Dark Chocolate Mousse
A silky chocolate mousse set with whipped cream rather than raw egg, ready to chill in 20 minutes.
Classic mousse leans on raw egg white, which rules it out for a lot of tables. This version builds a ganache first, then folds whipped cream through it in two stages, which gives a texture closer to a chilled truffle than a foam. It is the more forgiving method as well: nothing can curdle and nothing has to be cooked to a temperature.
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How to make Dark Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
Quantities scale automatically. Cooking times stay the same.
Ganache base
To fold and finish
Equipment
- Heatproof bowl
- Electric whisk
- Six small glasses or ramekins
Method
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1
Make the ganache
Heat the 120 ml of cream with the caster sugar and salt until it steams and the sugar dissolves, then pour it over the chopped chocolate. Leave it 2 minutes without stirring, then stir from the middle outwards until glossy and smooth.
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2
Flavour and cool it
Stir in the vanilla and the espresso powder if you are using it, then leave the ganache to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Warm ganache would melt the cream you are about to fold in.
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3
Whip the cream
Whip the cold 300 ml of cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks that just hold their shape and still flop at the tip. Stiff cream will not fold in without knocking the air out of it.
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4
Slacken the base
Whisk about a third of the whipped cream into the cooled ganache until uniform. Sacrificing that first third makes the base light enough to accept the rest.
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5
Fold in the rest
Add the remaining cream in two additions, folding with a spatula down the middle and up the side of the bowl, stopping as soon as no pale streaks remain.
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6
Chill and serve
Spoon into glasses and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until set but still spoonable. Finish with grated chocolate and a few flakes of salt just before serving.
Cook’s tips
- Both temperatures matter: the ganache at room temperature, the cream straight from the fridge. Get either wrong and the mousse goes grainy or loose.
- Chop the chocolate finely. Large chunks do not melt fully in hot cream and leave a gritty texture.
- Fold, do not stir. The air you whipped into the cream is the only thing making this a mousse.
Variations
- Fold in the zest of an orange, or 2 tablespoons of rum or brandy, with the vanilla.
- Layer it in glasses with crushed biscuits and raspberries for a quick trifle.
- Use a good dairy-free dark chocolate and coconut cream chilled overnight for a vegan version.
Storage and make-ahead
Keeps covered in the fridge for 3 days; press cling film to the surface or the top will skin. It does not freeze well, as the cream separates on thawing.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 404 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 23 g |
| Fat | 33 g |
| Fibre | 3 g |
| Sugar | 19 g |
| Sodium | 45 mg |
Nutrition is estimated from ingredient averages and will vary with brands and portioning.
