This chocolate mousse is a light, airy dessert that looks very sophisticated, but is really pretty quick and easy to make. Here I’ll show you how to make this super-duper-easy chocolate mousse recipe in no-time, really!
Chocolate mousse dessert
I though this chocolate mousse dessert might be an inspiration for a delicious, romantic dessert for a date night. Mousse is a classic French recipe and chocolate and fruit mousses are greatly appreciated desserts. Don’t be intimidated! The technique of making the rich egg yolk filling and mixing in the stiffly-beaten cream only takes a little care and attention.
More chocolate desserts you will love:
- Italian chocolate salami
- Wacky cake recipe
- Chocolate fudge cupcakes
- Homemade fudge with powdered milk
- Chocolate cookie balls
- Chocolate peanut clusters
This chocolate mousse recipe has a deep, rich flavor and a soft and airy texture that will make it melt in your mouth. With just 20-25 minutes of work, it’s going to be worth every second. And you only need basic cooking skills and very few ingredients!
Tips and tricks for the best chocolate mousse recipe
- Temper the eggs: mix in half of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture to ring it closer to the cream temperature. Return it all to the pan to finish cooking. This way, the egg yolks won’t become scrambled in the hot liquid and will act as a sauce thickener;
- It’s best to whip the cream while very cold, and using cold beaters and bowl so I recommend you keep the bowl, the beaters and the heavy cream in the fridge before using. Also, use high-fat cream for the best result and a firm texture. High-fat cream allows the cream to hold the air and keep its stiffness;
- If you’d rather not use a hand mixer, a rubber spatula is the best for folding in the whipped cream, as it is more flexible. Add a large dollop of cream in the middle of the chilled chocolate. Dip the spatula down into the cream and, with a folding motion, pull it down and around into the mixture. Don’t stir it vigorously, instead use a firm cutting down and pulling around move until the cream is evenly mixed in;
- Make a healthier chocolate mousse dessert using dark chocolate. This kind of chocolate also has a stronger cocoa flavor. Depending on your taste, you can use any kind of chocolate you like;
- Add some extra flavor by adding a bit of rum extract or orange-flavored extract to the whipped cream when it’s almost whipped;
- If you’re making this an adult only dessert, feel free to fold in some liquor.
- For a nice finishing touch or to make the mousse look more festive, top with fresh berries, mint leaves, candies, chocolate shavings or a dust of cocoa powder. Fruit will also make this dessert feel lighter and refreshing!
You can melt chocolate in the microwave as well, if you fear you might burn it on the stove. In this case, turn on the microwave for short intervals (30 sec maximum) and stir the chocolate occasionally.
How to style your chocolate mousse dessert
Chocolate mousse can be served in many ways: in martini or juice glasses, ice cream cups, small bowls, champagne flutes or espresso cups. Think outside the box, especially if hosting a party and need a special design.
This mousse is also a great frosting idea for cakes, cupcakes and cookies. It’s so easy to make, spreads nicely on a lot of desserts and adds such a reach flavor! I used this recipe for an amazing chocolate mousse cake, made with ladyfingers.
Remember to keep the mousse in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. This also makes this chocolate mousse recipe an ideal make-ahead dessert.
Is chocolate mousse healthy?
This chocolate mousse dessert can be more or less healthy. Because you only get to use a small portion of this entire recipe, you won’t get to ingest a lot of calories. Plus this dessert is quite rich so you won’t be able to over indulge.
But here are a few adjustments you can make to your recipe to bring it a little closer to what you might consider a healthier dessert:
- Use dark chocolate with high percentage of cocoa to make your mousse a little more healthy.
- Use low fat heavy cream to reduce the calories.
- Make it egg-free. Just melt the chocolate, bring it to room temperature and fold it into the chilled heavy cream.
- Make it vegan by removing the eggs and using vegan heavy cream.
- By adding sugar-free chocolate chips, this dessert can become low carb and keto.
How long does this easy chocolate mousse keep?
Chocolate mousse keeps at room temperature for about an hour, but it’s best to serve it cold. You can also keep it in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to one week.
I’ve also kept mine in the freezer for about 3 months. Thaw in the fridge until it reaches the spreadable texture again.
Chocolate mousse is pretty easy to work after you get the hang of it, so give it a try and let me know in the comments if you love it as much as I do.
Chocolate mousse recipe
What are the Chocolate mousse ingredients?
- Chocolate – I used 35% dark chocolate here but feel free to use your favorite chocolate from milk chocolate to very dark kinds or even white chocolate.
- Sugar – for me, granulated sugar works best when mixing with heavy cream but if you found icing sugar is your best friend, feel free to use it when making the cream.
- Eggs – you might know by now that I’m a big fan of free range eggs and that’s what I’d recommend for any recipe. They’re reach, with a deeper color and add much more flavor to any recipe than other eggs. But for convenience, you can get eggs that are available to you.
- Heavy cream – chill it in the fridge and only remove it from the fridge right before using in your recipe.
How do you make homemade chocolate mousse from scratch?
- Beat the egg yolks with sugar.
- Heat the heavy cream. Mix some of the hot cream with the egg mix then transfer the entire egg mix to the saucepan. Cook until it bubbles then add chocolate and mix until completely melted. Cool completely, stirring often.
- Make the whipped cream by whipping heavy cream with sugar until you get stiff peaks.
- Beat the cooled chocolate pudding until you get stiff peaks.
- Fold the chocolate pudding into the whipped cream.
- Chill before serving.
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Chocolate mousse recipe
Equipment
- medium saucepan
Ingredients
For the chocolate pudding
- 4 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup dark chocolate cut into chunks
For the whipped cream
- 1/2 cup heavy cream chilled
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
To make the chocolate pudding
- In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until the sugar is melted.
- Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan. Remove from stove and add a 3-4 tablespoons of hot heavy cream to the yolk mixture. Mix well then add a few more tablespoons, then add about 1/2 cup of the hot cream. Mix well.
- Transfer the tempered egg mixture to the saucepan and keep cooking until bubbly.
- Add the chocolate and mix until the chocolate is melted, stirring continuously.
- Remove from heat and cool the pudding completely. Chill in the fridge for an additional hour. Keep the beaters in the fridge too.
- Beat the pudding for a couple of minutes, with the mixer on high.
To make the whipped cream
- Using chilled beaters, bowl and heavy cream, mix the sugar and heavy cream until you get stiff peaks and the sugar is completely incorporated into the heavy cream.
To make the mousse
- Transfer the chocolate pudding to the whipped cream and mix with a hand mixer on medium. Add to individual cups with a spoon or by pipping the mousse. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.
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