In developing the perfect fool-proof chocolate mousse recipe, I tested so many different combinations and proportions of ingredients — from the amount of chocolate, butter, and cream in the ganache, to whether the mixture should be lightened with only egg whites or only whipped cream (to name a few). In the end, I discovered this to be the best recipe for making a silky and smooth chocolate mousse with the perfect airy texture.
Traditionally, French mousse is lightened using only beaten egg whites, whereas many modern versions use only whipped cream to lighten the mixture. Frankly, I discovered that the best chocolate mousse incorporates both: the lightened texture of the egg whites, combined with the flavor of the whipped cream, is just perfect.
Admittedly, a couple of things can go wrong when making chocolate mousse: for example, your chocolate can seize, or your mixture can deflate (leading to a more dense mousse). But don’t be intimidated! I try to write all of my recipes so that they are easy to follow and lead to a great result as often as possible! Just follow along carefully, and you shouldn’t run into any trouble.
TIPS FOR THE PERFECT CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
- Use good quality chocolate — not only for the flavor, but also to ensure that it melts beautifully.
- Treat the chocolate very delicately. Heat it up slowly so that it doesn’t seize, and make sure that it is incorporated slowly into the egg yolk base. Remember, chocolate doesn’t like surprises!
- Make sure the mousse base (the final egg yolk and chocolate mixture) is the right consistency before folding in the egg whites and whipped cream. A mixture that is too thick requires more folding, which inevitably deflates the egg whites and leads to a more dense mousse.
- Make sure not to over-whip the egg whites or cream; otherwise, they become difficult to incorporate into the mousse base.
MAKING CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITHOUT RAW EGGS
Traditional French mousse recipes use raw egg whites to give mousse its signature texture and lightness. If you are worried about using raw egg whites, the easiest solution is to purchase a small carton of pasteurized egg whites — which have been heated to kill any potential pathogens — to use instead. Though they are a great alternative, you may need to whip pasteurized egg whites much longer and they may not get to the same volume or result in the same texture.
SERVING CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CHILLED VS. FROZEN
You can also place your mousse in the freezer for a few hours and serve it frozen. It takes on a completely different texture — like a light ice cream. I like both chilled and frozen mousse, and I alternate between the two depending on what texture I’m looking for.
To make the chocolate ganache, start by setting a saucepan with 1 to 2 inches of water over medium-low heat.
Create a double boiler by placing a heatproof bowl over the top of the saucepan, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water and that the water never comes above a low simmer.
In the bowl of the double boiler, place the butter, chocolate, and ¼ cup of cream, stirring occasionally with a spoon or rubber spatula until just melted. Remove the bowl of chocolate mixture from the saucepan and set aside. Be careful not to over heat the chocolate as it can seize and become lumpy.
To make the mousse base, start by separating the egg yolks from the egg whites. Set the egg whites aside for now.
In a second heavy-bottomed saucepan (or the same saucepan used to melt the chocolate, rinsed and cooled under cold water), add in the 4 egg yolks and beat them with a handheld mixer (or wire whisk) for about 30 seconds, until uniform.
While continuing to mix on a medium speed, slowly add ½ cup of sugar into the egg yolks.
Turn the mixer to high speed and beat the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as necessary, until the mixture becomes thick and pale yellow in color. When finished, a slowly dissolving ribbon should form on the surface of the mixture when you lift the beaters or whisk from the mixture.
Turn the mixer back down to a low speed and slowly pour in the coffee. Mix until well combined.
Place the saucepan over medium-low heat, and whisk constantly with a wire whisk for about 5 minutes. The mixture should be at least 160℉ and will have thickened slightly. Be careful not to overheat and scramble the eggs!
Working quickly, remove the mixture from the heat and pour it into a clean bowl.
With clean beaters (or a wire whisk), continue to beat the mixture for about 5 minutes (longer than you think!), until it cools, thickens, and becomes a very pale brown color.
With your handheld mixer on a medium speed, slowly drizzle the chocolate into the egg yolk base. The chocolate should still be slightly warm (not hot) so that it isn’t too thick. Continue to mix until well combined. It should be the consistency of a thick chocolate pudding at this stage.
Next, add in the ¼ cup of Kahlúa, Cointreau, or just water, and mix on low until well combined. The mousse mixture should loosen, making it easier to fold in the beaten egg whites and whipped cream. Set the mousse base aside while preparing the egg whites.
Place the egg whites in a clean bowl (if using a handheld mixer), or in the bowl of a stand mixer, and beat on medium speed for about 60 seconds, until they begin to foam.
Sprinkle in the cream of tartar and salt and continue to beat at a medium-high speed for another 60 seconds.
Slowly sprinkle in 2 Tbsp of sugar and then turn the mixer to high speed, continuing to beat the egg whites for 2 to 5 minutes, until they are silky and form stiff peaks.
With a rubber spatula, fold ¼ of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. This is to further lighten the chocolate mixture so that the egg whites can more easily be folded into it.
Fold in the remaining egg whites until only a few streaks remain. Set aside.
Working quickly, in the same bowl used for the egg whites, add in 1 cup of cold whipping cream and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream into the mousse mixture, just until no large streaks remain (some faint streaks are ok). Be careful not to overmix as it will deflate the mixture and make your mousse dense.
Chill the mousse in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.
Right before serving the mousse, if desired, beat cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar together until stiff peaks form. Serve the whipped cream topping immediately with the mousse.
Chocolate Mousse (Mousse au Chocolat)A quintessential French dessert, chocolate mousse is velvety, light, and loaded with rich chocolate flavor. This recipe provides a step-by-step guide for making the perfect chocolate mousse — every time!
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Ingredients
For the Mousse
- 7 ounces (198g) good-quality dark chocolate (I use 70% cacao)
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, chilled and divided
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ cup strong coffee (I use 1 Tbsp instant coffee + ¼ cup water)
- ¼ cup Kahlúa coffee liqueur, Cointreau orange liqueur, or water
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
For the Whipped Cream Topping (optional)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp powdered (icing) sugar
Equipment
Instructions
Preparing the Chocolate Ganache
- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, bring 1 to 2 inches of water to a low simmer. Set a heatproof bowl over saucepan to make a double boiler.
- Place chocolate, butter, and ¼ cup of cream in the bowl. Heat slowly over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally with a spoon or rubber spatula, until all are fully melted and mixed together (about 5 to 10 minutes). (Be careful not to overheat chocolate.) Remove bowl from heat and set aside.7 ounces (198g) good-quality dark chocolate¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
Preparing the Mousse Base
- Into two separate bowls, carefully separate egg yolks from egg whites. Set egg whites aside.4 large eggs, at room temperature
- In a clean, heavy-bottomed saucepan, add in egg yolks. With an electric hand mixer (or a wire whisk), beat egg yolks on medium speed until uniform (about 30 seconds).
- While continuing to beat on medium speed, slowly add in ½ cup of sugar.
- Increase mixing speed to high and beat until mixture is thick, turns pale yellow, and forms a slowly dissolving ribbon on the surface of the mixture (about 2 to 3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as necessary.
- Reduce mixing speed to low and slowly pour in coffee. Continue to mix until well combined.¼ cup strong coffee
- Set the saucepan over medium-low heat. Using a wire whisk, whisk constantly until mixture thickens slightly and reaches a temperature of 160℉ (about 5 minutes). (Be careful not to overheat mixture, as eggs may scramble.)
- Working quickly, remove saucepan from heat and pour into a clean bowl. With a cleaned electric hand mixer (or cleaned wire whisk), beat mixture on high speed until it cools, thickens, and turns a very pale brown (about 5 minutes; longer than you think).
- Reduce mixing speed to medium and slowly drizzle in prepared chocolate ganache, which should be slightly warm (not hot), but not too cool/thick. Continue to mix until well combined and mixture reaches the consistency of a thick chocolate pudding.
- Reduce mixing speed to low and add in preferred flavored liqueur (or water). Mix until well combined and mixture loosens slightly. Set mousse base aside.¼ cup Kahlúa coffee liqueur, Cointreau orange liqueur, or water
Preparing and Adding the Egg Whites
- Add egg whites into the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or, if using an electric hand mixer, a large bowl). Beat egg whites on medium speed until they begin to foam (about 60 seconds).
- Increase mixing speed to medium-high and sprinkle in cream of tartar and salt. Beat for another 60 seconds.¼ tsp cream of tartar¼ tsp kosher salt
- Increase mixing speed to high and slowly sprinkle in 2 Tbsp of sugar. Beat until egg whites become silky and form stiff peaks (about 2 to 5 minutes).
- Using a rubber spatula, fold ¼ of the beaten egg whites into the mousse base (to lighten the mixture), before folding in the remaining beaten egg whites. Continue folding until only a few streaks remain. Set aside.
Preparing and Adding the Whipped Cream
- Working quickly, in the same bowl used for the egg whites, add in 1 cup of the chilled whipping cream. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form (about 3 to 5 minutes).
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream just until no large streaks remain (some faint streaks are okay). (Be careful not to overmix, which can deflate the mixture, leading to a dense mousse.)
- Pour mousse into desired serving glasses or mold(s). Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
Preparing the Whipped Cream Topping (optional)
- Immediately prior to serving chilled mousse, in the bowl of a stand mixer (or, if using an electric hand mixer, a large bowl), beat the cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form (about 3 to 5 minutes).1 cup heavy whipping cream½ tsp pure vanilla extract2 Tbsp powdered (icing) sugar
- Top mousse with whipped cream. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Using Raw Egg Whites: If concerned about consuming raw egg whites, I recommend purchasing and using pasteurized egg whites, although it will likely take much longer for them to whip up. Also note that they may not whip up to the same volume and the final texture may be slightly off.
- Chilled vs. Frozen Mousse: Mousse is also delicious when frozen (for at least a few hours). The texture will be completely different, almost like a light ice cream.
- Serving Ideas: I like to top my chocolate mousse with sweetened whipped cream, fresh berries, and shaved chocolate. For added texture, you can also lay some crushed chocolate sandwich cookies on the bottom of your serving glasses or mold(s).
