Our Decadent Chocolate Mousse Uses Just 5 Ingredients and Is Easy Enough for Beginners to Make (2024)

Dessert lovers of the world rejoice! This chocolate mousse recipe is the ultimate sweet treat for chocoholics. You have probably ordered this elegant dessert at your favorite restaurant, but it’s deceptively simple to make at home. Even beginners will ace this recipe the first time around. (Learning how to make chocolate mousse is a rite of passage, in our opinion.)

Perhaps the best part of this chocolate mousse recipe is that it only has five ingredients—egg yolks, sugar, heavy cream, bittersweet chocolate, and vanilla. Simple, quality ingredients are key to this perfectly decadent dessert.

Surprise your dinner guests with mousse and they'll swoon over dessert (and think you spent hours toiling away in the kitchen).

Our Decadent Chocolate Mousse Uses Just 5 Ingredients and Is Easy Enough for Beginners to Make (1)

These Quick Chocolate Desserts Will Appeal to Anyone with a Sweet Tooth

What Is Mousse?

Mousse is one of the most rich and decadent desserts and is often made with chocolate. Either whipped cream or beaten egg whites (sometimes both!) are folded into a mixture of melted chocolate, egg yolks, and sugar, then chilled.

This recipe is designed to be foolproof. It uses whipped cream, because it's a little more stable and easy to work with than egg whites. When you scoop into this chocolate mousse, it will be rich but light as a feather.

Why This Recipe Works

  • Whipped cream is less temperamental than egg whites. The mousse will always hold its lofty height and airy texture.
  • We fold in the whipped cream gently. The first third of the whipped cream is used to lighten the chocolate mixture, but the rest should be folded in with a silicone spatula just until no obvious white streaks are visible.
  • We use bittersweet chocolate. It has the richest, most chocolatey flavor and less added sugar. That way, we can control the sweetness level of the mousse.

Choosing the Right Chocolate

We love to use bittersweet chocolate in mousse because it contains less sugar but isn't too bitter, despite its name. Semisweet chocolate can be seamlessly substituted. Milk chocolate is also a good option, but the texture will be a little different. Since milk chocolate contains dairy, the mousse might be somewhat looser.

Most importantly, you should choose a good quality chocolate for the mousse—a chocolate that you'd want to eat on its own. A good mousse is only as good as the chocolate it uses. Look for brands like Guittard or Valrhona.

Making Chocolate Mousse in Advance

This chocolate mousse needs to chill for at least 30 minutes, but the longer the better. Mousse is the perfect recipe to make ahead of time in preparation for a celebration or dinner party. It will last in the refrigerator for up to three days, and the flavor will only get better over time.

Directions

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  1. Combine yolks, sugar, and cream:

    In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 3/4 cup heavy cream.

    Our Decadent Chocolate Mousse Uses Just 5 Ingredients and Is Easy Enough for Beginners to Make (3)

  2. Cook:

    Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until mixture coats back of spoon, 3 to 4 minutes (do not boil).

    Our Decadent Chocolate Mousse Uses Just 5 Ingredients and Is Easy Enough for Beginners to Make (4)

  3. Add melted chocolate and vanilla:

    Remove from heat; whisk in melted chocolate and vanilla.

    Our Decadent Chocolate Mousse Uses Just 5 Ingredients and Is Easy Enough for Beginners to Make (5)

  4. Strain and chill:

    Strain into a bowl; chill until cool.

    Our Decadent Chocolate Mousse Uses Just 5 Ingredients and Is Easy Enough for Beginners to Make (6)

  5. Whip cream:

    With an electric mixer, beat remaining 1 1/4 cups heavy cream with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form.

    Our Decadent Chocolate Mousse Uses Just 5 Ingredients and Is Easy Enough for Beginners to Make (7)

  6. Fold cream into mousse:

    Stir 1/3 of whipped cream into cooled custard mixture, then gently fold in the rest with a rubber spatula.

    Our Decadent Chocolate Mousse Uses Just 5 Ingredients and Is Easy Enough for Beginners to Make (8)

  7. Chill mousse:

    Spoon into serving dishes; chill, covered, at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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Our Decadent Chocolate Mousse Uses Just 5 Ingredients and Is Easy Enough for Beginners to Make (10)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between chocolate mousse and pudding?

While the ingredients are similar, chocolate pudding is cooked on the stove to activate the cornstarch or flour, depending on the recipe. Mousse is not cooked. It develops its airy texture just from whipped cream. Texturewise, pudding is thicker and denser, while mousse is lighter and more delicate.

Why does chocolate mousse go grainy?

Mousse can become grainy as it sets if you overwhip the heavy cream. If you take the cream too far, the milk solids will start to separate, leaving your mousse with a slightly grainy texture. Whip the heavy cream just until firm peaks hold on the whisk.

Why does chocolate mousse not set?

A runny mousse that won't set is caused by the opposite of the reason for grainy mousse. If your mousse won't set, it is most likely because you have under-whipped the heavy cream. Perfectly whipped cream will stabilize the mousse as it sets in the refrigerator.

More Mousse Recipes to Try:

  • Chocolate-Mousse Parfaits
  • Triple-Chocolate Peppermint Trifle
  • Easy Chocolate Mousse
  • S'mores Chocolate Mousse
  • Lemon Mousse
  • Espresso Mousse
  • Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cakes

Originally appeared: Everyday Food, December 2003

Our Decadent Chocolate Mousse Uses Just 5 Ingredients and Is Easy Enough for Beginners to Make (2024)

FAQs

What are the four basic components of a mousse? ›

Four basic components of a Mousse

Mousse is a light and airy dessert made with eggs, sugar, heavy cream, and flavoring. All mousses have four basic components: aerated egg yolks, whipped egg whites, whipped cream, and a flavoring base.

What is chocolate mousse made of? ›

Mousse is one of the most rich and decadent desserts and is often made with chocolate. Either whipped cream or beaten egg whites (sometimes both!) are folded into a mixture of melted chocolate, egg yolks, and sugar, then chilled.

What is very crucial when making a mousse? ›

This is probably the most crucial step and it's what really defines the consistency of your mousse: adding air bubbles into the mouse. There are roughly two ways to do so: Whisk an ingredient that's good at holding onto air itself, such as heavy cream or eggs. Whip the chocolate mousse as it's cooling down.

What makes a good mousse? ›

The whipped cream and egg whites also provide fat and protein, which give the mousse its rich and smooth mouthfeel. Additionally, the use of high-quality chocolate can contribute to the creaminess of the mousse, as the cocoa butter in the chocolate can help to create a smooth and silky texture.

What is the base of a mousse? ›

The mousse base is going to be one of two things: a custard (like crème anglaise) or a pate a bombe, which is egg yolks and/or whole eggs whipped with hot sugar syrup. I prefer a pate a bombe because it creates a richer, creamier mousse.

What's the difference between chocolate mousse and chocolate pudding? ›

Pudding is meant to be thick, soft, and silky, and is, therefore, a lot less airy than mousse. This difference in texture lies in preparation. Pudding requires heat to come together with the right consistency, whereas mousse simply needs to be whipped together.

What are common mistakes when making mousse? ›

Not following the whipping time given in the recipe and over whipping separates the cream into butter, which gives a grainy and broken texture to your mousse.

Is mousse just whipped pudding? ›

Mousse is made by folding beaten egg whites or whipped cream into a cold milk and sugar base. Unlike pudding, mousse is not cooked and the addition of air to the mixture leads to a fluffier consistency and lighter texture. Mousse is typically served chilled or frozen.

Why is chocolate mousse so good? ›

Chocolate mousse is a staple among chocolate desserts. It is very popular for all ages. Its texture is easy to recognize as it has a light, airy look, its chocolate flavor is intense and it's soft and melting on the palate. This dessert is a real treat and a light and simple finale to any meal.

Why is my chocolate mousse not fluffy? ›

Not fluffy enough, not chocolatey enough, too sweet, grainy, etc etc. Many “easy” chocolate mousse recipes tend to use too much cream so the end result is more like custard, rather than aerated like real chocolate mousse should be.

What are the two types of mousse? ›

Sweetened mousse is served as a dessert or used as an airy cake filling. It is sometimes stabilized with gelatin. Savoury mousses can be made from meat, fish, shellfish, foie gras, cheese, or vegetables. Hot mousses often get their light texture from the addition of beaten egg whites.

What are the characteristics of a good mousse? ›

In fact it should spoon very easily without being too firm and melt very nicely away on our tongue. It also needs to be light in consistency, too much fat can make the mousse heavy and simply too rich. After eating a serving of chocolate mousse we should not feel “Full”, but rather satisfied.

Can you over whip mousse? ›

If you over-whip the cream, you'll end up with a grainy mousse (although you can try to remedy it by whisking in a few extra tablespoons of cream). An electric hand mixer and a nice big bowl are my tools of choice, but a big balloon whisk and a chilled mixing bowl work well, too.

Why is my chocolate mousse gritty? ›

Why is my chocolate mousse grainy? Temperature is one of the most important factors to consider when making chocolate mousse. If your chocolate becomes grainy when you add the whipped egg whites or cream, it has cooled too much and hardened into small grains.

What is traditional mousse made of? ›

Mousse is the stuff of dessert dreams: incredibly light and also ridiculously rich. At its most basic, mousse is made by folding aerators into a base. These aerators can be whipped cream, meringue (egg whites + sugar), pâte à bombe (whole eggs and/or egg yolks + sugar), or a combination.

What constitutes a mousse? ›

mousse, savoury or sweet dish with the consistency of a dense foam, composed of a puréed chief ingredient mixed with stiffly beaten egg whites, whipped cream, or both. Mousses are almost always cold dishes, and sweet mousses are sometimes served frozen.

What does hair mousse contain? ›

A polymer or resin is the most effective and important component of hair mousse, which acts as a conditioning agent. These resins are long chain molecules that form a film on the hair allowing a tighter grip on the hair strands, making it harder to brush off and form a resistant film.

What is mousse filling made of? ›

Heavy Cream – Heaving cream or heavy whipping cream can be used. To make dairy free and vegan chocolate mousse cake filling use coconut cream. Powdered Sugar – You need a fine sugar like powdered sugar to help sweeten the whipped cream and give it a smooth consistency.

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