Smooth and fluffy dark chocolate mousse. Easy and delicious!
Chocolate mousse is a dessert that is near and dear to my heart. My fondest memories of chocolate mousse is tied to a restaurant in Sri Lanka (that no longer exists unfortunately). They used to serve their chocolate mousse in a coffee cup, with a dollop of whipped cream. I’ve made loads of chocolate mousse recipes and variations over the years, and this is by far my favorite! And I also modified my recipe so that there are absolutely NO RAW EGGS, so it’s safe for consumption for anyone.
Important note about using eggs
As mentioned, the eggs are cooked in this recipe. This does take a couple of extra steps and time. But the fact that it makes the recipe safe for consumption for anyone (for example pregnant mothers and immunocompromised individuals), makes the process absolutely worth it. That being said, you can make this with raw eggs. Simply skip the steps where you cook the eggs. This will make the recipe quicker and easier. However, do note that the raw egg version should not be served to at risk individuals such as pregnant mothers, the elderly, infants and young children, and immunocompromised individuals due to the risk of salmonella and other infections.
What you need to make perfect chocolate mousse
It’s chocolate mousse, so this is kind of an important ingredient. For this recipe, I like to use a 70% dark chocolate for a perfectly deep, dark chocolate mousse flavor with a slight bitterness. But you can also use semisweet chocolate, or even milk chocolate. Just note that if you do use milk chocolate, the color of your chocolate mousse will be much lighter, and it’ll be sweeter with less of the deep chocolate flavor. Milk chocolate is a good choice if you want to pair this mousse with other flavors, so that the chocolate flavor doesn’t overpower. I use Callebaut 70% chocolate callets. But I’ve also used Lindt dark chocolate bars. You can also use Baker’s chocolate. Since we are not cooking the chocolate here, the chocolate flavor is not going to be altered. So it’s important to use a good quality chocolate that you like to eat. However, you can also use baking chocolate if that is what you have. For this chocolate mousse recipe, I use large eggs (2 oz each). The eggs are separated and the yolks are used to add richness to the chocolate base, and the egg whites are whipped into a meringue with stiff peaks, to lighten up the chocolate mousse. The perfect airy texture is achieved by folding in the whipped meringue and whipped cream. Both the egg yolks and egg whites are cooked over a double boiler (bain marie), separately. They are cooked until they reach a temp. of 165 – 170 F, so that they are pasteurized. No dessert is complete without a touch (or more!) of salt in my opinion. This is especially true with chocolate desserts. So this chocolate mousse has a slight saltiness that perfectly complements the sweetness. You can halve the amount of salt if you prefer. But do NOT skip it, because it helps balance the sweetness. You can use unsalted or salted butter in this recipe. If you use salted butter, make sure to adjust the salt level accordingly. For that reason, I prefer to use unsalted butter so that I can control the level of salt I add. In addition to the whipped egg whites (meringue), the whipped heavy cream adds a delightful airiness and creaminess. But you can leave it out if you prefer. Chocolate mousse without cream is the base of Julia Child’s chocolate mousse recipe, which is also delicious! I in fact used that as a base to make my rosemary chocolate mousse. You can add vanilla and coffee as a lovely base flavoring for the chocolate mousse. Or a little alcohol for an adult-friendly flavor twist. I like to add brandy or bourbon. You can also use kahlua, cointreau and other liqueurs and liquors that complement chocolate flavor.
Tips for perfecting this chocolate mousse recipe
You’ll need three bowls for this recipe. To save the use of an extra bowl, you can place the chocolate and butter in the same bowl as the egg yolks, AFTER it has been heated to 165 – 170 F. The chocolate and butter can be melted over simmering water in a pot (a bain marie / double boiler), until they melt 75% of the way (and then stirred, off heat, to dissolve the rest of it). The eggs must be cleanly separated, making sure no fat or egg yolk is introduced into the egg whites. Colder eggs straight from the fridge are easier to separate. If you are not cooking the eggs (using raw eggs instead), make sure the eggs are at room temperature before whisking (easier to incorporate air). The egg whites must be cooked and whisked at high speed in a clean, dry bowl. Any fat will interfere with its ability to whisk into a meringue. You can use any electric mixer (stand mixer or hand mixer), to make whisking easier. If you’re melting chocolate and butter in the microwave, make sure to microwave in small intervals and stir in between. This ensures the heat is evenly distributed for even melting, and prevents the chocolate from burning. When incorporating the egg whites into the chocolate and yolk mixture, first add a little of the egg white and mix it in to “loosen” the chocolate mixture. The “looser” the chocolate mixture is, the easier it is to fold in the rest of the egg whites. The same method goes for the whipped cream as well. Whisk chilled cream into soft peaks (or mid peaks). Then fold it in gently to prevent loss of whipped air. It’s that air that keeps this chocolate mousse deliciously light and airy.
Serving suggestions
For best results, make this recipe the day before you plan to serve, so that the chocolate mousse can set overnight. I also prefer to remove the chocolate mousse from the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving. It tastes better when slightly softened, but still cold. You can also allow the chocolate mousse to set in a large dish and have your guests spoon the mousse into individual dishes. Or you can portion it into individual serving dishes. Top it with plain whipped cream (flavored with some vanilla). I prefer not to sweeten the cream, but you have that option too. Chocolate shavings or a drizzle of chocolate sauce would be perfect on top! Here, I topped it with chocolate and salted caramel covered puffed rice. You could also serve this mousse with some raspberries or strawberries!
Chocolate mousse recipe variations
Mocha chocolate mousse – Use semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet chocolate. Dissolve 1 tsp of instant espresso in 1 tbsp vanilla extract and add this to the chocolate base. Milk chocolate mousse – Replace all of the chocolate with a good quality milk chocolate and proceed with the recipe. Orange chocolate mousse – You can use orange chocolate instead of bittersweet chocolate, OR you can add some orange extract and cointreau to the mousse base.
Why this is my absolutely favorite chocolate mousse recipe!
This is safe for consumption for anyone because there’s no risk of eating raw eggs. But if this is not a concern to you, you can skip the cooking phase and still get great results! I can use bittersweet chocolate for when I crave an intense chocolate flavor, but switch it up with semisweet or milk chocolate for other chocolate mousse variations, and still get perfect results. It’s airy, creamy, melt in your mouth smooth, and very chocolatey. It’s a great recipe. Plus it’s everything you’d expect from a perfect chocolate mousse!
