Chocolate Mousse | Easy Chocolate Dessert Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is chocolate mousse made of? ›

Mousse is one of the most rich and decadent desserts and is often made with chocolate. Either whipped cream or beaten egg whites (sometimes both!) are folded into a mixture of melted chocolate, egg yolks, and sugar, then chilled.

Temperature is one of the most important factors to consider when making chocolate mousse. If your chocolate becomes grainy when you add the whipped egg whites or cream, it has cooled too much and hardened into small grains.

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.

Try adding a small amount of cornstarch to a little water, and add it to the mousse a little at a time and see how it thickens the texture. You can also beat some egg yolks in a separate bowl over low heat until they increase in volume and slowly add them to the mousse mixture.

Four basic components of a Mousse

Mousse is a light and airy dessert made with eggs, sugar, heavy cream, and flavoring. All mousses have four basic components: aerated egg yolks, whipped egg whites, whipped cream, and a flavoring base.

To take a step back, mousses generally comprise four components – the base, the egg foam, a setting agent and whipped cream. Bases are the flavour element to the mousse and can be fruit purees, custards or ganache.

The whipped cream and egg whites also provide fat and protein, which give the mousse its rich and smooth mouthfeel. Additionally, the use of high-quality chocolate can contribute to the creaminess of the mousse, as the cocoa butter in the chocolate can help to create a smooth and silky texture.

The mousse can be stored in the fridge for up to four days, though is at its best within the first two days. We would suggest covering the tops of the glasses or ramekins tightly with food wrap, so that the surface of the mousse doesn't dry out too much.

To fix a soupy pot de crème or chocolate mousse, you can try the following: Chill the mixture: Put the mixture in the refrigerator and let it cool completely. As it chills, the mixture will thicken. Add more chocolate: Melt additional chocolate and fold it into the mixture to make it thicker.

Food science expert Harold McGee explains that “the small amount of water acts as a kind of glue, wetting the many millions of sugar and cocoa particles just enough to make patches of syrup that stick the particles together.” Chocolate can also seize if it gets too hot and scorches.

What goes with chocolate mousse? ›

Custard and chocolate mousse

Try this extra creamy double-layered combination of creamy vanilla custard and dark chocolate mousse. For extra crunch, sprinkle each pudding with chopped toasted hazelnuts or a chopped up Crunchie bar.

Chocolate with more cocoa butter in it will render the chocolate mousse heavy and thick. How to choose the right fluidity? Too much fat in the recipe creates a texture that is too thick and heavy. Cream with a 35% fat content in combination with a three-drop chocolate yields the perfect texture.

If you over-whip the cream, you'll end up with a grainy mousse (although you can try to remedy it by whisking in a few extra tablespoons of cream). An electric hand mixer and a nice big bowl are my tools of choice, but a big balloon whisk and a chilled mixing bowl work well, too.

The thickener:

Traditionally, mousse is made with gelatin. The gelatin should be bloomed in cool water or 5 minutes, then melted before adding to the base.

For mousse made with heavy cream, overmixing the cream will cause it to thicken and eventually curdle, which will also cause your mousse to be grainy and dense instead of smooth and light in texture.

Mousse is made by folding beaten egg whites or whipped cream into a cold milk and sugar base. Unlike pudding, mousse is not cooked and the addition of air to the mixture leads to a fluffier consistency and lighter texture. Mousse is typically served chilled or frozen.

Mousse is set apart from other look-alike desserts by its texture, which is light and airy. This is achieved with whipped egg whites, which hold trapped air bubbles and have lots of volume. (Just like when making meringue.) Mousse can also be made by beating heavy cream to create air-filled whipped cream.

Health benefits of chocolate mousse

It is rich in antioxidants and is good for the skin. It improves circulation of blood and is good for the heart. It is also a source of iron, manganese and fibre.

Mousse is the stuff of dessert dreams: incredibly light and also ridiculously rich. At its most basic, mousse is made by folding aerators into a base. These aerators can be whipped cream, meringue (egg whites + sugar), pâte à bombe (whole eggs and/or egg yolks + sugar), or a combination.