Those Cakes We Like … Have A Serious Chocolate Addiction

The temperature is too high for baking right now.

The temperature is high, the UK is celebrating the end of fourteen years of Tory rule, and I’m craving chocolate. What better way to celebrate than with a nice, easy dessert which requires no use of the oven?

Today, I’m going to share with you a lovely little recipe for a marbled chocolate mousse. It’s delicious, looks fancy as hell, and takes just minutes to make (although you do need to chill it afterwards).

Chocolate mousse is, of course, French in origin. The word “mousse” is French for foam, so it would make sense that it has its origins in the pastry kitchens of France. This is only half the story though, as although the first documented recipe for chocolate mousse is attributed to the French chef Menon, and appeared in the 1750 book La Science du Maitre d’Hotel Confiseur, it owes its popularity to the 19th century Impressionist painter (and experimental cook) Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. Before Menon and his compatriots had the bright idea of making chocolate mousse, most mousse recipes were savoury and included such delicacies as chicken livers, fish, and vegetables.

We can give some credit to this delicious dessert to the conquistadors, who first brought chocolate from Mexico to Spain in the 16th century. Chocolate was brought to the attention of France when Princess Anne of Austria’s betrothal to Louis XIII in 1615 led to Spain sharing the discovery with French chefs, who developed a method of creating a rich, light, foam dessert which was flavoured with chocolate for the royal wedding. The rest, as they say is history.

Louis XIII and Princess Anne of Austria

The recipe I’m about to provide is for a marbled white and dark chocolate mousse, served with chocolate dipped strawberries. It’s a relatively light, summer dessert that looks like it requires a lot more effort than it actually does — perfect for showing off.

This recipe serves 3, with 27.7 g of carbohydrates per serving (including toppings). If you’re feeling generous, you could serve larger portions to 2, but you’d need to recalculate your carbohydrates.

Your Equipment

Stand mixer or hand whisk

Digital kitchen scales

Microwave

1 medium sized bowl

2 small microwave-safe bowls

Wooden spoon

Dessert glasses

Your Ingredients

For the mousse:

4 medium egg whites

2 tbsp white sugar

50 g dark chocolate, try to get good quality dark chocolate — at least 70 percent cocoa

50 g white chocolate

To decorate:

3 medium strawberries

3 tbsp half fat crème fraiche

30 g dark chocolate

The Important Bit

Using your stand mixer or hand whisk, whisk the egg whites on high speed until they form stiff peaks. If you’re feeling brave, you could do the test where you hold the bowl above your head (or someone else’s) to test if the eggs are sufficiently whipped — if they fall on your head, they’re not done.

Add your sugar and whisk for another 30 seconds.

Melt your dark chocolate in the microwave on medium, in 30 second bursts.

Divide your egg whites in half.

Take 1/3 of one of your halves of egg whites and quickly mix this into your dark chocolate. Be careful not to allow the chocolate to cool and harden.

Now take the remaining 2/3 of the half of egg white and fold it into the dark chocolate mixture using a wooden spoon.

Repeat the previous 3 steps using the white chocolate.

Take your dessert glasses (wine glasses work beautifully if you don’t have designated dessert glasses), and spoon in your white and dark mousse.

Use a teaspoon or wooden skewer to carefully mix the mousses until you achieve a marble effect.

Place your mousse in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt your remaining dark chocolate and dip your strawberries in it. I find using a skewer to pierce through the stem of the strawberry so that I can roll the strawberry in the chocolate to be a very effective way of ensuring good coverage.

Just look at the shine on that chocolate...

Set aside to allow the chocolate to set.

Take your set mousse and top with a tablespoon of half fat crème fraiche (or use whipped cream, if you’re feeling naughty). Place the chocolate dipped strawberries on top, and drizzle with any remaining chocolate.

Chill the finished mousse until you’re ready to eat it.

 I’d suggest serving it with a side of shortbread and a glass of something cold and sparkling. You can use my grandmother's recipe if you’re willing to turn on the oven, or use store-bought shortbread — there’s nothing wrong with taking shortcuts.

Most importantly, sit back, relax, and enjoy pretending you worked a lot harder than you really did while you bask in the complements from anyone you share this delicious dessert with. And remember to tip Your Wonkette in order to keep the cakes (and other delicious goodies) coming.

Join me next month for caramelised white chocolate and strawberry cookies.

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