dark chocolate for an even more rich flavour!
Wahoo, that’s great Victoria! N x
I have made mousse twice and both times the texture was not right – it was more runny before putting it into the fridge and even after removing it, it had a runny texture and not the way a mousse is supposed to look. I was thinking it’s maybe the egg yolk but i may be mistaken. Does anyone know what i’m doing wrong?
Hi Riana, sorry you’re having issues here – it should be runny. Are you whipping the cream? N x
Hi, I am still wrapping my head around the types of cream in Australia and what they do. Would “thickened cream” work? Or “pure cream” (says “ideal for pouring” on the pack), If I search “whipping cream” only the canned stuff comes up. Which product should I buy? Thanks!
Hi Gina, thickened cream is shippable and will work here 🙂 N x
Super! Thanks Nagi!
Hi Nagi. Is whipping cream different to whipped cream? I tried making this the other day using whipped cream (the one at Woolworths in the can) and it was completely runny.
Thank you for this Nagi! Am a first time visitor but I think I’ll be a regular from now on. Appreciate your easy to follow style and photos!
Made this mousse today and made a ton of mistakes..
1) crunchy chocolate bits (i liked this texture) and I saw your note on cold cream so I got that part
2) watery layer – this part, I can’t figure out, when I chilled it overnight, there was a moussey and perfect top part and liquid at the bottom of my containers. What did I do wrong so I can avoid this next time?
Hi Julienne, sorry you had issues here – I’m thinking maybe you over whipped your cream and it’s produced a little buttermilk at the bottom! N x
Hi Nagi, love your recipes, your stories and your dog 🐕. Thank you for sharing them all with us.
Made the mousse with my daughter yesterday. Delicious and decadent! Ours had tiny bits of chocolate through it – not unpleasant but not silky smooth. What can I do to avoid that next time?
Hi Kerry, I’m so glad you enjoyed it – sometimes if your cream is too cold, when the chocolate hits it, it can solidify. Just make sure your cream is not SUPER cold 🙂 N x
We tried it today as we have been wanting to make choc mousse for years .It turned out divine .Really easy recipe and I love the explanation and your writing style Nagi . Thanks for posting this
Hi Nagi – first of all – I love your writing style, it’s so relatable and fun to read! Secondly – this is a delicious recipe – I made a half batch (in lockdown on my own so, you know, trying to be good!). I chose yours out of the many available online because of the detailed instruction, with photos. I have made mousse many times before but usually the chocolate seizes when mixing it with cooler ingredients – not so in this instance. Thanks for posting the recipe.
You’re so welcome Christine, thank you so much for taking the time to give me such great feedback ❤️
I forgot to use the butter but it still tastes very good. I garnished with whipped cream, strawberry and a dust of caster sugar.
I feel like a pro in the kitchen after making this.
Finaly I have a dessert that doesn’t have to go into the oven and we made it in 45 mins.so this recipe works if one has an unplanned lunch or dinner with friends. Thank you
That’s great to hear Charlene!! N x
Another brilliant recipe Nagi! Just delicious…I couldnt wait the 5 hours so ate it after 1.5 and it was delicious..Thanks again Nagi!
Hello Nagi, I want to try your recipe, but wondered if you could substitute the chocolate with cocoa powder? If so what amount would you recommend?
Hi Nagi,
Is there a way to use white chocolate or is it just the same recipe?
Hi Jasmine, white chocolate reacts slightly differently, I’ll have to add it to my recipe testing! N x