The Best Chocolate Mousse

A rich and silky Chocolate Mousse with a thin layer of decadent dark chocolate ganache on top.

I don’t think there’s any dessert I’ve made so far that screams DECADENCE the way this velvety chocolate mousse does. A few simple ingredients, a fair amount of whipping and a setting time of four hours in the fridge leaves you with this beautiful and decadent dessert to impress your friends and family with!

There are two parts to this mousse:

• Chocolate mousse
• Chocolate ganache

The ganache layer is optional but in my opinion takes the chocolate mousse to a WHOLE new level and being a chocolate fanatic like myself – there can never be ‘too many layers’ of chocolate, can there? The textural combination of a light and silky mousse with a slightly chewy yet rich chocolatey layer of ganache on top makes for a very luxurious dessert (drooling as I write this). The chocolate ganache is made from two simple ingredients – chocolate and cream – and with a very easy method, you’re only adding a few mins more to your prep time.

Baking this Chocolate Mousse to Perfection

• This recipe begins with whipping your cream till it forms stiff peaks. I like to stabilise my whipped cream by adding a teaspoon of cornflour to it. Remember to ensure the cream is chilled before you’re ready to make the mousse. Bonus tip: Place your mixing bowl and beaters/whisk in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before whipping the cream. It’s the fat content in cream that incorporates the air bubbles which make it light and fluffy. Do not over whip your cream. Stop whipping when you reach the stage of soft peaks (if using an electric mixer) and continue by hand. Over whipping cream results in butter! Make sure to keep the whipped cream in the refrigerator while you’re prepping the rest of the recipe. We don’t want it to melt or deflate.

• Next, we whisk the egg yolks and sugar until it thick, pale and creamy and all the sugar has dissolved. Set this aside to cool. We then melt our chocolate, water, espresso and butter over a double boiler.
  • The espresso is OPTIONAL but in my opinion, as we’ve learnt from My Favourite Chocolate Fudge Brownie Recipe – espresso enhances the flavour of the chocolate without influencing a coffee taste.
  • High quality, dark chocolate is a MUST in this recipe as it determines the chocolate flavour in the mousse. I use Nestle’s Dark Chocolate Melts.

• Once the chocolate mixture has melted, we temper the egg yolk mixture by adding a bit of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks. We stir that together and pour the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture over the double boiler. Add in the vanilla extract. This process gently cooks the egg yolks and thickens the overall texture of the chocolate mix after a couple of minutes on the heat.

• Our last lot of whipping starts with the egg whites. A traditional chocolate mousse is made with all or part of the eggs being used in their raw form. **See note below on raw eggs. The whipped egg whites provide the light, aerated texture that is characteristic of a mousse. A lot of recipes call for too much whipped cream, resulting in a more thick and custard-like texture. Whip the eggs till they form stiff peaks. The next step is to gently fold the whipped egg whites into the cooled chocolate mixture.

• Lastly, fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream mixture. Be careful not to over-mix this as you may lose the texture of the whipped cream.

• This mousse can be served up into glasses of your choice – champagne glasses, ramekins etc. I prefer a clear glass that shows off the beautiful layers and texture of the mousse and ganache combined! Pour the finished mousse into 5 glasses of your choice. Cover each individual glass with cling wrap and allow to set in refrigerator for a minimum of four hours.

Making the Chocolate Ganache

• Prepare the ganache once your mousse has been sitting in the fridge for at least four hours. Ganache is such a luxurious addition to the mousse and is crazy simple to make so trust me and go this extra mile. It is important to once again ensure you’re using high quality dark chocolate for your ganache. Pour the whipped cream and dark chocolate in a microwave proof bowl. Heat at four-five 30 second intervals, whisking the mixture for about a minute after each interval, till your ganache is smooth and silky with no bubbles or lumps. Spoon the slightly cooled and smooth ganache over the set chocolate mousse to your liking and return to the refrigerator for at least another 30 minutes.

• I love rich and chocolatey desserts served with fresh berries, my GO TO is strawberry! Slice up a few strawberries to garnish when serving. Raspberries would be equally suited for this mousse.

The Best Chocolate Mousse

4 from 27 votes

Recipe by Shilpika Course: DessertCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Setting Time

4

hours 

Total time

4

hours 

30

minutes

A rich and silky Chocolate Mousse with a thin layer of decadent dark chocolate ganache on top.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Heavy cream

• 2 Egg yolks

• 2 Egg whites

• 3 Tablespoons Granulated sugar

• 1/2 Teaspoon Instant espresso powder or granules

• 2 Tablespoon Unsalted butter

• 2/3 Cup Dark chocolate, chopped

• 2 Tablespoons Water

• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract

• 1 Teaspoon Cornstarch

• Chocolate Ganache

• 100 mL Heavy Cream

• 200 Grams Dark chocolate, chopped

Directions

• Pour heavy cream in a bowl and add cornstarch. Whisk the heavy cream till stiff peaks form. Place whipped cream in the fridge while you make the rest of the mousse. (see notes above for making perfect whipped cream).
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar for about 3 minutes or until the consistency becomes thick and pale and the sugar has dissolved.
• In a small saucepan, add about an inch of water and bring to a simmer. Place a heatproof bowl over the saucepan (ensuring the water doesn’t touch the bowl). Add the chocolate, butter, water and coffee to the bowl and cook on low heat till the chocolate has just melted and combined.
• Spoon 4 tablespoons of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture and stir to combine. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture. Add the vanilla extract and cook on low for 2-3 minutes till the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, stirring frequently.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites till they form stiff peaks. Using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
• Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the chilled whipped cream mixture.
• Pour the finished mousse into serving glasses of your choice. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
• To Make the Chocolate Ganache
• In a microwave safe bowl, place chopped dark chocolate and heavy cream.
• Microwave the cream and chocolate at 4-5 30 second pulses, mixing with a whisk for about 30 seconds in between.
• When the ganache has formed a smooth texture, free of bubbles and lumps. Set aside to cool for a few minutes, stirring with a whisk occasionally – to prevent bubbles from forming.
• After the mousse has set for at least 4 hours, spoon the chocolate ganache into the mousse glass and return to the fridge to set for at least another 15 minutes.
• Serve chilled, with fresh berries (optional).

Notes

• ** Raw Eggs: If you’re concerned about using raw egg whites, you can buy pasteurised eggs or pasteurise your own eggs at home (Click Here to learn how). A lot of common foods such as tiramisu, mayonnaise, runny yolks in breakfast eggs – consist of undercooked or raw eggs. In my experience, as long as the egg is of good quality and is fresh – they are 100% safe to eat. It is unadvisable for pregnant women and babies to consume raw eggs.