How To Make Vegan Dark Chocolate And Orange Mousse

If you are last minute.com like me, then this vegan chocolate mousse dessert recipe is for you. With minimum cooking and effort, you have a restaurant-worthy dessert. Making vegan desserts, especially an airy mousse, shouldn't be like climbing a mountain of ingredients and processes. This recipe needs only a few ingredients, and the process is so easy. You don't need to be a chef to make it. And of course, with a decadent chocolaty dessert, you will be very popular with your friends and family.

This mousse is airy, fluffy and oh so creamy. I often get comments, "it's not vegan!" Rest assured, though, it is. For this recipe, we use dairy-free cream that is whippable. This vegan cream gives the mousse light fluffiness. In this recipe, there is no avocado and no aquafaba, just a dairy-free cream that is whippable. The other key ingredient for flavour is orange blossom. Have you used it before? Widely used in Middle Eastern cuisine, it has a gentle, fragrant taste of oranges.

So if you are looking for a quick and easy last-minute dessert that will hit the spot and impress, this will become a go-to recipe. Desserts can be a lot of work and too rich, but not this one.

Ingredients

• Dairy-free single cream
• Dairy-free whipping cream
• Dark chocolate
• Caster sugar
• Icing sugar
• Orange blossom

Instructions

Let's make this chocolaty magic happen!

Add the vegan single cream and castor sugar in a saucepan and mix them over medium-low heat. Mix until the sugar has dissolved. Break up both the chocolate bars and add to the sugar/cream mix. Stir until all the chocolate has melted and everything is well incorporated. Set this aside to cool down.

Add the whippable cream, orange blossom, and icing sugar to another bowl. Whisk together until the mixture starts to stiffen and holds soft peaks.

At this point, add the cooled down chocolate/single cream/sugar mix to the whipped cream and fold everything gently together until well incorporated. Try not to over mix, though, as the aim is to create an airy, fluffy mousse.

That is pretty much it. Simple eh?

Divide the mousse into individual glasses or bowls (about 170 grammes per portion). I like to use champagne classes.

Smooth the mousse with the back of a spoon, then place the bowls/glasses in the refrigerator for about two hours to set.

Serve your mousse chilled and garnished with orange tuile, shaved chocolate, or any garnish of your choice. My candied chocolate orange peels also make a good garnish.

Variations & Substitutions

To make this mousse with dairy products, do the following:

• Replace the vegan single cream and whippable cream with 500ml of dairy double cream.
• Mix 250ml of the double cream with the castor sugar as directed.
• Add the remaining 250ml along with the orange blossom essence and icing sugar and whip to soft peaks as directed. It will not take as long to whip as the vegan whipping cream, especially if you use an electric whisk. Remember, we are aiming for soft peaks.

If you don't have access to orange blossom essence, try another essence and put your own stamp on it.

Chef's Tips

Be sure to cool the chocolate cream mix until it is warm to the touch before adding it to the whipped cream. If you allow it to cool completely, it will set and be harder to fold it in.

Remember, when whipping, we are aiming for soft peaks. If you over-whip, then if becomes too stiff and munch harder to incorporate into the melted chocolate.

Storage

Store this vegan chocolate mousse in the refrigerator for up to three days.

📖 Recipe

Food Safety

In a professional kitchen, food hygiene and safety is a top priority, and from the very beginning of training, I practised good habits and routines. Of course, it is also very, very important to practice good food hygiene and safety at home. Here are some fundamental practices to adopt in the kitchen.

• Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food
• Wipe down counter tops and high contact points regularly
• If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
• Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours)
• Store food correctly

For more details of food hygiene and safety in the home, visit the UK Government's Food Standards Agency webpage.