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This classic chocolate mousse recipe is thick, creamy, and loaded with chocolate flavor! Use good quality chocolate for the best texture and flavor. This is a great “make-ahead” chocolate dessert recipe!
Easy Chocolate Mousse
I haven’t been baking a lot these days. It’s just too darn hot! But that doesn’t mean I’m not making my family dessert. Instead of baking, I’m simply opting for no bake recipes that don’t require me to turn on the oven.
Which is where this decadent chocolate mousse recipe comes into the picture! It’s simply divine. The mousse is light and airy… yet rich and intensely chocolatey. It’s an easy dessert that looks fancy and tastes like a dream come true. Dessert genius? I think so!
Ingredients for Chocolate Mousse
- Dark Chocolate: I highly suggest using good quality chocolate, such as Ghiradelli or Lindt, and not chocolate chips. A bittersweet chocolate, anywhere between 60% and 78% will ensure the mousse is rich and not too sweet.
- Egg Yolks: You don’t have to worry about raw eggs in this recipe. You cook the egg yolks in the custard mixture. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature! Save your egg whites for one of my recipes that calls for whipped egg whites.
- Granulated Sugar: Just a small amount helps sweeten this dessert. If you want a sweeter chocolate mousse, I suggest using a semi-sweet chocolate instead of bittersweet.
- Heavy Cream: Aka heavy whipping cream. Use this in the mousse filling as well as in the whipped cream topping. Do not sub milk or half-and-half for real cream.
- Vanilla Extract: For the best flavor, use high-quality REAL vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla.
- Espresso Powder: You can click here to check out my fave espresso powder. It won’t make the chocolate mousse taste like coffee. Instead, it deepens and intensifies the chocolate flavor. But If you don’t have this ingredient, you may leave it out.
- Salt: I love using fine sea salt in this recipe, but in a pinch, table salt will work.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Aka powdered sugar. This is a must-have for making perfectly whipped cream.
How to Make Chocolate Mousse
- Make the Mousse Base: The melted chocolate mixture is super easy to make. The most crucial step is paying attention to the cream while it’s on the stovetop. You never want to let it come to a full boil.
- Chill the Chocolate Mixture: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. You want it super cold before you add in the whipped cream!
- Make the Whipped Cream: Use an electric mixer to beat the remaining heavy cream. You’ll want it to form stiff peaks. Then fold the cream into the chocolate mixture. At this point you can also make a separate batch of whipped cream for topping.
- Dish and Serve: Spoon the mousse into dessert cups, top with whipped cream, and chocolate shavings, and serve at once!
Equipment for this Recipe
The Best Chocolate Mousse Recipe
This classic chocolate mousse recipe is thick, creamy, and loaded with chocolate flavor! Use good quality chocolate for the best texture and flavor. This is a great "make-ahead" chocolate dessert recipe!
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Mousse:
- 14 ounces 72% dark chocolate finely chopped
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar
- 4 cups (908ml) heavy cream divided (steps 3,4,and,6)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (57g) confectioners' sugar
- chocolate shavings garnish, optional
Instructions
For the Chocolate Mousse:
- Place the chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Set aside.
- In a large-bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is thick, smooth, and deeply yellow. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-heat, warm two cups (454ml) of the cream just until it comes to a simmer. Remove the pan from heat and slowly whisk half of the hot cream into the egg yolk /sugar mixture, whisking constantly and adding it very gradually, to temper the mixture.
- Slowly add another half cup of cream (113ml) into the bowl and whisk well to combine. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to easily coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes (do not bring the mixture to a boil).
- Slowly pour the warm mixture over the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is smooth and melted, then whisk in the vanilla, espresso powder, and salt. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 1 to 2 hours.
- Once the chocolate mixture is chilled, beat the remaining 1 and 1/2 cups of the heavy cream (340ml) with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, mixing softly but thoroughly, until evenly combined.
- Spoon the mousse into dessert cups, top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, and serve at once!
For the Whipped Cream Topping:
- In a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar together until medium-stiff peaks form (it should be silky and lusciously smooth, but stiff enough to spoon on top of the mousse).
- Spoon on top of the mousse, top with chocolate shavings, and serve at once!
Notes
If you don’t want to serve right away, store the chocolate mousse in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Make whipped cream topping right before serving.
The heavy cream is divided among 3 steps: Step 3, 4, and 6. You use all 4 cups in the mousse. 2 and 1/2 cups in the chocolate mixture, then 1 and 1/2 cups in the whipped cream mixture that is folded into the mousse.
The heavy cream called for in the mousse recipe is separate than the heavy cream called for for the whipped cream topping.
Tried it and loved it?Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram @Bakerbynature and by using the hashtag #BakerByNature
What do you do with the egg whites?
You can save them for another recipe (or make an egg white omelette). You can even freeze them!
An absolute hit at the Christmas Eve dinner party I attended and brought individual servings of this Chocolate Mousse!! Folks kept going back for another and another serving.
The flavor was was “just enough” rich and the consistency was “light”, so the perfect combination.
I am definitely keeping this recipe for other events.
Thank you! ❤️
Well explained
Thanks
Hello – it seems you used only three cups of the 4 cups in the recipe? 1.5 cups before chilling and 1.5 cups whipped, after chilling?
Hi Jill. All 4 cups are used, but it’s divided among steps. In step 3, you’ll use 2 cups of the heavy cream. Then in step 4, you use another 1/2 cup. Finally, in step 6, you use the remaining 1 and 1/2 cups.
Could I replace the cream with coconut milk/ cream due to allergies
Thanks
I am a chocoholic so this is up my ally ty 🙂
I want to fill with a mold and put in freezer is that possible? and do you have a good ganach recipe for it?
ty
Can chocolate mousse be frozen?
Can you increase the servings to eight from this recipe?
Hi,Ashley, Thank you for this recipe. This looks really yummy.
I will try it myself.
Hi!! This looks really yummy. What capacity dessert cups do you suggest? ( no rating, since I’ve not yet made this.)
Hi Liesel! I used 4 ounce cups, but any smaller sized dessert dishes will work great 🙂