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Black Forest Mousse is an easy dark chocolate mousse swirled with a kirsch cherry sauce. An unsweetened whipped cream tops it off for the perfect finish!
If you have been around CLF for a minute, then it will not come as a shock to you that I am extremely picky about my chocolate mousses. In fact, it got so bad that I actually stopped ordering them in restaurants because they never live up to my expectations.
This Black Forest Mousse lives up to all my expectations. That is why you come here, yes? For the best? Only the best chocolate dessert recipes here!
This Black Forest Mousse is rich and deeply chocolate. So smooth and light that it melts in your mouth and, before you know it, you are dipping your spoon back in for another bite. This decadent dessert is also easier than you think! I know, I know, it looks complicated. I’ll walk you through some of the most common pit-falls so that before you know it, you are whipping up black forest mousse for a casual Tuesday night dinner.
“Oh, this old thing? I just threw it together.” <Hold for applause??>
Black Forest Mousse Tips:
- Like all “easy” pastry recipes this mousse just requires a bit of timing. You want to make sure your sauce is ready and cool before you begin your mousse, and you want to make sure your heavy cream is whipped and ready to go before starting your mousse.
- And temperature control. Temperature is key here because you are adding warm chocolate into cold whipped cream. And what does chocolate do when it gets cold? It sets! Damn straight. So you have to find that line between so hot it will turn your whipped cream into soup and not warm enough. Not warm enough is almost worse here because you won’t be able to incorporate the chocolate in. Just above body temperature is where you should be. If the chocolate feels warm to the touch, you’re good!
- If you are a badass with a kitchen scale, and I know you are, you can whip both the cream for the mousse and the topping together and then divide it afterwards by weight. ??Just droppin’ time saving professional tips right and left around CLF.
- Don’t forget to SACRIFICE! In pastry, sacrificing is when you take a bit of your meringue or whipped cream and add it to the other ingredients to thin it out a bit. You are sacrificing some of the aeration from the whipped cream in order to thin out the chocolate egg mixture, which allows for an easier final combination. An easier final combination means that you will be able to fold less and thus maintain the aeration better.
- Technically the egg yolks aren’t cooked in this mousse. If that concerns you, just buy the pasteurized yolks that come in a carton or pasteurized eggs.
Wait, hold up! ✋?What are egg yolks doing in my black forest mousse to begin with?
Richness. Oh so rich and decadent. Just like egg yolks are the secret to the best hot chocolate, so too are the integral in creating that full-bodied dark chocolate mousse.
You know what else leans heavily on egg yolks for richness? My recipe for the BEST Chocolate Ice Cream. I might be a one trick pony, but at least it’s a damn good trick.
This dessert is perfect for Valentine’s Day, dinner parties, and special occasions. You can also pipe it into shot glasses or miniature glasses for a passed dessert or easy addition to a buffet. Just don’t forget the mini spoons!
Black Forest Mousse
Ingredients
- 6 oz Frozen black cherries thawed
- 40 g Sugar
- 1/8 t Citric acid
- 1/8 t almond extract
- ½ T Kirsch or other liquor
- 80 g Egg yolks
- 42 g Sugar
- 225 g Semi-sweet chocolate chopped
- 390 g Heavy cream
- 130 g Heavy Cream for topping
Instructions
- Make the black cherry sauce by combining cherries (and their juices), sugar, citric acid and almond extract in a small sauce pot. Cook on medium until the sauce holds a line on a spatula. Pour into a bowl and cool completely. If it isn’t cool when you put it in the mousse, it will deflate it.
Make the mousse:
- Whip heavy cream to medium peaks and place in refrigerator. If you are a badass with a kitchen scale, and I know you are, you can whip both the cream for the mousse and the topping together and then divide it afterwards by weight.
- Melt chocolate and allow to cool to just above body temperature. It should feel warm to the touch.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat yolks and sugar until tripled in volume and pale yellow. Add chocolate and beat well. This with thicken considerably. Move quickly to ensure it doesn’t continue to thicken.
- Sacrifice some whipped cream by adding a small amount of whipped cream to the chocolate mixture. Fold aggressively to incorporate. Quickly then fold the chocolate into the rest of the whipped cream. Spoon immediately into containers. You can also pipe the mousse into coupes as I did, but the resulting mousse will be a bit more dense.
Assemble the Mousses:
- Dollop a bit of the cherry sauce into the center of the mousse. You can also fold the cold cherry sauce into the mousse if you want.
- Spread a bit of the unsweetened whipped cream on top. Refrigerate. The longer the mousse is out at room temperature, the more dense it will be.
