Chocolate Mousse

This recipe ended up in a very smooth, quite chocolately pudding, but without the whipped egg whites, it doesn't have the lovely airiness that I would want. I also think it could have a stronger chocolate flavour.

• eloves

• Australia

• 2/15/2021

Followed the recipe as written and it is delicious!! Several people commented on the custard temperature. I took it to 155 degrees, but slowly. Light, chocolatey fabulous!! I will make this again.

• kim.motes5112

• Minneapolis, Mn

• 2/14/2021

It was my first time making mousse and I have no idea whether I made the custard correctly, but wow, it turned out delicious. Like some other people, I also skipped the straining step. There were a few small lumps that were long gone by the time I chilled the mousse.

• jkronstadt

• Gaithersburg, MD

• 12/28/2019

This is so a keeper! I understand that there’s no egg white but with the issues we have with contamination I can live with the compromise. I swear I have never had a problem with this recipe. The only problem is cutting in the whipped cream...it can take a strong arm. I’ve made it with bittersweet and semisweet chocolate and both have been dreamy. What really has blown me away is the possibility of adding flavorings...alcohol, fruit whatever goes with chocolate and what doesn’t? . The point is follow the recipe and don’t be intimidated it works! Friends will love it ❤️

• beadgean

• San Francisco, CA

• 8/16/2019

This is delish. I didn't alter the ingredients at all but I did change the methodology. For reviewers who complained about using too many dishes: I made the custard and cooked it to 150 degrees. Instead of melting the chocolate, I put chopped chocolate directly into the custard, no straining required. Once the custard cooled I folded it into the whipped cream and then chilled as directed. An easy make ahead dessert. Perfectly smooth and silky.

• ditte61

• college park, md

• 4/21/2019

Just made this BEST Chocolate Mousse Recipe EVER!!! I HATE egg whites in chocolate mousse so this is my keeper thank you!

• reginabee

• nj

• 4/12/2019

I made this about 8 years ago. I signed up to epicurious again to get this recipe. It's great!

• djgaines

• New Zealand

• 3/18/2018

I've never made a mousse of any kind before, so this one was way easy. I looked at a lot of recipes over the past week trying to find a traditional recipe, not one made with pudding and Cool Whip, that didn't read like heart surgery instructions. Well it hasn't set yet, but the fact that I basically licked the mixing bowl clean after means it should come out just fine.

• Navybass2

• Dallas, TX

• 1/20/2018

It was easy and quick. I took the advice of a few reviewers and added some of the egg whites, whipped with cream of tartar, to make it lighter. It was for my brother's birthday. He gave it a thumbs up "Perfect. Delicious, light, and not too sweet."

• pweeks

• New JerseyNewPrincetonNew Jersey

• 11/13/2017

Don't be afraid to make this recipe! If you have or can create 2 double boilers this recipe is almost full proof. The technique is like a sabignon except the cream needs to be hot. Melt the chocolate as you prefer remembering that you can have small chunks of chocolate left after the active heating and they will continue to melt with residual heat. Ok for the custard heat the cream in one double boiler. I've never had any problems with over heating. You probably want to do this as you mix egg yolks,salt and sugar. Now set the egg mixture on the second double boiler and whisk in hot cream. At this point I do use a temperature probe. This method should remove the major problems for this mousse. The only other thing I can think to note is don't over mix the whipped cream into the chocolate base. It needs all the air to keep it light. NOW for the easy part...try to leave some for someone else! This is delicious!

• beadgean

• San Francisco

• 4/13/2017

我已经做了很多次这样的经历。这不是最简单的recipe - I have messed up several times too. Every step has to be perfectly timed and the correct temperature - if too hot or too cool it can go wrong. It also uses a LOT of dishes and bowls. That being said, it's worth the trouble. 160 F is too high for the custard... it always ends up scrambled if you try to reach that temp. I heat to 140 which is when it coats the back of the spoon, and lower heat is better but it takes longer. I have salvaged custard that was looking a bit scrambled by using a stick blender at high speed. I have also salvaged the chocolate that looked a bit grainy using the same technique. Make sure you have everything ready with the whipping cream and the egg whites (I also always whip the egg whites and use 3/4 of them folded in with the whipped cream to lighten the texture) because I find the custard and chocolate mixture cools fast. Straining the custard is an absolute must to get a perfectly creamy texture. I have added different flavours - cinnamon and/or cayenne pepper to the mousse, I have also added pure peppermint essential oil (not peppermint extract) to very lightly sweetened whipped cream served on top and garnished with a fresh mint sprig. Wonderful Christmas time dessert. The real peppermint oil adds an amazing, authentic cool minty flavour. Pure essential oil is very strong, you only need a few drops. I personally find it's better when you use a more bitter chocolate vs. a milk chocolate. I usually use 70% cocoa chocolate for 3/4 and add 1/4 milk chocolate. It's delicious and everyone loves it.

• oakvillejen

• Oakville, Ontario

• 12/13/2016

This is way too complicated and some steps are superfluous. Eggs should be cooked over steam to prevent lumps and then the chocolate should be added to the custard. No need for straining and messing extra dishes.

• Anonymous

• NJ

• 7/31/2016

Good, though some trouble-shooting items: 1. To prevent egg scrambling, I would recommend against cooking mixture to 160 (unless maybe you're pregnant and need to be careful about undercooked eggs). Instead, I would cook it, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a spoon. I would do this over low heat only (not medium-low). Never let your custard mixture come to simmer. Straining it is a good idea. 2. I would not cook the chocolate in the microwave for 3 minutes. That's a recipe for burnt, seized chocolate. If you're going to use a microwave, I'd do 20 seconds at a time, giving things a quick stir in between. Once it's *almost* completely melted (i.e. mostly melted with a few chunks still in there), I'd take it out and add the still-hot egg mixture-- it'll do the job of melting things the rest of the way. 3. I used 60% cacao chocolate, and while the mousse was good, I think it was not quite sweet enough. I would consider adding another tbsp of sugar. Or perhaps substituting honey for sugar, since it tastes sweeter. I don't tend to like overly sweet desserts, but this one could use a tiny bit more sweetness.

• KMangan12

• Burlington, VT

• 7/9/2016

Fantastic recipe; first time making this! I used 60% bittersweet Ghirardelli baking bar. Scalded heavy cream with vanilla, then allowed it to cool to 110 degrees. I added half of this to the beaten egg yolks/sugar mixture. Then added back to other half of heavy cream on stove top. Kept the heat on simmer, and cooked just before boiling; constantly stiring entire time. Added pieces of chocolate bar to custard; mixed until all choclate was melted and blended in. I placed this is the fridge to cool over night, however it was too hard in the morning so I placed in microwave for 30 seconds. This brought it back to about room temperature. Folded in remaining cream(stiff peaks). I thought it was too rich, so I beat an additional cup of heavy cream to stiff peaks and added to mousse. This made it very light and fluffy with an excellent, rich taste.

• ShellyV2

• New York, NY

• 5/29/2016

Sooo good! I'm a baking student and for our final, we have to make any type of mousse. I messed up my recipe we made in class so I wanted to find an easier recipe to make. I did what the other reviewers said and whipped the egg whites and added those in with the cream as well. But for an extra stabilizer I added cream of tartar. After setting in the fridge over night, it's so fluffy and soft! I used 2 chocolate bars that I got from world market that were a mix of milk chocolate and dark chocolate so it wouldn't be too rich. It's so good! I might try to use this recipe to make a lavender mousse to pair with it. I definitely recommend this recipe. It tastes like a chocolate milkshake haha

• Lindseythebaker

• California

• 5/19/2016