Easy Chocolate Mousse uses only three ingredients for the richest chocolatey taste. Optionally add some brandy for a really decadent dessert.
Easy Chocolate Mousse
I love an easy Chocolate Mousse. I've made a few in my time that aren't easy or quick, but this one is. However, it does require three basic cooking skills:
1. Melting chocolate
There are two ways to do this - in the microwave or over a pan of simmering (at most) water. The details for both methods are in How to Melt Chocolate and the key points are:
Using the hot water method:
- Don't let the water boil
- Don't let the bowl of chocolate touch the water
Using the microwave:
- Don't try to do it quickly. Maybe 1 minute for the first blast if you've got a lot of chocolate, but usually 30 seconds. Have patience.
2. Whisking egg whites
I prefer an electric hand mixer, but a balloon whisk is fine - it just takes longer. I only use a stand mixer for egg whites when I've got a lot and I'm whisking them to a stiff peak (see below).
Do not let any egg yolk contaminate the whites or they will not whisk up.
There are three stages of egg white whisking:
Soft Peak
When you lift the whisk out of the bowl an turn it to the side (horizontal) the egg white sticks and forms a peak which quickly falls over. That's what we need for this mousse.
Medium Peak
Here the peak falls over about half-way.
Stiff Peak
The peak stays stiff and doesn't fall over - this is what you want for meringues.
3. Combining whisked egg white with other ingredients
Two rules to follow here for successfully combining two mixtures:
Add cooler ingredients to warmer
In this case, add the cooler egg whites to the warmer (but not hot) melted chocolate mix
Combine elements with the same texture
The whisked egg whites will have a looser texture than the chocolate/egg yolk mix. To give a smooth finished texture they need to be fairly similar so you need to 'slacken' the chocolate mixture by whisking in some of the whisked egg white (typically a quarter to a third of the total). Then the two elements will be fairly similar and folding in with a metal spoon will be easier.
Remember the point of folding in: to keep the air you've whisked into the egg whites in the finished mousse.
Helpful Tools
- Kenwood Hand Mixer – Makes light work of whisking egg whites. My new one is a 350W model and it’s a joy to use - it's brilliant for everything, but I also have a 150W model that I take on holiday (sad, I know) and that's all you need for egg whites, sauces, and the odd cake
Oxo Balloon Whisk - This is the best type of hand whisk for egg whites and sauces. Metal is best for eggs, although a silicone balloon whisk is good for sauces and non-stick pans.
Oxo Balloon Whisk - This is the best type of hand whisk for egg whites and sauces. Metal is best for eggs, although a If you like this...
...Why don’t you try:
The Ultimate Chocolate Brownies
Lemon Velvet - Lemon Chocolate Dessert
Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake
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Recipe
Easy Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 150 g chocolate, min. 70% cocoa
- 4 teaspoons 20ml caster sugar (20ml)
- Double cream to decorate, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate in a large mixing bowl over hot water or in the microwave in 30-second bursts.For detailed instructions see How to Melt Chocolate
- When the chocolate is almost melted, remove from the heat and stir until it's all melted
- Separate the eggs, being careful not to allow any of the yolk into the whites (or they won't whisk up)
- Put the yolks into a small bowl or cup. Put the whites into a medium bowl for whisking
- Whisk the egg whites into soft peaks.The tips will fall over onto themselves
- Use an electric hand-whisk or a balloon whisk, add the sugar, and whisk again briefly
- Stir the egg yolks quickly into the melted chocolate
- Whisk in a third of the egg white/sugar
- Fold the rest of the egg white very gently into the chocolate mixture with a metal spoon until just combined (be careful not to overmix).The idea is to keep as much air as possible in the mousse
- Put into bowls and refrigerate for at least four hours until set
- Decorate with cream if liked.
Video
Notes
Everyday Cooks Tips:
Variations:- Add a tablespoon (15ml) brandy after the egg yolks
Hermy says
Made this for the family. It came out a bit dense; not sure if it was because I beat the eggs into the melted chocolate rather than stirring it as the recipe states. It started to get very lumpy when I started stirring the whisked egg yolks so I ditched the stirring and used the electric whisk to mix. The family loved it, it was very moreish. They are asking me to make more.
Susie Collings says
Hi Hermy, If you beat the egg whites into the mousse they will lose the air that you've previously whisked into them. It's that air that gives a lighter texture. The flavour, of course, is unaffected - glad the family like them 🙂
Hermy Skew says
Hi, I folded the egg whites. That was not the issue. It is the whisked egg yolks that started going lumpy when stirring the chocolate and yolk mixture so I used the electric whisk to get it smooth (recipe says to stir). I was wondering if this affected the final texture? I would like to make this again and hopefully get it airy, so keen to find out what I could have done differently.
Susie Collings says
I wonder if the chocolate was too warm when you added the yolks, which would cook them? I don't think beating at that point would have much of an effect on the density. This is quite a dense mousse anyway. If you want something lighter in texture you could leave out the egg yolks altogether.
Susie Collings says
Hi Keziah, So glad you like the mousse. Baileys sounds a wonderful addition. Don't eat it all at once! Cheers - Susie
Keziah says
This was so easy to whip up and absolutely delicious! I replaced 75g of the dark chocolate with milk chocolate and added a dash of Baileys to make it extra creamy. A huge success!