This Chocolate Mousse is made the proper French way, with the right ingredients and technique so it has beautiful chocolate flavour with a rich and luscious texture, yet not too sweet. It feels a little fancy but is surprisingly straightforward. Excellent for dinner parties – make it ahead and keep it in the fridge for days, ready to serve!
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, too grainy. But the most common flaw was that they left a greasy mouthfeel from excessive use of whipped cream which many “easy” chocolate mousse recipes tend to solely rely on to set the mousse, rather than a combination of cream and whipped eggs which is the classic way chocolate mousse is made.
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. Make sure you use chocolate intended for cooking purchased from the baking aisle! More on this below. Don’t use eating chocolate – the only exception is Lindt 70% cocoa chocolate. That is suitable for eating and cooking.
70% cocoa chocolate
It’s important to use the right chocolate for chocolate mousse to ensure it mixes in seamlessly, gives the mousse enough chocolate flavour and the right texture.
70% cocoa dark chocolate – This is the chocolate I use which has good intense chocolate flavour, is not as sweet as milk chocolate but sweeter than unsweetened chocolate. It is also firmer than milk chocolate so it ensures that the mousse sets to the perfect consistency. Brands I use: Best – Lindt 70% cocoa (which is actually an eating chocolate but because it’s tempered it works for baking too, find it in the confectionary aisle). Every day purposes – Cadbury or Nestle Plaistowe baking chocolate block 70% cocoa.
Must be baking chocolate – Be sure to use a chocolate intended for cooking, purchased from the baking aisle, not one from the candy aisle. Chocolate made for eating is actually designed to not melt easily (think – hot hands, left in car) and if you use an eating chocolate, you’ll find it won’t melt smoothly (you get little lumps) or it burns in patches before it fully melts (if you use the microwave). Lindt is the only exception. As noted above, it’s an eating chocolate but because it’s tempered (“snaps” when you break it, and is shiny) it can also be used for baking and is my premium option.
Bittersweet chocolate can be used – The cocoa percentage of chocolate labelled “bittersweet” can range from 60% to 85% cocoa solids. It will add good chocolate flavour into the mousse but is slightly less sweet than using 70%.
Milk chocolate work too – It has a lower cocoa percentage (30% – 40% usually) so the mousse won’t have as intense a flavour, it makes the mousse a little sweeter and it sets a little softer, but it can be used here.
RAW EGGS
Raw eggs are key for real chocolate mousse, the classic French way to make it the way it’s 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 (and leave a slick of cream fat in your mouth that mousse does not), 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:
Melt chocolate with the butter;
Whip cream and egg whites separately until fluffy;
Gently fold everything together with the yolks; then
portion into glasses and refrigerate to set.
Here’s are step-by-step photos with a little more detail. And don’t forget there’s a tutorial video below as well which is quite helpful if you are a first-timer!
Beat egg whites and sugar until foamy.
Soft peaks (floppy elf hat!) – Then keep beating to fluff it up into a meringue (ie white fluff) until it is “firm peaks”. This means that the mixture stands upright but the pointy end flops down as pictured above. I call it a floppy elf hat!
If the mixture stands upright with the pointy end pointing up (not flopping) this means it has be beaten to “firm peaks” which is a little far for chocolate mousse. However, don’t worry! It’s ok, the mousse will work fine and will be great for 2 days, but it deflates a bit more on day 3 and beyond.
Whip cream to stiff peaks. This is one step further than firm peaks which we did for egg whites. So for the cream, we want the peaks to point upright – no floppy elf hat! Stop beating as soon as your cream reaches stiff peaks. If you beat it too much, the cream starts to get lumpy – and if you keep beating, you’ll turn it into butter which we definitely do not want!!😂
Fold together cream and egg yolks. By “fold”, I mean gently combining the mixtures using a lifting and turning motion rather than stirring, so you keep all the air in the mixture and end up with a light, airy mousse. Don’t beat furiously – that’s the sure fire way to a pot of liquid chocolate rather than fluffy mousse!
Fold in melted chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is at room temperature but is still runny. If it’s cooled too much and is thick (not pourable), microwave and stir in 5 second increments until it;s pourable again.
Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture. The fluffed egg whites is what makes our mousse beautifully aerated so be gentle in this step!
Mousse mixture – Keep folding until you no longer see egg white lumps or streaks.
Spoon into individual pots or a larger dish, then refrigerate to chill so it sets. It will take around 6 hours for individual pots.
**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
Watch how to make it
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Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 3 eggs (~55g/2 oz each)
- 125g / 4.5 oz 70% cocoa chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, , break or cut into small 1 cm / 0.2" pieces (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)
- Whisk yolks until uniform.
- Melt chocolate and butter – Place chocolate in a microwave-proof bowl with the butter. Melt in the microwave in 20 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 – we want it at room temperature but still pourable.
- Whip cream – Beat cream until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-whip (see video).
- Whip whites – Clean the whisks. Add sugar into the egg whites bowl. Beat until firm peaks form. GOAL – flopping "elf hat"! (see video and Note 5 for what this means).
Fold together all ingredients:
- Yolks and cream – Fold egg yolks into cream using a rubber spatula – 8 folds max. Some streaks is fine.
- Check chocolate temperature – The chocolate should be cooled to room temperature but still runny (minimum 35°C / 95°F; ideal 40°C / 104°F). If too cool or thick, microwave in burst of 5 seconds at a time until runny.
- Chocolate into cream – Pour chocolate into cream yolk mixture. Fold through – 8 folds max. Some streaks here are ok.
- Fold in egg whites – 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.
- Chill in fridge – 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:
1. Chocolate – Use 70% cocoa or bittersweet for best flavour, colour and texture. I use Lindt 70% (preferred), or Nestle Plaistow / Cadbury for everyday baking.
- Use cooking chocolate (baking aisle), not eating chocolate (candy aisle). It melts smoother and thinner, giving a silky mousse. Eating chocolate can seize and turn lumpy – except Lindt 70% (an eating chocolate), which works because it’s tempered chocolate.
- Milk or dark chocolate (semi-sweet chocolate) can also be used, but the mousse will be lighter in colour, less chocolatey and softer set.
Nutrition Information:
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!
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! 😂
Im going to make this a second time, very delicious.Can i double everything to make more? I made your Tiramisu, mouthwatering.Made chicken legs n wings with spices. Made Kebab meat.Ive told everyone i know about your site.Thankyou Nagi and Dozer of course.
Yes definitely Carolyn!! N x
I made this yesterday and it’s totally rich and delicious! I misread the notes about what type of chocolate to use and used eating choc rather than cooking choc, it was still really good. The only hiccup I ran into was to do the with the eggs – a useful note to add here would be a reminder to clean & dry your mixer whisks well after whipping the cream and before whipping the whites. I didn’t do this (rookie error) and tried whisking the whites for ages before realizing the residual cream on the mixer was preventing them from thickening. I threw them out and started again with a cleaned mixer, and it worked perfectly!
I made the same mistake tonight and followed the same steps with the same result! Still came out great!
I had great success but Im curious… Why cant u just whip the whole thing at the end? Wouldnt it fluff up?
Hi !Which is correct?
recipe says
4) beat cream till stiff peaks form
but notes says:
use cream WITHOUT whipping it ie in pourable form.
Wonderful recipe, as always with Tin Eats! Thank you for the clear and detailed instructions! For some reason some of my chocolate sank to the bottom – I think I put it in when it was too hot still? – but the rest of the mousse was delicious and I didn’t mind eating that bottom part myself 😉
Oh no! Sounds like it may of not mixed completely or was still too hot! N x
This was perfect! For a white chocolate version would you just swap out white chocolate baking chocolate?
I made this chocolate mousse recipe and it came out great! I was wondering if I could just sub white chocolate with the dark chocolate if I wanted to try a white chocolate mousse?
I’ve just found your site and just made the chocolate mousse. It was pretty easy, all came together well, and I snuck a taste as I placed it in the ramekins. Delicious! I followed you recipe exactly but used Nestlé dark chocolate semi sweet chips, as that’s what was available. Can’t wait to eat this in a few hours.
Love your recipes and want to try this so bad! Would it be okay to use a lactose free cream? (One made for whipping)
I think it should be ok Lara – et me know if you try it! N x
Thank you, will do 🙂
I made a lactose free version last night. Turned out beautifully!
Thanks Nagi, your recipes are the best! (And most can be made LF 🙂 )
Thank you for letting me know Kim! Good to know. Very excited to try!
Do you have to cover the mousse when letting it chill in the fridge? Or is letting it dry out part of the process?
this was amazing well done can you please make how to make rosy road slice
I made this today and it turned out better than expected! I’ve made mousse heaps of times but it’s either been too runny, too sweet, made with cheat ingredients such as marshmallows or cream cheese to give it a bit more body… well I can confidently say I won’t be using any of those recipes anymore as this is absolute perfection. A show stopping dessert sure to impress the fussiest of diners, plus, it’s super easy! Thanks Nagi x
Hi Nagi, I made this last weekend for a dinner party. I made a triple sweet mini tray of desserts – creme brulee, a mini pavlova and your chocolate mousse. Wow thank you so much for a recipe I have been searching for for years. It was incomparable to anything I have tried before. And your hints and tips are beyond the norm. Thank you, very impressed by your culinary knowlege.
Sounds amazing Helen!!!! N x
Hi I intend to use this recipe for chocolate dome. Do I need to add gelatins? I’m not sure if this is strong enough to hold. Stay safe.
Hi KL, not sure what you mean by dome? It’s a fairly delicate mousse so may not be suitable sorry! N x
Amazing recipe.
2 questions.
1. Is this mousse pipeable?
2. How do you change up the flavour, e.g. to matcha or rose?
Hi Mag, it’s pip able but the more you handle it, the less light and fluffy it will be. Changing the flavour means a completely different recipe – one to add to my list! N x
I made this with my kids yesterday and they are already asking to make it again. So fluffy and rich in flavour. The perfect lockdown treat!
I would like to make this for 6 people. Do you recommend just adding 50% more ingredients?
P.s I love your recipes
I have just made this and in my opinion it would make 6 serves not 4. It’s delicious and instructions are very easy to follow
Just attempted this and totally failed. The brand of Chocolate (Coles) I used was horrible. I am still setting them to see how it tastes but don’t have high hopes. It has been hard to get quality chocolate during Sydney lockdown 2.0.
Happy cooking everyone ☺️
I can only find 56% semi-sweet chocolate. Do I need to reduce the amount of sugar or butter used in the recipe?
Hi Zena, you can’t reduce the sugar without changing the texture – you can still use this chocolate but the flavour won’t be as intense. N x
I want to try making mouse in a ring mold, with a layer of cake underneath – would this mousse “stand” if it was removed from a mold?
Thanks!!
Yes it would Tracy, it’s firm enough. I’d love to know how you go – make sure to email me pictures!! N x