Chocolate is undoubtedly a mass-favorite when it comes to dessert flavors. And chocolate mousse is one of those sinful, decadent desserts that amplifies chocolate beautifully like no other. Chocolate mousse is rich, creamy, and intensely chocolatey.
I’ve tried a few recipes for chocolate mousse before, but none were satisfying. Now, I’m not too fond of the idea of eating raw eggs that go into a traditional recipe of French chocolate mousse. Whereas, the eggless recipes have been insufficient in terms of the amount of chocolate or had too much cream or sweetness.
I finally nailed this recipe for dark chocolate mousse made with only two ingredients, yet it’s incredibly chocolatey, with the right amount of lightness and it's not too sweet. You feel the chocolate coursing your taste buds in every bite you take.
This recipe is reliant on technique and equipment rather than ingredients. I’ve used bittersweet dark chocolate and Amul fresh cream for this recipe. I don’t add any additional sugar because I want you to experience chocolate at its best, especially the light bitterness that dark chocolate is associated with.
Let us see, in detail, how you need to utilize these two simple ingredients to make the simplest dark chocolate mousse.
What goes into this dark chocolate mousse?
So, you already know that this is a two-ingredient recipe. It doesn’t call for any eggs or butter or additional sugar.
I use bittersweet dark chocolate because it has just the right amount of sweetness and a fantastic richness that you look for in chocolate mousse. Do not substitute it with milk chocolate as it has a higher amount of fat which can mess up the ratio of the recipe.
Now, the star of the show is cream. I used Amul fresh cream for my two-ingredient dark chocolate mousse. Now, chocolate mousse needs some amount of lightness and air in it; otherwise, you’d just be eating dense, chocolate ganache. For this reason, I like to fold some whipped cream into the chocolate. The recommended content of fat in cream for it to whip quickly is 30%. While we can find whipping cream with over 30% of fat content in India, they are usually non-dairy, and the flavor isn’t anywhere close to the dairy version.
Amul fresh cream, on the other hand, is made from milk but has only 25% of fat content. But, when you’re using only two ingredients to make dark chocolate mousse, you want the best of the ingredients, and you want both flavors to pack a punch.
Therefore, I use a few tips I’ve garnered from pastry chefs on the internet to whip Amul fresh cream. I place the unopened carton of fresh cream in a really cold part of the refrigerator (not the freezer) for a few days before making the mousse, but you can also do this 4-5 hours ahead. And, about an hour before I need to whip the cream, I place a mixing bowl in the freezer. Maximum coolness is the key here. Another critical point is to remember not to shake the carton of fresh cream before pouring it into your freezer bowl. Not shaking the carton separates the watery bit from the thick cream that you need to use.
Yes, you also need cream to make the chocolate ganache, and yes, the cream needs to be cold at all times. So, for the ganache, I take the required amount of cream and place the carton back in the refrigerator until it’s time to whip the cream. Again, don’t shake your carton.
Then, I go ahead and whip as usual. Since it’s hot where I live, I sometimes need to place the whipping cream bowl over another bowl filled with ice. The key here is to maintain the temperature; it’s got to be super cold. And with enough effort, you will have 100% dairy whipped cream made from Amul fresh cream.
Let us now see what equipment you need to make my two-ingredient dark chocolate mousse.
Equipment
Like I said earlier, the equipment is one of the things in this recipe that could make or break your mousse. It’s all regular kitchen equipment you need, but how you put it to use is essential.
You will need a glass bowl and a saucepan to mimic a double boiler to make your chocolate ganache in; I recommend using this method instead of microwaving the cream and adding the chocolate to it. The double boiler method is far more precise, and you get to control the situation. Using a glass bowl is vital as it doesn't heat up too fast and burn your cream and chocolate.
You will also need another mixing bowl, made of glass, metal, or plastic. Anything works. This bowl is the one that you’ll be placing in the freezer.
Finally, I recommend using an electric mixer to whip the cream in this recipe. Keeping the cream’s temperature cold is one of the essential aspects, an electric mixer will do the whipping quicker so your cream doesn’t have to sit outside for too long. You can do it using your hands and a whisk, but it will be excruciating and take a long time.
Here’s every piece of equipment you need to make my two-ingredient dark chocolate mousse:
Glass bowl
Saucepan
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Electric mixer
Rubber spatula
The Recipe for The Simplest, Two-Ingredient Dark Chocolate Mousse
Yields: 3 servings
Time: 30 minutes plus chilling
INGREDIENTS (Click for Grams to Cups Converter)
100 grams (½ cup) cold fresh cream
100 grams (½ cup) room temperature fresh cream
100 grams (⅔ cup) dark chocolate, chopped
METHOD
Place a mixing bowl in the freezer for around 60 minutes.
Place a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat and add water up to half of the pan. Let the water come to a boil.
Place a glass bowl over the saucepan, make sure the bowl doesn’t come in direct contact with the water. Turn down the heat to medium-low.
Add the room temperature cream to the glass bowl and let it heat up for 3-4 minutes.
Now, add the chopped chocolate and let it continue heating up for a couple of minutes.
Next, whisk the mixture vigorously until all of the chocolate and cream have combined, and there are no lumps whatsoever.
Remove the glass bowl from heat and let it cool down for 10-15 minutes.
To the frozen mixing bowl, add the cold cream and whip until you see stiff peaks.
Gently fold in the cream with the now cooled chocolate. Make sure everything is well combined.
Transfer the mousse into serving cups and refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving.
Notes
In case you have whipping cream (the non-dairy kind) with you and wish to use that instead, you can go ahead and do that.
I hope you guys liked this recipe and if you do try it out, share your pictures and experience with me in the comments below or on my Instagram or Facebook.