Perfect Chocolate Mousse
This classic chocolate mousse recipe is delicious in every way. Rich, chocolatey flavor with a light and airy texture makes this the perfect dessert to share.
Ingredients
This chocolate mousse recipe contains only 5 ingredients: Eggs, Caster sugar, Chocolate, Cream and a pinch of salt. It requires a little prep time and a few mixing bowls (there’s a lot of whipping involved to get that perfect mousse-y texture) but the process is super simple and the end result is so worth it.
- Eggs. I use extra-large, free range eggs. Make sure your eggs are room temperature before you start.
- Caster sugar. It’s important to use super-fine sugar as it will whip into the eggs faster.
- Chocolate. I use both milk chocolate and dark chocolate/bittersweet chocolate (70% dark chocolate) for this chocolate mousse. Milk chocolate alone would be too sweet and semi-sweet chocolate alone is too rich, in my opinion.
- Cream. Use heavy cream or whipping cream.
- Salt. Salt is essential in any dessert, even more so when that dessert contains chocolate.
How to make chocolate mousse
This chocolate mousse recipe requires a lot of whipping so get three medium to large bowls ready as well as a smaller bowl to melt the chocolate in. I use a hand mixer or whisk for the egg whites and cream but a stand mixer is great for the egg yolks as they need to whip for a while.
I find with recipes where egg yolks are stirred into a chocolate base, the end result often has a raw egg flavor which I don’t enjoy. By whipping the egg yolks with the sugar (like you do in Tiramisu or a zabaglione), the flavor mellows and becomes rich and creamy. Place the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk the eggs and sugar together for 8-10 minutes until voluminous and pale yellow. Scrape the bowl down with a rubber spatula every 2-3 minutes to make sure the sugar is dissolving evenly.
Break the chocolate up and place in a glass bowl then place over a saucepan of barely simmering water over low heat and melt. Once completely melted, remove from the heat and allow the melted chocolate to cool down for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
Whip the cold cream until stiff peaks form. Take care not to over-beat the cream as it will split. It’s best to start slow so that the air bubbles form slowly as this will result in a more stable whipped cream. Once the egg yolks are whipped, pour in the cooled chocolate and mix until combined. The mixture will stiffen up quite a bit, but that’s fine. Stir one third of the cream into the chocolate mixture to loosen the chocolate then gently fold in the remaining cream with a metal spoon. Fold in the beaten egg whites, taking care not to lose the airy texture. Transfer the chocolate mousse to a serving dish or individual glasses then place in the fridge. Allow to chill for at least 6 hours until set, but ideally overnight.
Garnish the chocolate mousse with whipped cream and fresh raspberries then serve.
Is chocolate mousse gluten free?
Yes, chocolate mousse is naturally gluten free as the ingredients are all gluten free.
Can I make chocolate mousse ahead?
Yes, you have to. The mousse needs at least 6 hours to set in the fridge so this is the perfect dessert recipe to make ahead of time. It can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cover the mousse with plastic wrap (do not press the wrap to the surface of the mousse) if you are going to be making it more than 6 hours in advance.
Chocolate recipes
- Easy one bowl chocolate cupcakes
- Chocolate cream pie
- Chocolate Mousse Pie
- Baked hot chocolate pudding
Ingredients
- 4 eggs separated
- ¼ cup (50g) caster sugar
- 100 g (3.5oz) milk chocolate
- 100 g (3.5oz) dark chocolate
- 1 cup (250ml) cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Place the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar together for 8-10 minutes until voluminous and pale yellow. Scrape the bowl down with a rubber spatula every 2-3 minutes to make sure the eggs are well incorporated.
- Break the chocolate up and place in a glass bowl. Place over a pot of barely simmering water and melt.
- Once completely melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool down for 5 minutes.
- In another clean bowl, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
- Whip the cold cream until firm peaks form.
- Once the egg yolks are whipped, pour in the cooled chocolate and mix until combined. The mixture will stiffen up quite a bit, but that's fine.
- Stir in one third of the cream to loosen the chocolate then gently fold in the remaining cream with a metal spoon.
- Fold in the beaten egg whites, taking care not to lose the airy texture.
- Transfer the chocolate mousse to a serving dish or individual glasses then place in the fridge. Allow to set for at least 6 hours but ideally overnight.
- Top the chocolate mousse with whipped cream and fresh raspberries then serve.
How many people can this dish serve would you say?
4-6 people 🙂
Is it safe to eat egg yolk without heating them? I thought the yolks always had to be cooked when making mousse?
Similar to mayonnaise, the egg yolks don’t need to be cooked to be safe to eat. However, if you are worried I would suggest using pasteurized eggs and avoid this recipe if you are pregnant, immune-compromised, etc.
I tried a very similar recipe (slightly different amounts), but the chocolate/egg mixture became so hard that I couldn’t mix it evenly with the whipped cream. The end result was a tasty chocolate mousse, but with chocolate lumps in it. Do you know what can be done to prevent this problem?
I tested this recipe many times and I didn’t have that problem. I think the volume of eggs to chocolate is important. Too much chocolate will cause the mixture to harden too quickly.
Thanks for your reply! I will try with less chocolate (or more egg) next time. A few more questions, if you don’t mind:
When you mix the chocolate with the eggs, do you use a mixer, a spoon, or do you try to fold it gently?
What temperature should the chocolate be heated to when melting it, and what temperature should it be cooled to? Is it important to temper the chocolate, or to avoid tempering it?
Thanks again!
I used a metal spoon and mixed gently but quickly, if that makes sense. I didn’t beat it together but I folded swiftly. No you don’t have to temper the chocolate at all. I just heat until the chocolate is just melted and cool until it’s not hot to the touch.
Wow!!!! The chocolate mousse was an absolute hit at my daughters bridal shower dinner! I doubled the recipe and it made 15 individual servings! This will
Now be a firm favourite for our family! Thank you so so much for all your wonderful recipes, everything I try turns out delicious! A million thanks!
I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks Helen!