There is something romantic about mousse. Perhaps it's the chocolate or the combination of light airiness and rich flavor, but whatever it is I think chocolate mousse makes a perfect treat for Valentines Day or any other holiday occasion.
The first time I made this mousse was by special request of my friend, Rose. It's her favorite dessert and she loaned me her copy of Julia Child's The Way to Cook so I could make this for her. It was the first Julia Child recipe I ever made and after tasting the rich, decadent chocolate I knew this would be my go to recipe for chocolate mousse. I decided I needed my own copy of this informative cookbook and it's now one of my favorites.
I have made some minor modifications to suit my taste. Child's recipe calls for sweet or semisweet baking chocolate, but I use a mix of semisweet and bittersweet. She also said to put the mixing bowl on ice when whipping the cream, but I cheat and chill the bowl in the refrigerator instead. Once it's made, the mousse needs several hours to chill, so plan ahead, but it's well worth the wait. The recipe makes enough for up to eight servings, so I've included instructions to make it for two.
RAW EGG WARNING: You should take care to use the freshest available eggs and make sure that they are stored properly.
Chocolate Mousse
Equipment
- 2 to 3 quart pot
- stand mixer with whisk attachment or a hand mixer and large bowl
- extra mixing bowl, chilled (I put it in the refrigerator about 30 minutes ahead of time.)
- serving bowls or martini glasses
Ingredients
- 4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate
- 4 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate
- ¼ cup strong coffee
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
- 3 eggs (separated, at room temperature)
- 2 cups heavy cream (divided)
- ¼ cup confectioners sugar (sifted)
Preparation
MOUSSE
- Break up the chocolate into pieces and put into the pot with the coffee. Heat on low, just until the chocolate melts and can be stirred together. Add the butter and whisk it in as it melts. Beat in the egg yolks one by one. Set aside.
- Bring the chilled bowl out and pour in 1 cup of the heavy cream. Whisk the cream until it is soft and clings to the whisk, but not stiff. Set aside.
- In the bowl of the stand mixer (or in large bowl with hand mixer) beat the egg whites until you have soft peaks. Continue to beat while adding the confectioners sugar a spoonful at a time, until you have stiff shiny peaks.
- Drizzle the chocolate down the sides of the bowl with the egg whites and fold them together. When they are almost blended, fold in the whipped cream.
- Spoon into servings bowls or martini glasses. Cover and chill for several hours.
WHIPPED CREAM
- Chill the clean mixing bowl again. Pour in the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream. Whisk until you have soft peaks. Pipe through a pastry bag or dollop with a spoon onto the chilled mousse and serve.
Recipe Notes
- 1-½ ounces (43 g) semisweet baking chocolate
- 1-¼ ounces (35 g) bittersweet baking chocolate
- 1 tablespoon (20 ml) strong coffee
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons/28 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg, separated, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) heavy cream, divided (⅓, ⅓)
- 1 tablespoon (11 g) confectioners sugar, sifted
Val says
mmmmmmmmousse!
Peter says
I want, must have...will beg.
Ben says
I don't like making anything for Valentine's day, that's the only day of the year where I can go out and not cook! LOL I love your pictures, they made me hungry for something sweet :-p
Lynda says
That looks so addictive! And the picture is beautiful!
Robin says
Hubby is allergic to coffee - can I make this and not include this ingredient? Will it still work?
Thanks 🙂
Erin says
This looks so rich and delicious!
lisa (dandysugar) says
I love the texture of your mousse, it's so thick and creamy. A truly decadent treat. Makes me want chocolate now! Delicious!
Alisa - Frugal Foodie says
I am not a chocoholic, but this really looks incredible. Another one bookmarked ... for some dairy-free fanagaling of course 😉
Andrea says
Thanks! Robin, the liquid is important for the consistency of the chocolate, so if not using coffee you can use just water or a liqueur instead.
MaryBeth says
This looks absolutely perfect,restaurant quality.
finsmom says
What a beautiful presentation! Great photos!
Carol, Simply...Gluten-free says
This is my first time to your blog, it is really lovely and I will be back!
MyKitchenInHalfCups says
That's brilliant to have it for two! I'll just have to remember to save that tablespoon of coffee from the morning.
When I was pregnant the first time I experienced what I called my Chocolate Week. It seemed for about 10 days I just wanted to eat chocolate. That was my first time making mousse.
Gudrun says
we had chocolate mousse for VDay too - I followed a recipe that cooked both the yolks and whites, which nearly led to two cooking disasters (curdled custard and overcooked sugar syrup). Fortunately, it worked out in the end.
A good chocolate mousse is so enjoyable - thank you for sharing this much easier recipe!
Scott at Realepicurean says
I haven't done many mouses before so perhaps I better practise by using this recipe?
RecipeGirl says
This looks like a completely decadent and luscious dessert... the kind I'm supposed to be avoiding during my healthy lifestyle kick! I love to live vicariously through the food blogs. I can *almost* taste it!!
Lynda at TasteFood says
This is satisfying my chocolate cravings. I love mousse, too. It's all about the quality of the ingredients!
Sam says
Mmmm, that looks so good!
Sudeshna says
While searching for a good recipe for chocolate mousse, I landed in this post. Loved the recipe and the images look so tempting.