French Chocolate Mousse Recipe

This french Chocolate mousse with orange zest is a delicious and decadent dessert for an after-meal treat.

I'm going to show you how easy it is to make homemade chocolate mousse. This recipe will take a total of 2 hours and 20 minutes from start to finish.

Can you set mousse in the freezer?

While it does take 2 hours for the chocolate to set for this chocolate mousse dessert, some people have sped up the process by using the freezer instead.

I don't recommend using the freezer to set chocolate mousse. It may become too thick. Then you'll have to wait longer to pipe the chocolate mousse recipe into your dessert dishes.

Why is my mousse grainy?

Your chocolate mousse could become grainy because you didn't temper the chocolate before adding cold whipping cream.

With this recipe, your whipping cream should be at room temperature the time you fold the chocolate in.

Another cause for grainy chocolate mousse could be the result of over-beating the whipping cream with your chocolate mixture.

You can still enjoy the taste of grainy mousse, however, it will be a different texture than you're accustomed to with homemade chocolate mousse.

What is chocolate mousse made of?

My French chocolate mousse recipe is made from five simple ingredients; heavy cream, semi-sweet chocolate chips, granulated sugar, eggs, and orange zest.

Each of these ingredients combines to create a decadent dessert that your family will fully enjoy.

If you love chocolate desserts, you might also want to try our Chocolate Meringue Pie, our Chunky Chocolate Brownies, or even our Chocolate Ganache Poke Cake.

Recommended Supplies for This Easy Recipe

There are some supplies I highly recommend you have to complete this homemade chocolate mousse recipe. Items you should have include:

You could go one step further and serve your chocolate mousse dessert in edible chocolate dessert cups. This is a fabulous way to cure your chocolate craving for the day.

Whatever you decide to use for serving this French chocolate mousse recipe is fine by me.

I just want to make sure that you have all of the best recommendations to make this homemade chocolate mousse one of the best desserts you serve at a special event or at home this year.

This is one of those special desserts that can work well as a special treat for family or bring-along dessert for a holiday gathering.

If you plan to bring this chocolate mousse to an event away from home, be certain you have it stored in a good container.

You'll want to make sure the chocolate mousse doesn't spill and that the plastic wrap doesn't' touch your decadent dessert during travel time.

Now that I've answered all of the frequently asked questions about this French chocolate mousse recipe, it's time to get started!

If you've been wondering how to make chocolate mousse, then now is your chance. Read below to follow my step by step instructions to make this decadent dessert today!

How do you make whipped cream fast?

You'll see the directions to make whipped cream below, but first I wanted to share a little secret for making this whipped quick fast.

If you use cold heavy cream and a chilled bowl to whip your homemade whipped cream it will peak much faster.

Can you over whip cream?

Yes! There is such a thing as over whipping your homemade whipped cream.

If you found that your whipped cream won't form a peak and that you've accidentally over whipped it, then you may try to add a few tablespoons of fresh heavy cream to the grainy whipped cream.

To be safe from over whipping again, use a hand-held whisk to whip the cream this time around.

How to Make French Chocolate Mousse

Gather your four ingredients featured on my recipe card below. Continue reading to learn the steps involved for this easy chocolate mousse recipe.

While stirring heat 1 cup of heavy cream with chocolate chips over medium-low heat until the chips have dissolved.

Beat eggs and sugar in a medium bowl for 3-minutes.

While mixing the eggs and sugar on medium speed with your hand-held mixer, slowly add the hot chocolate mixture. Add in the orange zest.

adding grated orange zest to chocolate mousse

Once the ingredients are all mixed together, pour the mixture back into the pan you used to melt the chocolate chips.

Heat over medium heat until thickened, being sure to stir continually.

Remove from heat and place in your refrigerator. Let chill for 2 hours.

Whip the remaining ½ cup of heavy cream until stiff peaks form.

Fold the chilled chocolate into the whipped cream. Be sure to stir gently to incorporate al lof the chocolate with the whipped cream.

This mixture will have a fluffy consistency.

Spoon your chocolate mixture into a piping bag.

Pipe the mixture into six small dessert dishes with your chocolate mixture and serve!

How Long Will Homemade Chocolate Mousse Keep?

Homemade mousse can keep approximately 4 days in the refrigerator. I recommend eating your homemade chocolate mousse within 1-2 days of making it though.

Store your chocolate mousse in a container with plastic cling wrap over the top. Keep the plastic wrap pinched so it doesn't touch your chocolate mousse.

Recipe