Mousse au Chocolat
Silky French chocolate mousse made with dark chocolate, whipped cream, and beaten egg whites. A restaurant-quality dessert that's deceptively simple and ready in 20 minutes.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 412
- Protein
- 7g
Ingredients
- 6 oz dark chocolate (70% cacao)
- 2 tbsp butter, unsalted
- 3 tbsp water
- 3 whole eggs, separated (use very fresh or pasteurized)
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- 1
Chop the dark chocolate into pieces smaller than a grape and place them in a microwave-safe bowl.
- 2
Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of water to the bowl with the chocolate.
- 3
Microwave on 50% power for 90 seconds, then stir the mixture with a spoon until it looks completely smooth and glossy, with no visible chocolate chunks.
- 4
Let the chocolate cool to room temperature by waiting 5 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until it no longer feels hot when you dip your finger in.
- 5
Pour the 3 egg whites into a clean, dry bowl (even a tiny drop of yolk will stop them from whipping).
- 6
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites for 2 minutes until they turn foamy and white, with bubbles throughout.
- 7
Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of sugar and 0.25 teaspoon of salt, then continue beating for 2 more minutes until stiff peaks form — when you lift the beaters, the whites stand straight up and don't flop over.
- 8
Pour 1 cup of cold heavy cream into a separate clean bowl and beat with the electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until soft peaks form — the cream doubles in volume and looks fluffy but still slightly droops when you lift the beaters.
- 9
Add the 3 egg yolks to the cooled chocolate and stir with a spoon until completely mixed and no yellow streaks remain.
- 10
Pour the whipped cream on top of the chocolate mixture, then use a rubber spatula to gently lift chocolate from the bottom up and over the cream; rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until no white streaks of cream are visible.
- 11
Pour the whipped egg whites on top of the chocolate-cream mixture, then repeat the folding motion (lift from bottom, flip over the top, rotate, repeat) until no white streaks remain and the mousse looks evenly dark brown.
- 12
Divide the mousse evenly among 4 serving bowls or glasses, spooning about 0.75 cup into each.
- 13
Serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving.
Tools you’ll need
- microwave-safe bowl
- spoon
- electric mixer or whisk
- rubber spatula
- 4 serving bowls or glasses
- measuring cups and spoons
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