Have you ever tasted French Chocolate Mousse? I’m talking about real chocolate mousse, not the instant or quick versions that use gelatin or cool whip.
They may make fine cake fillings, but once you’ve had the real thing, there is no substitute for Real Chocolate Mousse.
Trust me when I tell you, once you taste this chocolate mousse, you’ll never be happy with the imitators.
What ingredients do I need to make Real Chocolate Mousse?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Chocolate Mousse. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
The first step in making this classical French dessert is melting the chocolate. Using a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water will melt the chocolate easily.
Once the chocolate has melted add the butter to the chocolate and fold it into the melted chocolate. Set aside and let the chocolate cool.
Add the egg yolks to the bowl of your mixer and begin to whip them until doubled in size, then begin to slowly pour the sugar in a steady stream into the yolks. Continue to whip for another minute.
Add the Kahlua and coffee to the whipped eggs.
Can I add another liqueur to my Chocolate Mousse?
You sure can! Some of my other favorite liqueurs to add to chocolate are:
- Peppermint Liqueur
- Chambord
- Frangelico
- Gran Mariner or Cointreau
**You can also add your favorite extract instead of using liqueurs
Using a double boiler method whip the mixture over a pot of simmering water until it thickens. **This will also cook the egg yolks.
Transfer the mixture to your stand mixer bowl and whip until it cools (2-3 minutes).
When the sabayon has cooled fold the chocolate into the sabayon. Completely incorporate the chocolate into the sabayon.
**Do this by hand, don’t use an electric mixer.
Slowly whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks.
What’s the secret to making Whipped Cream?
The mistake that everyone makes when whipping cream is doing it too quickly. The secret to whipped cream that will last for days is doing it slowly.
Start out at a low setting and gradually turn up the speed of the mixer over 10 minutes. Don’t over whip the cream or you’ll get butter!
Chef Dennis Tip:
I prefer using heavy whipping cream vs. whipping cream. It holds its shape longer and produces a creamier result. Most heavy cream in grocery stores is 36% but if you can find 40% cream go for it.
Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream.
After you’ve folded the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, you’re done.
The chocolate will firm up the colder it gets. It’s best to place the Chocolate Mousse into the serving dishes before it fully sets up.
**The chocolate mousse can be rewhipped if necessary.
The chocolate mousse is perfect by itself, or served with berries. But you can also use the mousse to make other desserts:
- Chocolate mousse pie (pie shell or springform pan)
- Second layer on a cheesecake
- Used between layers of a cake
Recipe FAQ’s
Pudding is usually made with milk and cooked. It’s thickened with cornstarch which activates when heated with the milk. Mousse is not cooked and is thickened by adding whipped heavy cream to the mixture. As the melted chocolate cools, it thickens the mousse and gives you that rich silky texture which is due to the cooked egg sabayon, which is folded into the mousse. Pudding is semisolid and dense, while chocolate mousse is lighter and much richer.
If you want to make the mousse look lighter and airier after being refrigerated, simply re-whip the mousse. that will fluff it up a bit and make it easier to serve and more visually appealing.
Traditionally mousse is made with dark chocolate to give it that rich taste that only dark chocolate can give. You can, of course, use milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate to make the mousse. Just don’t use baking chips! Baking chips will work, but they have ingredients added to keep them solid. Use the best bar chocolate you can find.
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Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 13 oz semisweet chocolate finely cut (milk or bittersweet chocolate can be used)
- 6 tbsp butter softened 3 oz
- ½ cup sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- ¼ cup strong black coffee or espresso
- ¼ cup Kahlua **If you can't use alcohol, substitute with black coffee or espresso
- 3 cups heavy cream
Instructions
Chocolate
- Place the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl, over a pot of simmering water, stir with a rubber spatula as the chocolate melts, if the pan starts to get too hot, remove it from the heat.
- Continue to stir the chocolate until it has melted completely, then remove from the heat.
- Cut the butter into 8 pieces and mix it into the melted chocolate until it has been completely absorbed by the chocolate.
- Set the chocolate aside to cool to room temperature
Sabayon
- Add the egg yolks to the bowl of your mixer and begin to whip them until doubled in size, then begin to slowly pour the sugar in a steady stream into the yolks. Continue to whip for another minute.
- Add the coffee and Kahlua to the egg yolk mixture and place your mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk the yolk mixture until it becomes very thick.
- When the egg yolks have thickened, continue to whip in your stand mixer until the mixture has cooled.
Combining
- When the sabayon has cooled, fold it into the chocolate mixture until well blended.
- Whip the cream in your stand mixer until it holds its shape, then fold it into the chocolate mixture.The secret to making perfect whipped cream is to do it slowly. Start at a low speed and increase the speed over 10 minutes until firm peaks have formed.
- The chocolate mousse will set as it gets colder. Place the mouse in serving dishes berfore it completely chills. The chocolate mousse can be re-whipped if it sets before you put it into serving dishes.
Monica
How long to cook the egg yoke mixture over the simmering water. It doesn’t seam to thicken up.
Chef Dennis Littley
It should only take 5-8 minutes. If it’s not thickening up, you don’t have enough heat under the bowl. There should be about an inch of water in a saucepot with a heatproof bowl sitting on top. The water needs to come to a boil and then simmer while whisking.
Ann
Hi, I’m serving this to children so I won’t be using alcohol. With using 1/2 cups of coffee, will they taste coffee? I’m hoping for just a chocolate flavor.
Chef Dennis Littley
they won’t taste the coffee in the recipe, it just adds a depth of flavor to the chocolate. You can use decaf if you like or replace the coffee with hot chocolate.
Ann
Thank you very much.
Yes, I always add coffee into my chocolate cake and it makes it super chocolatey. I thought it was because after baking it, the flavors meld together and it becomes undetectable. Didn’t know it’s the same idea in a mousse. My nephews do not like the coffee flavor so if all they can taste is chocolate in the mousse, even with the 1/2 cup of coffee in it, then that’s good!
Rick
A chef friend adds the cream, unbeaten, to the egg mixture, hand whipping. Then folds in the cooled chocolate mixture. I’ve never found a recipe that does not whip the cream first, and that adds the chocolate last. It’s the best mouse I’ve ever had. Any comment?
Chef Dennis Littley
I’ve never seen that method before Rick, and in theory it should work. My question is are the eggs cooked? Because if he’s using raw eggs that could pose some serious health concerns.
Sam
Chef,
How can I use this recipe to make a lemon mousse, please?
Do I swap out the chocolate for lemon curd? Will it work the same way or do I need to do something different?
I’m going to try making your chocolate mousse for one cake, but I’m hoping to make a lemon mousse to fill a separate cake.
Thank you for the excellent recipes and guidance. Your tiramisu recipe is my “go-to”. Everyone in my house loves it.
Chef Dennis Littley
there is more to it than just swapping out the chocolate for lemon curd. I will add lemon mousse on my list of things to make, but since I haven’t tested a recipe I can’t really help with you the changes you need to make
Parker
Do you have suggestions for how to add texture to the mousse? To jazz it up? I’m having a “mousse-off” with a friend at a holiday party and I want to add a “wow” factor.
Chef Dennis Littley
This mousse will blow everyone away as is. As for texture, any type of chocolate chip or any other crunchy item will take away from the smoothness and mouthfeel of the mousse. I would just serve it with homemade whipped cream and watch everyone swoon as they taste it.
The only other option would be to make a mousse pie, with a chocolate graham crust and add a light layer of chocolate ganache to the top.