Chocolate mousse is one of the high-end luxurious desserts, but is quite simple to make. It is rich, airy, and deliciously chocolaty, and can impress anyone.
CHOCOLATE
Buying chocolate may seem simple, but for high-end desserts with chocolate as the main ingredient there’s more to it. Do not use chocolate chips because they have stabilizers in them, and taste drastically different than the bar type. Firstly, buy chocolate that is dark, that is of least 70% cocoa. Chocolate comes in various percentages, meaning the cocoa content. Semisweet, bittersweet, and unsweetened are all dark chocolates, but using 70% for this recipes works the best flavourwise. Semisweet falls around 55-62%, bittersweet is about 67-72%, and unsweetened is pure chocolate no sugar. So, use bittersweet or a dark chocolate with around 70% cocoa content for this recipe.
PREPARATION
Make sure that your eggs are room temperature. Egg whites achieve more volume when they room temperature. Also, room temperature eggs yolks prevent scrambling when mixed into the chocolate. On the other hand, use cold heavy cream, otherwise you’ll be whipping cream for a long time. Furthermore, whipping egg whites with cream of tartar helps to stabilize the egg whites, and the salt helps to break down the whites. Be sure to gently fold in the whites, and cream otherwise your mousse will not be airy.
RAW EGG CONCERNS
Yes, there are raw eggs in this recipe, but I would not worry about them. As long as the eggs are either high quality farm-bought or pasteurized there’s no real reason to worry. Also, Salmonella in eggs has decreased dramatically, and new methods of preservation, and processing makes it less likely for food poisoning.
CHILLING
This is probably the worst part of most no-bake desserts. You must let the mousse set for at least 4 hours, otherwise you will have an unset mousse that is room temperature. I would recommend making this a day in advance, so there’s no need to worry.
OTHER USES FOR CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
Chocolate mousse can be used in cakes, cake rolls, pies, and many other things. My personal favourite is a Tuxedo Cake, which is a chocolate cake with white and dark chocolate mousse layered into between the chocolate cake with fudgy brownies pieces.
WHY ONLY SOFT PEAKS?
Soft peaks allows easier folding of the whites, and cream into the chocolate. I’ve tested stiff peaks in this recipe, and there was no noticeable change in lightness.
Melt chocolate, butter, cinnamon, and espresso in a bowl over a pot of simmering water.
Quickly whisk in the egg yolks until smooth.
Whip egg whites with salt, and cream of tartar until frothy.
Gradually whisk in the sugar until soft peaks form.
Mix in a portion of the egg whites before gently folding in all the egg whites.
Whip heavy cream until it holds a soft peak.
Fold in the whipped cream until no streaks remain.
Divide among serving bowls, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Top with a dollop of lightly whipped cream, and chocolate shavings. Enjoy!
- 4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground espresso
- 4 large room temperature eggs, divided
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
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In a double boiler, melt chocolate, and butter with the cinnamon and espresso.
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Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture until smooth.
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Whip egg whites with cream of tartar, and salt until frothy.
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Gradually whisk in the sugar until whites hold a soft peak.
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Mix in a small portion of egg whites into the chocolate mixture until incorporated.
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Fold in the rest of the egg whites.
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Whisk heavy cream to soft peaks, and fold into chocolate until no streaks remain.
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Divide among serving bowls, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
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Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream, and chocolate shavings.
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Enjoy!