Mousse au Chocolat a.k.a. Traditional French Chocolate Mousse (My Grandpa's Legendary Recipe)

Chocolate Mousse is a popular dessert in our household.

My French grandpa has been making this for me since I was a little girl, and all of my friends used to come over just to eat this chocolate mousse (YES, it's THAT good).

It is rich, yet light. It is decadent, yet pretty guilt-free - compared to most chocolate mousse recipes out there. There's no other description for it except HEAVENLY.

How can Chocolate Mousse be Rich and Light at the same time?

Our Traditional French Chocolate Mousse recipe uses egg yolks to make it creamy, and whipped egg whites to make it light and airy. That's the authentic way of making chocolate mousse!

Recipes that use only heavy cream in their chocolate mousse tend to be far too heavy and dense. My grandpa says that often bakers use cream-based chocolate mousse if they need it as a base for a cake (which makes sense considering its dense consistency). However, that is NOT how a real French chocolate mousse should be.

Soft, rich, and airy are the key descriptive words for an authentic French Chocolate Mousse.

Couverture Chocolate - What is it & Where can I get it?

For this Chocolate Mousse recipe, my grandpa highly suggests using Couverture Chocolate.

Don't know what it is? Don't worry, most people don't, because couverture chocolate is mostly used by professional bakers and chocolatiers. It is basically chocolate that contains a higher percentage of cacao butter and is far less processed than your usual baking or eating chocolate, making it easier to melt and work with.

Where to find Couverture Chocolate: You can find them easily online or at specialty bakery stores.

70% Dark Chocolate is the Sweet Spot

To get the perfect amount of sweetness and deep chocolate flavors, we suggest using 70% Dark Chocolate. Feel free to go higher or lower, depending on whether you like it sweeter and more milk chocolate tasting, or more bitter and richer in dark chocolate.

But really, 70% is THE SWEET SPOT.

Should I eat the Chocolate Mousse at room temperature or chill it in the fridge first?

This is completely up to you!

I love both variations - when it's freshly made and at room temperature, as well as when it's chilled. The only difference is the temperature (obviously) and the texture.

Freshly made, room-temperature chocolate mousse is more cream-liquid textured, whereas chocolate mousse that's been chilled for an hour or two is slightly more cream-solid textured. Although both still maintain the rich flavors and light, airy quality.

I suggest trying both and seeing which one you prefer best!

How long can Chocolate Mousse last in the fridge?

Since our chocolate mousse uses raw eggs, we suggest eating it as soon as possible - within the day of making it. But, you can also store it in your fridge and eat it the next day (no longer than that!).

That's it! You're good to go and I hope you enjoy this Chocolate Mousse recipe.

Don't forget to tag me in your photos on Instagram once you've made the dish - @diandracappelut.

I would love to see how your Chocolate Mousse turns out!

Mousse au Chocolat a.k.a. Chocolate Mousse

(My Grandpa's Legendary Recipe)

For 6 people

Ingredients

300g Dark Chocolate (70% dark chocolate - Couverture Chocolate preferable)
75g Salted Butter
75g Crème Fraiche
5 Eggs - separate the egg yolks and egg whites
100g Sugar

Preparation

1. Melt your chocolate, butter, and crème fraiche in a bain-marie (water bath)**. Make sure to mix the melting chocolate, butter, and crème fraiche together well.

**Note: A Bain-Marie/Water Bath is when you have one pan filled with water, and another smaller pan right above it with filled with the ingredients you'd like to melt. Both stacked pans will be stationed on a stove so that the ingredients can melt gently from the boiling water.

2. Once everything is melted, add the chocolate mix to a big bowl with the egg yolks. Mix it together well with a whisk, then let it cool for about 15 minutes.

3. In another bowl, add the egg whites and the sugar, then use a hand mixer to whip it all together until the egg whites peak (it needs to be fluffy and stiff - like clouds).

4. Take some of the whipped egg whites and add it to the bowl with the chocolate mixture. Then, gently whisk it together until well mixed.

5. Next, using a baking spatula, take some more of the whipped egg whites and add it to the chocolate mixture. Then gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate. Continue this process, adding the whipped egg whites bit by bit, until everything is nicely folded in and mixed together.