Chocolate Mousse

4.98 from 227 votes

Recipe video above. Light and airy yet rich, this is a Chocolate Mousse made the classic French way, as served in fine dining restaurants. Less cream, richer mouth feel, true chocolate flavour. It's actually quite straight forward to make!

Excellent dessert for dinner parties because they keep 100% perfectly in the fridge for 2 days, they're elegant and indulgent but not heavy and overly sweet.

See notes section for comment on raw eggs (yes it's essential to make mousse properly).

Prep Time20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French, Western

Keyword: Chocolate Mousse

Servings:

Calories: 375cal

Author: Nagi

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)

Cups - Metric

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!

Notes

Raw eggs note - required to make real chocolate mousse, the classic French way. It is not possible to achieve the same result without using eggs, despite what other recipes promise - and I've tried many. It will either be denser, lack the luscious mouthfeel, be like eating whipped cream which leaves a film of fat in your mouth, have a jelly-like texture, or is more like panna cotta. Read in post for more information. Note: raw eggs not advisable for pregnant women or babies to consume.

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.

2. Cream: You must use full-fat cream that can be whipped – pure cream (35% fat), thickened cream (35% fat) or heavy cream (35 - 40% fat). Do not use pouring cream or dolloping cream that cannot be whipped - the label should state if the cream cannot be whipped. Low fat also won't work here, the mousse won't set properly.

3. Chocolate Shavings: Use a small knife and scrape at a low angle on the flat side of a block of chocolate.

4. Eggs tip: It's easier to separate whites from yolks when eggs are cold, but whites at room temp fluff up better when closer to room temp. So separate the eggs when fridge cold then set aside while you prep the other ingredients to let the whites come to room temp a bit.

5. Firmly whipped egg whites: Egg whites can be beaten to: soft peaks, firm and stiff peaks. We want the middle one - firm peaks. This is when you have a "elf hat" floppage at the top of the peak (see video). If it stands straight upright without the little hook then it's stiff, not firm (still works fine but it won't hold up as well after a few days in the fridge). If you do not get any type of peaks at all, then keep beating!

6. Flavourings: Add liquor or other flavourings to the melted chocolate, making sure they’re at room temperature to avoid seizing. Stir in, cool as per recipe, and adjust to taste - but keep it to about 1 tbsp max or it may affect how the mousse sets.

Pro tip: Don’t add flavourings to plain melted chocolate - always mix it with something (like butter) first to prevent it turning grainy.

Storage: Best within 2 days but keeps for a week in the fridge with only a slight reduction in aeration.

Nutrition per serving. Makes 4 x 1/2 cup (125ml) servings. It is quite rich!

Nutrition