Chocolate Mousse, Elegant & Easy

Chocolate Mousse, at a Glance

✔️Skill Level: Intermediate
✔️Skills (some are linked to technique posts): making custard, tempering eggs, whipping cream, folding
✔️Type: Individual dessert
✔️Number of Ingredients: 7
✔️Prep Time: 10 minutes
✔️Cook Time: 10 minutes
✔️Yield: 10 1/2 cup servings

Related Posts: Why Is My Chocolate Mousse Grainy?
Jump Straight to the Recipe

This recipe is a keeper! Delicious rich chocolate flavor, not overly sweet. Light & smooth, this just melted in your mouth.

Reader Suzanne

Is Chocolate Mousse Really Fancy?

Believe it or not, chocolate mousse is a “kitchen dessert.” That means that it was a dessert that can be made in a small commercial kitchen in a busy French bistro, even during the dinner rush.

In other words, chocolate mousse doesn’t need to be made in a fancy, cold pastry kitchen.

So, while Americans tend to think of it as a fancy dessert, what it really is is three French staples blended together:

• creme Anglaise
• chocolate
• softly whipped cream

Let your guests think you’re fancy, but know that making this classic French dessert is pretty straightforward.

Why Make This Recipe

Rather than a super light and foamy texture, this chocolate mousse is creamy and as smooth as silk.

Since it has a fair bit of whipped cream folded in, it definitely has some bubbles too, but they are very, very fine, tiny bubbles that let this mousse melt in your mouth.

As opposed to a traditional mousse you might get in a bistro, this one has cooked egg yolks in it and doesn’t contain any whipped whites.

Many mousse recipes call for you to cook a sugar syrup to cook whipped egg yolks, but that can be kind of fussy. Making a custard also results in cooked egg yolks without having to use a thermometer.

It stays soft and spoonable for several days making it a great make-ahead dessert.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, I have a favor to ask:

How to Make It

If you don’t need step-by-step directions and just want to get on with it, you can skip straight to the recipe.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make a basic, custard-based chocolate mousse.

• chocolate: I used 50% dark chocolate chips and 50% milk chocolate chips. Other options are chopped chocolate bars or couverture if you are feeling fancy
• heavy cream: The dairy in the custard, provides milk solids, some sweetness from lactose, and butterfat
• whole milk: Or you can use half and half in place of both the heavy cream and whole milk
• granulated sugar: You don’t need a lot, and if you use sweeter chocolate, like all milk chocolate, you may find you don’t need any additional sugar at all
• corn syrup: Provides a little sweetness, but the main purpose is for texture and mouthfeel. You can leave it out if you are opposed to using corn syrup, and you can also substitute honey, Lyle’s golden syrup, or maple syrup, knowing that those substitutions will yield a different flavor. Do not just omit corn syrup without making a substitute. The liquid sugar lends itself to the mouthfeel, and leaving it out altogether will result in a mousse that sets up a bit too firmly.
• egg yolks: Yolks allow the custard to thicken, add fat to carry flavor, and contribute emulsifiers for a smooth mousse that won’t weep. I call for a range of 4-6 yolks. You could even go as high as 8 yolks for a full recipe. I used 5 and was very pleased with the richness, but you may want to tweak it to your own preference
• kosher salt: Salt brings all the flavors into focus and counteracts any bitterness from the chocolate. Please don’t leave it out.
• vanilla extract: A full recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon. You can use liquor like rum here, or use a liqueur for some or all of the vanilla. Again, feel free to tweak your additions to your preference

Procedure

In a nutshell, here’s how you make chocolate mousse:

1. Make custard
2. Pour over chopped chocolate
3. Fold together with whipped cream

To Make the Custard

This is a classic, French technique: heat sugar and dairy together, then temper the egg yolks with about half of the hot dairy.

Pour the heated yolks into the pan and continue to cook until the custard has thickened, then pour it through a fine mesh strainer into the bowl of chopped chocolate.

Adding the Chocolate

Pour the hot custard over the chocolate, allow it to sit for a minute or two, and then stir everything together until you end up with a super rich, shiny chocolate custard.

Let it cool to room temperature, which should take about 20-30 minutes.

If it’s cold in your kitchen, heat the bowl of chocolate in the microwave for about 30 seconds, just to make sure it all melts once you add the custard.

Finishing the Mousse

A full recipe requires 1 1/2 cups or 12 oz of heavy cream.

You can whip it by hand, which is what I did, or you can use a hand mixer or stand mixer.

The most important thing to remember is do NOT take the cream past medium peaks. You want it to hold its shape and not be runny, but it doesn’t need to stand up in peaks.

Once you have the cream nicely whipped, pour in the chocolate custard mixture.

Whisk the two together and then finish with a spatula, folding it until no streaks remain. Et voila: French bistro-style chocolate mousse!

Variations

Vary the flavor and chocolate intensity of this mousse in a few ways:

1. Add zest or spices to the custard to add flavor. Orange zest would be lovely as would cinnamon
2. Make it more intense (and firmer) by reducing the amount of cream you fold in from 340 grams/12 oz to 227-284 grams/8-10 oz. Or make it with 450 grams/16 oz of cream for a softer set and less-instense flavor
3. Switch up the chocolate you use. Use all dark chocolate, all milk chocolate, a good quality chocolate orange or mint chocolate bar, etc.
4. Use different liqueurs in place of or in addition to the vanilla. Likely suspects include Frangelico, Amaretto, Creme de Menthe, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Kahlua, Chambord, or Cointreau. You could also introduce a few drops of orange oil, peppermint oil, instant coffee, etc.
5. Introduce other flavors in the garnish. For example, I added instant coffee to the heavy cream I whipped to garnish my mousse. You could add some caramel sauce to it, add a little cocoa powder or even freeze-dried fruit powder.

Once you have the basic technique down: make custard, mix with chocolate, fold together with whipped cream, I encourage you to try any of these ideas or come up with your own.

Pro Tips

I hope I’ve given you all the information you need to be confident in making chocolate mousse. Here are a couple of points to remember:

Do not overwhip your cream. Stop whipping once it gets to soft or medium peaks. If you take it to stiff peaks, you run the risk of overwhipping it while you’re mixing it together with the chocolate custard, and this could result in grainy mousse.

Think about the occasion for which you’ll serve the mousse. Is it fancy? Think about cut glass or small wine glasses. For less formal presentation, use espresso mugs, teacups, or ramekins. You can also keep the mousse in a large container and scoop it to serve.

Chocolate Mousse Q & A

Serving Suggestions

In the above photo, I’ve garnished the mousse with whipped heavy cream with a little sugar, instant coffee, a pinch of salt, and vanilla extract. Then I used a small mesh strainer to dust some cocoa powder on top.

You could also really gild the lily by topping it with some white chocolate sauce or even some homemade chocolate syrup.

This mousse is so lovely and creamy-dense it would make a great cake filling. I encourage you to play with that idea, maybe to fill a chocolate mayonnaise cake or a 1-2-3-4 cake.

Have the cakes ready and spread the mousse on as soon as you’ve finished making it. Then it can set up in the fridge as a creamy, chocolate surprise in the middle of your cake!

Other Mousse and Custard Recipes

If you’re all about the creamy goodness, I have got you covered.

You may like to try my dark chocolate pudding, which is very similar to the base of this mousse but without eggs.

My caramel pumpkin mousse is a light and elegant alternative to pumpkin pie at the holidays.

If you love classic French desserts, consider making creme brulee or some pastry cream. Or for even more decadence, try my creme brulee cheesecake. Such a treat!

Questions?

If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.

Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.

If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.

A Note About Measurements

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Thanks so much for spending some time with me today.

I hope you enjoy the chocolate mousse.

Take care, and have a lovely day.