Light and fluffy, yet rich, chocolaty and velvet smooth, Mrs Romance’s chocolate mousse is so good I shed a tear when she makes it… but I cry my eyes out when it’s all gone!

Whenever friends ask us to bring round dessert for a dinner party, I get Mrs Romance on the case. Her Chocolate mousse is absolutely blinding, and she insists it’s a piece of cake to make… well, a bowl mousse anyway!

Mrs R first discovered the basis for this recipe from Taste Magazine ages ago. She promptly changed everything about the original recipe – like reducing the sugar content – and added alcohol! That’s my girl!

She also has a little trick that makes the melted chocolate congeal into little chewy bits scattered through the mousse, which makes this mousse even more indulgent.

Mrs Romance’s magical chocolate mousse

Serves 6 – takes about 4hrs 20mins including refrigeration time

Here’s what you need:

• 200g dark chocolate – we use Nestle Club but any good quality dark choc you’d eat will work
• 300ml thickened cream
• 3 eggs separated
• 2tbsp caster sugar
• Dash of Grand Marnier (optional)
• Dash of vinegar
• Pinch of salt

Here’s what you do:

1. Separate the yolks from the whites of the eggs, put the whites in a bowl and the yolks in a cup.
2. Break up the chocolate and melt in a glass bowl over simmering water (a bain marie) or in the microwave.
3. Beat the egg whites, adding the sugar slowly as you go until you get stiff peaks. Add a dash of white vinegar and a pinch of salt early on before you add the sugar to help with the mix.
4. At this stage if you want to, add the Grand Marnier to the cream then beat the cream until it thickens and is a similar consistency to the egg whites.
5. Pour one egg yolk into the chocolate at a time and mix quickly with a spoon. The chocolate will go very hard at this point – don’t give up!
6. Mix the first ¼ of the cream into the chocolate and combine thoroughly but gently.
7. Continue adding the cream to the chocolate in small batches until all combined.
8. Very very gently fold the egg whites into the mix a bit at a time.
9. Carefully spoon into martini glasses, cover with cling wrap and pop them in the fridge for at least an hour and a half. If you have the willpower, anything over four hours will give you the best results.
10. Garnish with grated chocolate or sliced fruit when the mousse has set.

In truth, this recipe serves anywhere between 4 – 8 depending on how many people at the table are dieting… or just two people if you’re feeling really greedy!

The trick to the lightness and fluffiness is how gently you fold the egg white into the mix. If you want the yummy chewy bits, this happens when the chocolate cools quickly as you add the cream. Give it a go – when it works, it’s great!

If you’re taking this to a dinner party, take the mousse in a big bowl with some sliced strawberries on top. It gives the mousse a really generous look and it’s much easier to transport than lots of individual glasses.

As a variation, try adding different flavoured alcohol to the mix. We use Grand Marnier or Cointreau, but Chambord or white crème de cacao would go so well with this recipe too.

Check out our delicious coffee chocolate mousse recipe here too!

**Sorry mummies-to-be, this has raw egg in it, so you’ll have to wait a few months to try this. One of Mrs R’s best friends had her make a bowl of mousse straight after her little boy was born – so it’s worth the wait!**

Do you have a signature dessert? Tell us what you bring to the table in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance.