Today, you will learn how to make an incredibly smooth and fluffy chocolate mousse without using gelatin. Plus, we’ll share a pro tip on how to assemble the perfect cake!
Lately, my life has been filled with chocolate—so today, I’m excited to share a recipe for a delicate, airy chocolate mousse by Ekaterina Yablonskaya. What makes it special? It’s made completely without gelatin! You might wonder how it holds its shape. Well, you’ll find out when you watch the video, where Ekaterina prepares this smooth, melt-in-your-mouth mousse.
Interestingly, mousse as a concept is relatively new, dating back to the 19th century when it was originally served as a savory dish with fish or meat. The chocolate version we love today emerged in early 20th-century France when artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec had the idea to whip chocolate with cream into a light, foamy texture. The result? Pure perfection.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine the cream and milk and heat to 50°C (122°F).
- Whisk the egg yolks with sugar.
- Gradually pour part of the milk mixture into the egg yolks, stirring constantly.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until it reaches 83°C (181.4°F).
- Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and blend with an immersion blender.
- Let the mixture cool to 38-40°C (100.4-104°F).
- Whip the cream until it has the texture of thick sour cream.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture using a spatula.
- Assembling the Cake (Upside Down Method):
- Generously coat the sides of your mold with mousse.
- Pour about 1.5 cm of mousse on the bottom of the mold.
- Add a layer of raspberry coulis.
- Pour in 1 cm of mousse.
- Add a layer of vanilla anglaise cream.
- Top with another layer of mousse.
- Seal the cake with the biscuit with a crunchy layer.
- Place the cake in the freezer for 4-6 hours.
- Once set, remove the cake from the mold.
- Serving Method:
- Cover the cake with mirror glaze or apply chocolate velour for a beautiful finish.
- Enjoy your decadent dessert!
The dish in the photograph was cooked by the restaurant for this story. Photo: Oleksandr Slyadnyev.