4-minute Chocolate Mousse

This incredibly decadent, luxurious 4-minute chocolate mousse recipe comes to us from Gordon Ramsay (to whom I lovingly refer as Angry Chef). You have to try this! It's worth every single minute of effort.

_{WARNING: THE FOLLOWING RECIPE IS EXTREMELY ADDICTIVE}

"But Scooch," you say, "Restaurant-quality chocolate mousse in four minutes?! Sound too good to be true?" Yeah, I thought so too.

So I decided to take this recipe to task - could it possibly be done in four minutes without the use of a microwave? I had to find out.

Then, of course, I realized I'd have to stop and take pictures and make notes along the way; I really wouldn't be the best judge of the passage of time here. So I enlisted my trusty assistant (who was also able to help me translate the Britishisms) to help out so that we could get a better idea of the time.

It went VERY fast. I'm sure that after a couple stabs at this recipe, four minutes would be no problem at all.

Also, have I mentioned yet how DEADLY DELICIOUS this is? I could eat about two spoonfuls before I was down for the count.

This is going to be a new staple in our household. Keep the ingredients on hand!

_{YOU'LL ALWAYS BE FOUR MINUTES or so FROM ABSOLUTE DECADENCE!!}

Step 1: Ingredients

Here's the recipe in its original British, and then followed with an American translation.  

Brits, etc. use:

• 100 g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids) broken up into pieces
• 300ml double cream
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 large egg white
• chocolate shavings, to garnish
• 2 tbsp Amaretto or other liqueur, or Amaretto Syrup (optional)

Yanks, etc. use:

• 4oz bar of high-quality dark chocolate (I used Ghiradelli). You'll use 7 of the 8 squares, and the 8th square you can shave for garnish (or munch on to keep your cravings at a minimum while whipping this up)
• 10oz heavy whipping cream (I was lucky enough to find a very charming British grocery in SF where we had a whale of a time picking up yummy snacks and double cream!)
• 1/4 cup extra-fine granulated sugar (not powdered sugar!), or just grind up regular granulated sugar in a food processor or coffee grinder. Caster sugar is just really fine sugar. DO NOT USE POWDERED SUGAR
• 1 large egg white
• chocolate shavings, to garnish
• 2 tbsp Amaretto, Amaretto Syrup, or other liqueur (optional)

Tools

---

• Hand-held electric mixer
• Bowl inside another bowl filled with ice water
• Scale to measure ingredients (opt)

_{Scoochmaroo is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.}

UPDATE

As suggested by many a viewer, if you are not able to acquire pasteurized eggs, or are concerned about having an egg white in the recipe, try substituting in meringue powder!

From user HollyMeeker:

• 2 teaspoons Wilton Meringue Powder
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1/4 cup super fine sugar (Use the recipe's suggestion to make the granulated sugar fine.)

In a large bowl, combine meringue powder, water and 1/4 cup minus 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Whip at high speed for 5 minutes. (A stand mixer makes this whole process much easier.)

Gradually add the rest of sugar and continue whipping at high speed for 5 minutes until meringue is stiff and dry. Makes the the equivalent of one egg white.

Use according to your recipe. Meringue powder can be used to replace egg whites in your recipe if egg white is beaten with sugar before adding to ingredients.

Just a note: Chefs say that using a copper bowl to beat egg whites will make them higher and lighter.

Thanks, Holly!

Comments

[HollyHarken]

Smoochmaroo, OMG this is a killer dessert! I made it last night after emailing you to ask how much it makes. Since I'm going to a friend's house and I don't know how many extra kids there will be I doubled the recipe. I had thought about using milk chocolate, but it would never have had the fantastic flavor that dark chocolate gives this dessert. The next time I make it I will put the cream in a much deeper bowl. I was smart enough to put the ice bowl in the sink so that I wouldn't have to deal with water spilling everywhere. The mousse splattered everywhere as I mixed it until it started to thicken. Maybe I shouldn't start on high speed. Many lessons were learned making this for the first time. I will make it again that is for certain, assuming that my friends don't drop dead of a heart attack after eating this for dessert tonight. I can think of so many different flavorings to add. If I have any leftover I'm going to try freezing it to see if I can make a mousse ice cream. As I was stirring the chocolate into the hot cream I realized that this would make a great ice cream base. Just add in the sugar and some vanilla to the cream instead of the egg whites and put into an icecream maker after you've cooled the cream in the ice water bath. After I got the mousse made I pulled out my fancy cake decorating gun so that the heat from my hands wouldn't melt the cream in a pastry bag. I piped the dessert into plastic wine glasses. Each serving is just under 4 ounces and I ended up with 10 & 1/2 glasses. I've come to realize that I should have allowed the mousse to chill overnight and then piped the dessert into the glasses so that it would have held the piping shape better. Live and learn. I'm including some photos since I know you'll want to see what my efforts looked like. I see that I should have put a small cookie in the bottom of the glass to keep the mousse from sinking into the stem.

[scoochmaroo]

Oh Holly! Thank you so much for the time you took to document your efforts. I know your trials will be helpful to everyone who tried this recipe. Your desserts look amazing! Let me know how further adventures go!

[eulaliaaaa!]

I just made some for dessert tonight, and it was amazing! Everyone liked it! Here are the pictures:

[scoochmaroo]

Awesome!!!

[HollyHarken]

Smooch, I just wanted to let you know that I made a double batch of this fabulous chocolate mousse so that I could make a mousse pie. In the past I had been using a commercial mousse mix and dream whip. Now that I know how to make this fabulous mousse thanks to you, I decided to use your recipe. First I made and baked a chocolate graham cracker crust and let it cool. Then I made my superfine sugar with my food processor. I weighed out my chocolate chips using a bag of 60% cacao chips that I bought at Aldi during the Chrismas baking season. I measured out my cream and got every thing ready so that I could proceed. Then I made my egg whites using meringue powder instead of actual egg whites. I got it all whipped up before I started my mousse making. Next I got out one of my bigger bowls and put about a tablespoon of salt in it. Put a bunch of ice cubes in the bowl, added water and stirred to dissolve the salt. Adding salt makes the water temperature go below freezing. (I think I'll use this method to make my whipping cream the next time I make it.) I then placed the big bowl in my sink and used a 3 quart Farberware bowl to mix the cream in. Then I mixed half of the whipping cream with some very strong rum that I have from Austria. This is 160 proof rum (serious stuff) so it is to be used sparingly. I only used 2 tablespoons and it was just right. Any more would have been over powering. NO I DO NOT KNOW WHERE THE AVERAGE PERSON CAN BUY THIS RUM. My uncle gets it for me through the PX down in the DC area. The bottle is over 20 years old that is how little I use it. I only use it to make mousse and Chrismas cookies. I got the cream whipped a bit and then started adding in the chocolate/cream mix as the beaters were running. I really could have used another set of hands for this task! I did it this way in hopes of avoiding lumps of chocolate. I still ended up with a few, but over all it worked out very well. I got the cream whipped and then added a bit of the meringue to lighten it. Then I poured the cream mix into my big stand mixer bowl and used the whisk attachment to fold it all together by hand. I’m thinking I need to invent a handle for the whisk attachment to make this process easier. It is very hard to hold it in my hand. I didn’t want to use the mixer to fold the ingredients together as I was worried that it would have deflated. I filled the pie crust and then let everything sit in the refrigerator over night. This morning I took the cold leftover mousse and piped shells onto the pie. Here’s a photo of the finished dessert. I’m sure that I’ll have to serve small slices so that we don’t all keel over from a heart attack from the richness of this dessert.

[YellowBlu Co.]

This was fun to make and VERY delicious! I wasn't able to make it in 4 minutes though. It took me about half an hour! But it was well worth the wait. I took the picture on my laptop, so you can see a part of my laptop. Everyone loves it! Here are the pictures:

[jasoncattnz]

My god, what an overkill in decadence! I made this last night and it was delicious! I even served it in chocolate cups...
However.... I do have an issue with the title. considering it says to whisk the egg whites and sugar for five minutes there is simply no way you could make this in four minutes!

[Osquar]

Lovely dessert!!! Did a few experiments on this when we had a Michael Jackson-themed dinner; Dark chocolate, white chocolate and black-and-white. :D
The white chocolate turned out to be tooo sweet and the black-and-white turned out slightly sweeter but it gave a cool impression when I managed to layer them and swirl them with a spoon.
Over all the plain dark chocolate one got the best reviews :D
Thanks again for the recipe!! We had a lots of fun working on it all 6 together!

[MariaPeterson932]

Yummy!!

[Li Sashay]

Love this instructable! Great pictures!

[iluvmusic]

i dont have an electric beater i have a regular egg beater(think thats what its called) is it ok if i use that?

[gregounours]

If your egg beater iandle is small enough and you have a drill that has a slow setting. You can put the beater like a drill bit. I have even gotten the job done once putting a fork on a drill. Don't blame me if you get hurt though :-)

[KittyF]

a had beater SHOULD work, but it might take longer.

[gregounours]

You can substitute the egg yoke for the cream. It's a bit lighter, one less ingredient and you don't toss the yellow. You then have to melt the chocolate in the microwave and mix in the egg yoks. You can also melt the chocolate in a sauce pan. That's how my grand mother, my mother and now I do it. Super delicious. And raw eggs won't kill you by the way.

[valkgurl]

Again with the Ganache!!!! LOL!!!!!

And yes whoever was asking this DOES make the base for a yummmmy ice cream

The Super Fine Sugar (granulated) is also known as BARTENDERS SUGAR and is used to make lots of cocktails. You can find it at the supermarket in the odd little cocktail section ya know with the colored plastic picks and odd glassy olives and funky tooth picks. Or ask you friendly local bartender to get you some. It's more even in texture than what you can whip up in most blenders.

Is it only in Amerika that we have this fetish about eggs??? Whyzo? I have kept my own chickens and eaten plenty of other peoples chickens eggs and commercial eggs---and I am still alive. With a not great immune system! And raw egg parts too. Never knew the rest of the world thought this was an oddity tho!!!!! Maybe it is a conspiracy by the Egg Seperators Union.

[panny1996]

Sarah, please don't post such instructables, especially don't add these mouth-watering images, every time i visit your instructable recipes, whether it's day or night, i become very irresistible until i make it and eat it, especially during night.

[Happyhomebaker]

That was really a great recipe. I used a stand mixer and alternated 2 work bowls. Since I used the stand mixer I was not able to put the bowl of chocolate/cream into another bowl filled with ice cubes. Instead, I held ice cubes over the outside of the bowl with my hands to cool the chocolate/cream mixture. It was so easy and came out so fluffy and yummy!! I will definitely make it again! Thanks for posting!!

[adrofig]

Hey, I was wondering, aren't you not supposed to eat uncooked egg whites because of salmonella?

[schumi23]

What I've been told (When I asked a biologist about eating raw cookie dough) is that, the only people at risk are those who already have weakened immune system; The elderly, infants, etc.

Otherwise, there's no risk :) Other than obsity from eating it constantly for lack of fear of salmonella. :D

[PyroTrician95]

Chances are low of getting it so most ignore it haha :)

[GummiBear]

Salmonella from eggs only comes from the SHELL (at least im told), so you're good...unless you like your mousse crunchy. (lolz)

[akasperavicius]

Make sure you use fresh eggs and you'll be fine.

Salmonella will give you the runs, that's about it. It has been completely overblown by the Americans who want you to sterile-ize everything - which sounds like a "safe" idea until you realize we have never eaten that way.

Sterilizing everything destroys your body's natural immunity to bacteria and will make your more susceptible to disease in the long run.

Besides, it tastes better.

[adrofig]

Ya the whole American over-sterilization is totally true.

[intiguy]

can u tell me wat can i use instead of egg , i am a vegeterian

[Batness]

You mean you are vegan?

[Flying Shuttle]

Not necessarily. It means he/she is not a Lacto-ovo vegetarian. Chocolate is not vegan, nor is cream... although there are probably soy versions of both.

[Batness]

It was just an odd statement without some context; MOST "vegetarians" classify themselves as lacto-ovo; a lacto-veg is a rare thing.

[kaikoi]

bananas! It's true, they have ligament :)

[Nahual]

Is there any way to make a Chocolate Channel on this website? :)

[urtlesquirt]

Thumbs up if the 5 minute recipies ebook brought you to this 4 minute recipie.

[YellowBlu Co.]

This recipe also doubles for delicious chocolate ice cream! Just do step 2. It's REALLY GOOD!

[TheCritic]

I just gained 20 pounds reading this recipe.....But it made me happy. I am gonna try this.

[AussieAnglerGal]

haha, thanks for using two types of measurements schooch, i hate scratching my head over American terms

[Birdy Jane]

If I'm going to use meringue powder , do I use the 1/4 cup sugar in the instructions plus the 1/4 cup sugar in the recipe?

[HollyHarken]

No you use the 1/4 cup for the meringue and 1/4 cup for the chocolate/ cream mixture.

[jacopez]

hi, i was just wondering approx how many people this serves? it sounds like a great recipe, can't wait to try it out!!

[Babsy972]

Lots of positive reviews here.. did you guys add a liqueur or not?

[kbawcutt]

When you say tablespoon do you mean an english tablespoon or an american tablespoon? (when it comes to liquer I tend to assume people mean an Australian tablespoon XD).

[AMAZONIAbydjljwilliams]

An American tablespoon is 15mls..while an Australian tablespoon is 20mls

Here's my list of measurements its taken me awhile to compile..most handy for online recipe surfing
1 cup = 16 tablespoons
¾ cup = 12 tablespoons
½ cup = 8 tablespoons
¼ cup = 4 tablespoons
2 thirds cup = 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
3 eighths cup = 6 tablespoons
1 eighth cup = 2 tablespoons
1 sixth cup = 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
1 sixteenth cup = 1 tablespoon
2 cups = 1 pint
2 pints = 1 quart
1 quart = 4 cups
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
48 teaspoons = 1 cup
1 pinch = less than 1 eighth teaspoon
1 dash = 3 drops to ½ teaspoons
2 tablespoons = 1 oz
1 cup (AUS) = 250mls
1 tablespoon (AUS) = 20mls
1 teaspoon (AUS) = 5mls
1 cup (USA) = 237mls
1 tablespoon (USA) = 15mls
½ cup (USA) = 118mls
1 teaspoon (USA) = 5mls
1 pound (USA) = 454g
454 grams = 16oz
1 kilo = 2.2 lbs
1oz = 28.5 grams
3oz = 85 grams
stick of butter = 113grams

[adrofig]

Hey, I was wondering, aren't you not supposed to eat uncooked egg whites because of salmonella?