Thanks for the feedback on my mousse project! As I anticipate typing the word “mousse” about a hundred times in the next couple days, I am totally waiting for “mouse” to slip into one of these posts and elude both the spellcheck and my mousse-addled eyes. If only I could blame Autocorrect when that happens…
Without further ado, mousse #2!
Chocolate Mousse #2: Egg Free
The second chocolate mousse in my lineup has a rather unexciting name like #1: it’s merely described as egg-free chocolate mousse. However, it’s definitely tasty, and it’s a good alternative for those people with egg allergies.
This is also the only mousse that relies almost entirely on gelatin to set the mousse. Although there’s whipped cream folded in, the amount of milk added means the mixture stays fairly liquid – unlike mousse #1, you can’t eat this straight from the mixing bowl (maybe you could drink it like the world’s richest chocolate milk). It requires time to set in the refrigerator, and it softens quickly once it’s taken out.
It’s almost like a Bavarian cream, except it’s even lighter since traditional Bavarian creams are made with a creme anglaise. In fact, the Cooking with Chocolate does contain a recipe for a Chocolate Bavarian Cream, but I didn’t make it as it was described as “one of the least chocolatey.” And, as I mentioned, I had run out of chocolate and refrigerator space. Maybe if I ever do a second go-round of this exercise, I’ll get to make this one.
The generous amounts of dairy give this egg-free mousse a fantastically soft and creamy mouthfeel. I feel like it almost straddles the line between mousse and pudding. Some people like their mousses thick and firm, while others prefer them light and soft. This mousse would be for the second group of fans. It practically dissolves in your mouth the second you lick it off the spoon.
All that milk also gives this mousse a lighter, milk-chocolately flavor. It’s almost the polar opposite of mousse #1: where the first is like standing outside in the summer sun, #2 is like spring sunlight streaming in through the window. It’s delicate and soft, like a childhood memory of chocolate mousse. In fact, this is probably a very kid-friendly chocolate mousse; it’s got comfort food written all over it.
Despite their being at opposite ends of the chocolate mousse spectrum, I think this is a great mousse for straight eating as well. It’s the airiest of the five, and the strong dairy component means it can show off flavor infusions well, if you feel like playing around with your mousses. In comparison, I probably be more judicious about adding flavors to mousse #1 because I think that recipe really showcases the chocolate, and I wouldn’t want other flavors to take away from that. This mousse is a more forgiving base to play around with.
So now you have probably the two most different mousses I made. The next few ones start to get closer in style, and the differences become more nuances. Stay tuned!
- adapted from Cooking with Chocolate
- 11 2/3 oz (330 g) bittersweet (60-68%) chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 sheets (4 g) sheet gelatin
- or
- 4 g powdered gelatin
- 1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (500 ml) whipping cream, chilled
- Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt over a pot of simmering water. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Soften gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water or bloom powdered gelatin in about 24 g of cold water.
- Bring milk to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Wring water out of gelatin sheets and add to milk, or add bloomed gelatin to milk. Stir to fully incorporate gelatin. Remove from heat.
- Pour about one-third of the milk mixture into the chocolate and whisk quickly to combine.
- Pour in another third of the milk and whisk to combine. Pour in the remaining milk and whisk to combine. The mixture should be very smooth and shiny.
- Place cream in bowl of a stand mixer and whisk with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form.
- When the chocolate mixture has cooled to 113-122 degrees F, fold in the whipped cream with a flexible spatula.
- Divide mousse among dessert glasses and chill for 12 hours. Mousse will keep for up to 2 days.
Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and dog Max. 
Thank you for this recipe!
I’ve never had the courage to try chocolate mousse before because in my early cooking/baking days I read somewhere that it was complicated and I didn’t have enough courage to try it ( it was second after macarons on my ‘want to do but don’t dare yet’ list 🙂 )
After reading your post yesterday I decided I had to give it a try and this recipe sounds like the perfect one to start my mousse experiments with.
well I would not object to drinking it, that would be great!
Well this one sounds good too! I like #1 the best so far, excited to see the others!
Personally I love milk chocolate, thereforE I like this one better than #1 (um not saying that #1 is not good). Can’t wait to see the others! This is a great project!
Everything sounds tasty.
I’m curious though, about the addition of milk to the chocolate. Typically one adds the warm liquid and lets the chocolate and liquid equilibrate before mixing, to ensure a good emulsion. I could especially see milk having a hard time getting a nice, tight emulsion since it has a lower fat content. This would end up as a mousse that was slightly grainier than ideal.
Did you experience anything like this? I could be overemphasizing something that really doesn’t end up mattering. Just curious.
Thanks!
Hi David,
Interesting question! This was actually one of the smoothest combinations for me. It was not very tight, because there was so much liquid and probably because as you said there is a lower fat content. The recipe in the book did not indicate to add some milk to the chocolate first, so I didn’t, but they seemed to be fairly close in temperature so I wasn’t really concerned on that end. Then, as I mentioned, after I added all the milk, it was pretty liquid – almost not even an emulsion. I think the important thing was to not put the cold whipped cream into the hot chocolate mixture – once you avoided that, it was smooth sailing. This was a pretty easy mousse to put together, so I don’t think graininess is something to fear here!
Gosh I am crazy over chocolate, and choco mousse too.. LOL.. It sure feels like I like all sorts of sweet treats. I can’t help it, and this choco mousse is so sinfully rich, creamy and fluffy.. I could really use a spoonful right now ;P.. cheers, Jo
Hi Anita! So would this type of mousse be suitable for cske fillings? Eg mousse cakes? Since you said it melts easily when our of the fridge?
Hi Aimei,
I think one of the other mousses like 3, 4 or 5 might be more appropriate, as this is very soft and will not stay firm once you take it out of the fridge.
Thanks!
Anita