Intense Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe (2024)

By Nigella Lawson

Intense Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 5 minutes
Rating
5(2,353)
Notes
Read community notes

There is very little that needs to be said about a chocolate mousse cake. This one lives up to its name. It is gloriously intense. But the whisked egg whites ensure that it has a balancing lightness. A slice of it, with a smattering of fresh raspberries and a dollop of cream, or better still, sour cream, is the perfect finale. It may also invite a certain inelegant gluttony at the end. I have noticed that even those who claim not to go in for desserts come back for more.

Featured in: AT MY TABLE; Elegance, Thy Name Is Simplicity

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Ingredients

Yield:One 9-inch cake

  • 10ounces bittersweet chocolate
  • 9tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 6large eggs, room temperature and separated
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¾cup sugar
  • 2tablespoons brandy
  • 1teaspoon confectioners' sugar

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Position the oven rack in lower center of the oven. Cover the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with a double layer of foil. Using a microwave oven or double boiler, melt together chocolate and butter; set aside to cool slightly.

  2. Step

    2

    In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and ½ cup sugar until pale, frothy and increased in volume. Whisk in brandy, then fold in chocolate mixture. Place a kettle of water over heat, and bring it to a boil. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites and salt until thick. Add remaining ¼ cup sugar, and continue to whisk until stiff and shiny but not dry.

  3. Step

    3

    Fold about ½ cup whisked egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in remaining whites, being careful not to let the mixture deflate. Pour mixture into lightly-buttered springform pan, and place pan in a roasting pan. Add boiling water to roasting pan to come halfway up side of springform pan. Bake for 45 minutes; top of cake will be hard and inside will be gooey.

  4. Remove cake pan from water, and place on a rack to cool completely. Unwrap foil and remove side of springform pan. Place cake on a serving platter. Just before serving, dust top with confectioners' sugar passed through a sieve.

Ratings

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2,353

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Ros

Delicious! Very rich but more-ish!
My only comment is regarding the order of procedure in the recipe. I only have 1 set of blades for my mixer and if you use on the egg yolk mix you cannot then use to whisk the whites (they will not whisk because of fat in the yolks so means washing the blades in between) . Therefore I whisked the whites first and then used same beaters for the yolk mix.

lucyprice33

I made it with maybe half the sugar and a shot of cold espresso. I forgot it in the oven and went over cooking time by 15 minutes with no discernible negative result. Great easy cake that is extremely forgiving. You can't go wrong with this one.

schaffa@aol.com

This has been one of my signature desserts since I learned it from cookbook author Jeanette Seaver in 1975. Only hers was easier in that it didn't use a water bath. Just bake it in a springform at 375 for 15 minutes , turn off oven and crack open the oven door, and let cake remain in oven another 15 minutes.

Another variation that comes from the NYTimes is to set aside about 1/2 cup of the bittersweet chocolate morsels and fold them into batter. Wow!

Ellen

This was one of the best desserts I've tasted in a long time, and my guests seemed to agree. I baked it one day before the party and kept it overnight in the refrigerator, covered and in the springform pan. I brought it to room temperature before serving. It was easier to remove from the pan than I expected; indeed, don't try to loosen it first with a knife, as that will damage it. The recipe didn't call for greasing the pan, and I didn't, and it worked fine. I served it with fruit salad.

Diana

think of folding as 2 phases:
1) add 1/2 cup of egg whites to "lighten the mixture", thoroughly incorporating, to lessen overall density. Don't worry too much about preserving the airiness of the egg whites.

2) Phase 2, you're wrapping the chocolate mixture around the egg whites. Glop a good bit of whites onto the cake mixture. Then using a very flexible sturdy silicon spatula, "sweep" the bowl, gathering the batter to wrap over and around whites. Turn bowl.Repeat

Mimie

It freezes beautifully. Double wrap in foil first. Defrost at room temperature a few hours before serving.

Ayse

This is a very good mousse cake. I didn't bother with the springform pan and the foil- didn't even butter the pan. I just lined the bottom of my regular pan with parchment paper. The cake came out great.

Zazie

This cake sounds wonderful. The direction to slightly butter the inside of the pan should probably have been stated in Step 1. It really helps to read recipes carefully before using them.

PW

How did you serve the cake? On the bottom of the spring form pan? Or did you invert the cake and then use a knife to dislodge the cake from the bottom of the pan? Any suggestions are most welcome.

Jim

Substituted orange liquor for sherry and added a small amount of orange extract. Love the combination of orange and chocolate and it worked well.

TK

wet and clean your knife between slices

Katharine

Strongly recommend baking this in a souffle dish instead, reducing the sugar to 1/2 C, substituting kahlua for the brandy, and serving while still hot...I've never had it not be gone within 10 minutes of coming out of the oven.

Thelma Herschberg

Cut parchment paper the size of bottom of your spring form pan. Butter the paper lightly, and cake will slide off on to your serving platter after removing the side of pan.

Deb

Blanche, Zazie is correct. She didn't miss the instruction, she said it should have been mentioned along with preparing the pan with foil, and she's right. I write recipes for a living, and having something out of order like that, is vexing.

Anna

This is very similar to Nigella's "Chocolate Cloud Cake" - in fact, if I'm not mistaken it's identical, with some flavoring difference, in which case I HIGHLY recommend it. It's my go-to Passover dessert, since it has no flour or leavening. I've made it for birthdays, etc. I sometimes make Payard's vegan chocolate mousse to serve as frosting, but even just with vanilla ice cream this is a great, great recipe.

Michele

Absolutely delicious! I used Amaretto instead of the brandy. Used Semi sweet chocolate chips, it was what I had in the kitchen, and shorted the half cup of sugar by about 2 T. to reduce the overall sweetness from the sweeter chocolate. It was a bit difficult to slice neat slices but sooo yummy no one minded.

Joanna

This is amazing. I am not a very experienced baker, so I was a little worried that I might be messing things up, especially at the folding in stage. I also didn't do the wrapping the pan with tin foil, that seemed annoying. No matter - it turned out totally delicious, like something you'd get at a fancy restaurant. Light, crispy on the outside and moist and soft on the inside, and very chocolatey. A huge hit with adults and kids alike.

Mike

I have made this many times but not recently. I seem to recall the chocolate/egg mixture being a lot "looser." Mine today was the consistency of frosting, making it tough to fold the egg whites in (but ultimately do-able). For once I used very high quality chocolate. It's in the oven now. I'll report back but just curious to know if anyone else has encountered this situation.

kim

Skip the bath - 15 min at 375, then turn off oven, crack door, and add another 15 min

Jacqueline Switzerland

I haven't made this yet but would appreciate if the NYT could add metric units as a service to us who pay for full-price subscriptions but don't live in the States.

MAO

Delicious - even when prepared by a fairly inexperienced cook like myself. It’s pure chocolate rapture!!

Helen

Just made this for the tenth time. It is the rave dessert. Yes beat the whites first. Makes more sense. This time served with homemade orange and amaretto liquor topping. Fun to imagine a new topping though the true British way - Ms Lawson is British - is heavy cream on top. Whatever you do you can’t go wrong. And as long as the chocolate is not made with any gluten this is gluten free.

Carmela O'Flaherty

Absolutely delicious cake! My suggestions: 1. Use large foil to wrap the pan- regular size does not prevent water from seeping in. 2. Whip egg whites first and put aside in another bowl. Then whip the yolk. Made it for a large event for my gluten free folks- the. Ale was an absolute hit with everyone in attendance!

whit

This was so good!!!As a huge fan of chocolately desserts, this is as good as a flourless chocolate cake. But, even better, it’s somehow really light, fluffy, velvety, and less filling! Also not too rich for the kids. No one had to guzzle milk. I’ll definitely make this again. My only sub was 4oz of 10 oz of semi-sweet chocolate instead of all bittersweet.

whit

I forgot to add that I topped mine with homemade whipped cream with a bit of mint and vanilla mixed in.

PattyB

This is beyondly rich and perfect for a chocoholic! I did lightly butter the pan and buttered the parchment as well.

Chrystia

Used a turkey baking bag instead of foil around the springform pan. Had to make a small cut at the top to knot the bag tightly around the pan. Worked perfectly!!

Kate Young

So good, so light, such a crowd-pleaser. Cooked it in a deep 10 inch baking tray and worked grand :-)

Wendy

One of my go-to recipes. Never fails to impress and SO easy!

Ellen R.

It makes me sad to think of all of this chocolate ending up in the garbage. Solution(s): use 2-3 layers of heavy duty foil to wrap outside of springform pan, and test its water resistance by placing it in the baking dish and pour water halfway up the side before filling, while still on the counter. Or, use cake pan, buttering (generously) both sides of parchment paper lining with edges coming out the sides of the pan, add water bath.

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Intense Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are common mistakes when making mousse? ›

Common mistakes when making mousse (and how to fix them)

It's easy to remelt the chocolate in the microwave until smooth and try again. A grainy mousse is also a result of overbeating so only beat for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture resembles lightly whipped cream.

What happens when you over whip mousse? ›

If you over-whip the cream, you'll end up with a grainy mousse (although you can try to remedy it by whisking in a few extra tablespoons of cream). An electric hand mixer and a nice big bowl are my tools of choice, but a big balloon whisk and a chilled mixing bowl work well, too.

Why is chocolate mousse so hard to make? ›

That could be because the cream is too cold, making the melted chocolate clump together. Or it could be because you beat the eggs too much. Homemade mousse can also be too thick and heavy, without the light airiness you'd hope for. That may be because the fat content of the cream is too high.

How do you stiffen chocolate mousse? ›

Try adding a small amount of cornstarch to a little water, and add it to the mousse a little at a time and see how it thickens the texture. You can also beat some egg yolks in a separate bowl over low heat until they increase in volume and slowly add them to the mousse mixture.

Why won't my chocolate mousse set? ›

A runny mousse that won't set is caused by the opposite of the reason for grainy mousse. If your mousse won't set, it is most likely because you have under-whipped the heavy cream. Perfectly whipped cream will stabilize the mousse as it sets in the refrigerator.

What are the three basic elements of a mousse? ›

Mousse is a light and airy dessert made with eggs, sugar, heavy cream, and flavoring. All mousses have four basic components: aerated egg yolks, whipped egg whites, whipped cream, and a flavoring base.

Why is my chocolate mousse not fluffy? ›

The chocolate you used wasn't fluid enough

A three-drop chocolate has exactly the right cocoa butter content to produce the perfect end results. Chocolate with less cocoa butter in it will give the mousse too little texture. How to choose the right fluidity?

How do you fix mousse that didn't set? ›

Mix a tablespoon of corn starch with water or milk and add it to liquidy mousse, heat it up it will thicken up.

Why did my chocolate mousse go grainy? ›

If you beat the egg whites too stiff they can become grainy. For a mousse I beat them to JUST BEFORE they form stiff peaks. Overheated chocolate causes to form sugar crystals. Too cold chocolate is turning grainy if you add cold ingredients like i.e. the egg whites.

What is an interesting fact about chocolate mousse? ›

Chocolate mousse, as well as being delicious, also has a fascinating history. It was first discribed as "mayonnaise de chocolat" - and, more interesting, was invented by the French post-Impressionist painter Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, in the late 19th century.

What is the stabilizer in chocolate mousse? ›

Silky, rich chocolate mousse that is light yet sooo creamy. Stabilized by gelatin, this can be used to fill a pie or cake but is equally as delicious eaten all on its own. Rich enough for a winter date night yet light enough for summer, there's no wrong time to try this beloved, easy chocolate mousse!

What makes a good mousse? ›

This depends on the consistency of the whipped cream as well as the other ingredients used. Indeed, a small mistake can completely make or break your mousse as the light and creamy texture is the most important thing about a mousse. If your mousse feels grainy, it's because you have overwhipped your cream.

How do you thicken mousse for cake filling? ›

Cornstarch: Make a slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold milk or cream. Heat it gently in a saucepan, stirring constantly, until thickened. Let it cool slightly, then.

What is the thickening agent for mousse? ›

The thickener:

Traditionally, mousse is made with gelatin. The gelatin should be bloomed in cool water or 5 minutes, then melted before adding to the base. The amount of gelatin can be altered depending on the desired texture.

How do you make mousse firmer? ›

You can also use 25 percent more gelatin to stiffen a savory mousse. A basic savory mousse recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of gelatin to 3 tablespoons of water. To moderately thicken the mousse, use 1 1/2 teaspoons of gelatin and 4 1/2 tablespoons of water.

Why is my mousse not fluffy? ›

Why is my chocolate mousse not fluffy? The various ingredients have not been sufficiently whipped before being mixed, or they were overmixed when combined. A light hand is needed when mixing mousse to avoid losing all the air. Fold in using a large metal spoon and stop as soon as no streaks are visible in the mixture.

What causes lumpy mousse? ›

There are a few things you can do to avoid ending up with lumpy chocolate mousse. First, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin. This includes the chocolate, eggs, and cream. If your ingredients are too cold, the chocolate will seize up and you'll end up with lumps.

What should the consistency of mousse be? ›

While it uses only a few ingredients, chocolate, eggs, butter, vanilla, and heavy cream, its chocolate flavor is rich and its texture is silky smooth and airy, almost foamy. And foamy is an apt description as "mousse" is French for 'froth' or 'foam'.

How do you fix mousse that doesn't set? ›

Mix a tablespoon of corn starch with water or milk and add it to liquidy mousse, heat it up it will thicken up.

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