Raspberry Chocolate Mousse

This recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Mousse is technically a mousse recipe, although not a classical one. However, it's no less delicious, and a LOT quicker and easier to make.

 

What is Mousse?

The word "Mousse" means "foam" in French. Which is a good description of this (usually, but not always) sweet dish. Mousse has a light and airy texture due to the incorporation of air.

Mousse consists first, of a base, which is usually the flavouring ingredient. This is typically pureed fruit or chocolate.

The second mousse component is an aerator, which can be whipped cream, egg whites, or whole eggs. This is what gives the mousse those air bubbles that make it, well, mousse!

The final component o a mousse dessert is a sweetener if required. This Raspberry Chocolate Mousse recipe has semi-sweet chocolate and, with the addition of raspberry syrup, along with the natural sweetness of fresh raspberries, no sugar is required.

Gelatin is often used with mousse as a thickener, like with this Strawberry Mousse Recipe, or this Coconut Mousse

Mousse desserts are almost always served chilled.

What's To Love About This Recipe

• Raspberries and Chocolate; how can you go wrong?
• The whole recipe takes less than fifteen minutes to make
• This dessert is simple, yet elegant, and sure to please.
• There's no added refined sugar.

Here's What You Need To Make This Dessert

This is such a simple dessert! You only need five ingredients. They are:

Chocolate

I used dark semi-sweet baker's chocolate is a perfect choice for this recipe. You can however, use any chocolate that will melt, including chocolate chips. Dark chocolate is perfect for this creamy dessert, but go ahead and use milk chocolate if you prefer.

Cream

Whipping cream which is typically 33% - 36% milk fat, is perfect for this recipe, because you will, of course be whipping the cream. Don't use any cream with less milk fat because you won't get the whipped results that are needed. You also use "heavy cream" which has 36% or higher milk fat.

Raspberries

This recipe uses fresh raspberries, but you can also use defrosted frozen raspberries. Although raspberries and chocolate have a special affinity, so do strawberries and chocolate! So use strawberries instead, if you prefer.

Sweetener

This chocolate mousse gets a subtle sweetness from the semi-sweet chocolate and the naturally sweet raspberries. So just a little extra in the form of raspberry syrup is a perfect touch. You can usually find raspberry syrup in a few different places at the grocery store: near the pancake syrups, near the ice cream toppings, or near the coffee flavouring syrups. But don't worry if don't have, or can't find raspberry syrup. Just use maple syrup instead.

How To Make This Recipe, Step By Step

Step 1: Melt the Chocolate

Melt the chocolate, using either a double boiler method or the microwave. Stir the raspberry syrup into the melted chocolate.

Step 2: Whip the Cream

Add vanilla to the whipping cream and beat, using an electric mixer, immersion blender, or stand mixer, until medium peaks form.

Step 3: Combine the Chocolate with the Whipped Cream

Add the melted chocolate mixture to the whipped cream & gently fold it in until completely combined.

Step 4: Add the Raspberries

Add the raspberries to the chocolate/cream mixture

Step 5: Gently Fold in the Raspberries

Fold the raspberries into the chocolate mousse until combined

Step 6: Transfer to Dessert Dishes, Garnish and Serve

How To Melt Chocolate

The two simplest ways to melt chocolate are the double boiler method and the microwave method. Here's how to do it each way:

Double Boiler Method

To melt chocolate using a double boiler method, bring a few inches of water in a saucepan to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl that just fits over the pot. (The bowl should not touch the simmering water). Heat, stirring, until the chocolate is shiny and melted.

Microwave Method

To melt chocolate in the microwave, put it into a heatproof bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time, until the chocolate is mostly melted with just a few lumps. Remove it from the microwave and stir until all of the chocolate is melted and lump free.

Tips For Perfect Mousse

• Use cold whipping cream. Keep it in the fridge right up to when you are going to use it.
• Chill the bowl and beaters that you'll be using to whip the cream by putting them in the freezer 15 minutes before you will be using them.
• Keep it dry. Be very careful not to allow any moisture to touch your chocolate. Even the tiniest drop of water will cause the chocolate to seize. Which means that the chocolate will be stiff, grainy, and clumpy. In other words, unusable for this recipe. This means that the bowl and the spatula that you are using need to be completely dry.
• Fold, don't stir. Use a large, flat spatula to gently scoop down, and then lift, the chocolate and whipped cream until they are incorporated.

Recipe FAQ's