Image is for illustrative purposes only.
This is a rich, set dark chocolate mousse built on three simple elements: melted dark couverture, a whipped egg and sugar foam, and semi-whipped cream, with just enough gelatine to hold everything together. The gelatine is what makes it different from a spooned dessert mousse — it sets firm enough to slice, so it can be layered inside a cake, poured into a terrine mould or piped into glasses.
The taste is deep and properly chocolatey rather than sweet, and the texture is light and airy on the tongue but clean on the knife. Use it as a filling between sponge layers, as the body of an entremet under a chocolate mirror glaze, or simply set in small serving glasses with a little cream on top.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 1670
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: 24 cm round mousse cake or 1.5 litre terrine
|
|
|
WEIGHT
(grams)
|
ALTERNATIVE METRIC
|
INGREDIENT
|
IMAGE
|
CONDITION
|
|
A
|
500 |
17.6 ounces
|
Dark Chocolate (Couverture)
Couverture chocolate is a very high-quality chocolate that contains extra cocoa butter (32–39%). The higher percentage of cocoa butter, combined with proper tempering, gives the chocolate more sheen, firmer "snap" when broken, and a creamy mellow flavor.
Chopped or callets
|
|
Melted |
|
B
|
200 |
7 ounces
|
Whole Egg
Eggs are one of the most common ingredients in a typical cake. Egg yolks and whole eggs store significant amounts of protein and choline, and are widely used in baking. Usually an eggs role in a cake is to add moisture and richness, act as a raising agent as well as a glue to bind the ingredients together.
Approx. 8 eggs
|
|
Room temperature |
|
C
|
180 |
6.3 ounces
|
Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
|
|
|
|
D
|
5 |
1 teaspoon
|
Vanilla Essence
Vanilla Extract is made with 100% pure vanilla beans. With a sweet, syrupy consistency, this Vanilla is ideal for use in icings, drinks and whipped cream as well as classic baking recipes. Vanilla Essence is commercially manufactured by chemicals and is more of a watery consistency as opposed to vanilla extract which is thicker and a lot fuller and richer in flavour. You can replace one with the other but use 50% more of essence. For example, for 1 teaspoon of extract, use 1.5 teaspoons of essence.
|
|
|
|
E
|
750 |
26.4 ounces
|
Thickened Cream
Cream is used as an ingredient in many foods, including ice cream, many sauces, soups, stews, puddings, and some custard bases, and is also used for cakes. Perfect for pouring, baking, whipping or adding the indulgent touch to your favourite recipes.
Keep a little aside for the gelatine
|
|
Cold |
|
F
|
10 |
0.4 ounce
|
Gelatin
Gelatin or gelatine (from Latin: gelatus meaning "stiff", "frozen") is a translucent, colourless, brittle (when dry), flavourless foodstuff, derived from collagen obtained from various animal by-products. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar way are called gelatinous. Gelatin is an irreversibly hydrolyzed form of collagen. It is found in most gummy candy as well as other products such as marshmallows, gelatin dessert, and some ice cream, dip and yogurt. Household gelatin comes in the form of sheets, granules, or powder. Instant types can be added to the food as they are; others need to be soaked in water beforehand.
|
|
|
|
G
|
25 |
25 millilitres
|
Water
|
|
Cold |
|
|
1670
|
|
|
|
|
Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
|
STEP
|
ACTION
|
DETAIL
|
CONDITION
|
|
1 |
Prepare |
Line your ring, terrine mould or glasses and have them ready before you start, and clear space in the fridge. |
Everything must be ready — once the mousse is mixed it begins to set |
|
2 |
Melt |
Melt A (dark couverture chocolate) over a bain-marie or in short bursts in the microwave. |
Smooth and just melted, not hot |
|
3 |
Whip |
Whip B, C and D (whole egg, caster sugar and vanilla essence) over a bain-marie, then continue whipping off the heat until cool. |
Pale, thick and at ribbon stage |
|
4 |
Whip |
Whip E (thickened cream) to semi-stiff, holding back a couple of tablespoons for the gelatine. Keep it in the fridge. |
Soft peaks that still flop over — do not over-whip |
|
5 |
Melt |
Soak F (gelatine powder) in G (water), then warm it gently together with the reserved spoonful of cream. |
Clear and completely dissolved, warm but never boiling |
|
6 |
Mix |
Stir the warm gelatine mixture into the melted A (dark couverture chocolate). |
Glossy and even, still fluid |
|
7 |
Fold |
Add the whipped B and C (whole egg and caster sugar) foam to the chocolate and fold through. |
Streak-free, still light |
|
8 |
Fold |
Fold in the semi-whipped E (thickened cream) in two or three additions. |
Even colour, airy, no cream streaks left |
|
9 |
Fill |
Pour or pipe straight into the prepared mould, ring or glasses and tap gently to settle. |
Work quickly before the gelatine sets |
|
10 |
Chill |
Refrigerate until firm. |
At least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before slicing or glazing |
Important Notes
At the scale given, this makes roughly 1,670 g of mousse — enough for one 24 cm round mousse cake, a 1.5 litre terrine, or about ten to twelve individual glasses. The gelatine makes it a setting mousse, so it can be sliced cleanly and used as a cake filling or as the body of an entremet under a mirror glaze. Keep it refrigerated and use within three days; it also freezes well in the mould, which makes it much easier to unmould and glaze. Use a good dark couverture — the extra cocoa butter is what gives the mousse its clean set and shine. Do not let the melted chocolate get too cool before the egg foam and cream go in, or it will seize into little specks.
Tools & Arrangements
Digital scales, heatproof bowl and saucepan for a bain-marie (or microwave), electric mixer or hand beater, whisk, rubber spatula, small saucepan or bowl for the gelatine, mousse ring / terrine mould or serving glasses, cling wrap or acetate for lining, palette knife.
