French Chocolate Mousse (Mousse au Chocolat)

Nothing beats this 5-star French dark chocolate mousse recipe! This smooth and light creamy mousse au chocolat combined with tangy raspberries is a chocolate dessert you will dream about. Only a few ingredients are required to make this quick and romantic dessert.

What is better than a luscious dark chocolate mousse? This time, I share the best French chocolate mousse recipe (or mousse au chocolat in French) adapted from chef Cyril Lignac.

This mousse is light but creamy enough to satisfy picky mousse lovers.

It is sweet but not too sweet due to a combination of sweet chocolate with acidic raspberries.

This combo brings the right balance in taste and calls for the mousse's correct title - raspberry chocolate mousse.

What is a mousse?

Mousse (translated from French "foam") is food with incorporated air bubbles that give a light and airy texture to the dish.

A mousse is classified into sweet and savory.

Sweet mousse is mostly made of whipped cream, mounted eggs whites, or both, and flavored with caramel, chocolate, fruit puree.

The airy texture of a savory mousse is due to whipped egg whites. It is usually made of meat, fish, cheese, and vegetables.

French chocolate mousse history

The first mention of chocolate mousse appeared in 1750, and it belongs to Menon, a French culinary writer. He was applying it to the "foam" of a chocolate drink.

However, the origin of the real chocolate mousse known today remains secret.

Some food historians believe that it was created in the 18th century by Charles Fazi, a Swiss servant of King Louis XVI.

Others think that it would instead be invented by the French Post-Impressionist painter Toulouse-Lautrec in Montmartre. 

He would have added a little cocoa to a mousse, naming his invention as "chocolate mayonnaise"!

How to melt chocolate

There are three methods to melt chocolate:

Double boiler method (or hot water bath). Break the chocolate into small pieces and place it into a glass or metal bowl placed on top of a saucepan half full with simmering water. Allow chocolate to melt, stirring constantly.

Microwave method. Place pieces of chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at medium power (50%) for 30 seconds. Remove and stir.

Repeat this step every 30 seconds with stirring in between until small lumps remain. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir to complete the melting.

The direct heat method is usually used to melt the chocolate added to the butter. Heat chocolate over very low heat, stirring constantly.

Remove it from the heat with small lumps remaining and stir.

Why you should try this recipe

1. This dark chocolate mousse recipe is straightforward: it is made with simple ingredients, is easy to follow and make the recipe.
2. It is a classic French dessert made from scratch, and it tasted like in Paris. It's a chocolate lover's dream.
3. This decadent chocolate dessert is perfect to finish the meal with a note of delicacy.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

Chocolate: use the best quality 70% dark cacao chocolate: Scharffen Berger dark chocolate, Valrhona dark chocolate, or Lindt Excellence dark chocolate.

Replace dark chocolate with different chocolates (milk or white chocolate), or switch half of the dark chocolate with half of the milk chocolate if desired.

Butter: the recipe calls for unsalted butter.

Eggs: use an egg separator to separate egg whites and egg yolks while eggs are chilled. Place the whites and yolks aside to get to room temperature. 

It is essential to use eggs, especially egg yolks, at room temperature to prevent chocolate from seizing.

Icing sugar: make it at home using a coffee grinder or use store-bought powdered sugar.

Whipping cream: use heavy whipping cream with at least 30% fat content.

Raspberries: use fresh raspberries to make this classic chocolate and raspberry combination. Omit fresh berries if they are out of season.

You might argue that a classic French chocolate mousse is made of chocolate and eggs without adding cream, and you would be correct.

But this traditional chocolate mousse with added whipped cream (which lightens the mousse) is also served in France.

For example, chocolate mousse recipes created by French chefs such as Philippe Conticini, Gaston Lenôtre, Christophe Michalak, Christophe Felder contain whipping cream.

How to make French chocolate mousse

Separate egg whites from egg yolks. In a chilled large bowl, whip cold whipping cream with icing sugar until soft peaks (photo 1).

In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, whip whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form and put them aside (photo 2). 

Break the chocolate into small pieces in a medium bowl and melt with butter in a double boiler at a low simmer, stirring occasionally.

Once the chocolate is almost melted (with small lumps left), mix with a large rubber spatula, pour into another bowl, and continue to stir while cooling (photo 3).

Add egg yolks one by one to the melted chocolate while mixing (photo 4).

Stir the whipped cream in the chocolate/egg yolks mixture (photo 5).

Gently fold egg whites into the main mix with the spatula, but do not stir (photo 6).

Arrange half of the raspberries at the bottom of three serving glasses and divide the mousse between them (photo 7).

Cover glasses with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight.

Decorate the mousse's top with the remaining fresh raspberries, chocolate shavings, and gold sugar pearls before serving (photo 8).

Recipe variations

Authentic French chocolate mousse is made with dark chocolate. However, you can easily replace half of the dark bittersweet chocolate with milk chocolate.

If you prefer milk or white chocolate, please, go for it! Your mousse will turn out lovely as well.

How to serve chocolate mousse

Serve chocolate mousse (or mousse au chocolat in French) in champagne or martini glasses, ramekins or espresso mugs, individual cups or individual bowls, or make chocolate dessert cups.

Top mousse with fresh raspberries, making raspberry chocolate mousse (the recipe is below).

Pipe the whipped cream or ice cream on top of the dessert and sprinkle with chocolate chips, shavings, or duo chocolate curls.

Top the mousse with homemade meringue and toast it with a blow torch.

Alternate layers of your favorite cookie crumbs and chocolate mousse. Sprinkle the top of the mousse with cookies.

Dust the mousse with cocoa powder and decorate with meringues and pink sugar pearls.

Peel kiwis, cut them into small cubes, and arrange them on top of chocolate mousse.

Serve the mousse with cat tongue cookies or ladyfingers.

Sprinkle the dessert with toasted chopped nuts, for example, pistachios or salted almonds.

Storage

Store chocolate mousse in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours maximum.
French chefs consider that the ideal chocolate mousse is prepared the day before.

You can also freeze this chocolate dessert. Just wrap glasses or ramekins with chocolate mousse in plastic film and freeze for up to 3 months.

To thaw, place the mousse in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.

Expert tips

1. Separate eggs when they are cold. Then put them aside for them to come to room temperature. It is essential to use eggs, especially egg yolks, at room temperature to prevent chocolate from seizing.
2. For the best results, whip cream and beat egg whites BEFORE melting chocolate to be ready to incorporate these ingredients into the chocolate mixture without waiting.
3. Use top-quality chocolate (70% cacao): Scharffen Berger dark chocolate, Valrhona dark chocolate, or Lindt Excellence dark chocolate.
4. Let the melted chocolate cool before adding egg yolks.
5. Add a pinch of ground cinnamon while folding in egg whites if you prefer.
6. To make chocolate shavings, scrape along the flat side of a chocolate bar using a small knife or a vegetable peeler. 

Food safety

It is well known that eating uncooked eggs can cause salmonella food poisoning.

It seems that this concern is most prevalent in the USA and Canada, while raw eggs are widely used in Europe to make the famous Italian dessert tiramisu.

To eliminate your concern about eating raw eggs, use pasteurized eggs for this recipe.

However, consuming raw eggs is not advisable for pregnant women and babies.

Frequently asked questions

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The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from https://gourmand.viepratique.fr/. It was originally published on March 27, 2019. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.