Dessert

Chocolate Mousse recipe

Name: Chocolate Mousse
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 75g dark chocolate (50% cocoa solids); 25g butter; 2 eggs, separated; 2 tbsp golden caster sugar; Chocolate shavings or fresh strawberries / raspberries to top; 1 tbsp alcohol (Optional. Tia Maria, Cointreau, Amaretto, etc)

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A rich yet light chocolate mousse topped with white chocolate. Choose dark chocolate with no more than 50% cocoa solids for a smoother texture.

Prep15m
Stand1h
Total1h 15m

chocolate quick

A rich yet light chocolate mousse topped with white chocolate.

Another great find from the BBC Good Food website. I'd previously tried Nigella's express recipe for chocolate mousse, which involves using marshmallows instead of egg whites, but I found it too heavy.

This version is lighter but still rich thanks to the butter, egg yolks and chocolate.

You can add a tablespoon of Tia Maria, Cointreau, etc, but it's fine without. Just make sure to use a dark chocolate with 50% cocoa solids. If the cocoa percentage is higher then the mousse will take on a grainy texture*.

The first time I made this it took a while to combine the chocolate with the whisked egg white and I felt like I'd taken all the air out of the mixture. A tip from a comment on the original recipe is to mix a tablespoon of the egg white with the chocolate to loosen it before folding.

Ideally the mousse should chill in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours but if you can't wait, an hour will do.

★ ★ ★

* I recently made this with a 74% chocolate and it turned out delicious but grainy. I should follow my own advice.

Recipe

Chocolate Mousse

Prep15m
Stand1h
Total1h 15m

Serves: 4

Ingredients

75g dark chocolate (50% cocoa solids)
25g butter
2 eggs, separated
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
Chocolate shavings or fresh strawberries / raspberries to top
1 tbsp alcohol (Optional. Tia Maria, Cointreau, Amaretto, etc)

Method

Melt 75g of chocolate and 25g of butter in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water (making sure that the bowl doesn't touch the water) or use a microwave set to a low power. Once melted, stir in 2 egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of alcohol if using.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the whites from 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons of sugar together until you have a stiff and shiny mixture. This took a few minutes to achieve with my hand held electric whisk.
Mix 1 tablespoon of the egg white mixture into the chocolate to loosen it a little.
Gently fold the melted chocolate into the egg white mixture until everything has combined. Spoon into four glasses or ramekins. Top with shaved white chocolate and chill in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours.
If using fresh raspberries or strawberries, wait until the mousse has set before topping.