Easy Chocolate Mousse Tart
This Easy Chocolate Mousse Tart is egg-free and no-bake! Just stock up on heavy cream and chocolate and you’ll be ready to create this easy, decadent chocolate dessert recipe.
Why You Must Make
- This recipe comes from an old issue of Fine Cooking magazine.
- Most mousses I’ve made contain raw eggs, resulting in an uber silky texture to the mousse. No raw eggs here!
- This mousse was just chocolate and cream! So simple and exquisite.
Expert Tips
- Use salted butter for your crust. The tiny bit of salt enhances the flavor of the crust without tasting salty.
- Whip your cream to stiff peaks. This means when you lift your beaters out of the cream, peaks of cream will remain in place instead of slumping back into the bowl.
- If you overwhip and the cream becomes clumpy, you can add slowly mix in more cream until it’s smooth again.
- Folding is when you use a rubber spatula and in a circular motion, cut down through the middle of the two components that need to be combined. Once you hit the bottom, scrape along that lower part of the bowl and bring it up along one side. Rotate the bowl a bit and repeat over and over until the mixture is combined. The goal is not to deflate the cream, so restrain from rushing the process.
How to Garnish
Instead of my usual chocolate curls, I jazzed up this chocolate mousse cake with chocolate shards. Boy, was this a lot easier! Since this was my first attempt making and using them, I haven’t perfected the skill of scattering them artfully. But they did kick this dessert up a notch or two. Basically, you melt 4 ounces of chocolate, spread it out over a sheet of waxed paper, top with another sheet of wax paper, roll, and chill. When you unroll, the shards are formed. Simple as that. Here is the recipe.
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- Layered Mousse Cake
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- More Chocolate Dessert Recipes
Easy Chocolate Mousse Tart
A no-bake chocolate mousse tart adapted from Fine Cooking.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted; more for the pan
- 8 ounces chocolate wafer cookies, ground into crumbs (I use Nabisco Famous Wafers)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 9 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
- A pinch of salt
- 3 1/4 cups heavy cream, divided
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
- Mix together butter, crumbs, and sugar. Spread the crumbs over the bottom of the pan and press evenly to form the crust. Refrigerate.
- Combine the chocolate, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla, and the salt in a large bowl. In a microwave-safe measuring cup, heat ¾ cup of cream to almost boiling.
- Pour the cream over the chocolate, let sit for 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to cool.
- Beat 1-1/2 cups of the cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Whisk the chocolate mixture to loosen it, then fold in a large dollop of the whipped cream into the chocolate to lighten the mixture. Fold the lightened chocolate mixture into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula until no streaks are left.
- Scrape the mousse into the pan, gently spreading it to the edges. Smooth the top with an offset spatula. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
- Before serving, beat the remaining 1 cup cream, powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl to medium-stiff peaks. Run a knife around the pie to loosen it from the pan and then remove the side of the pan.
- Slide a spatula under the crust to loosen it from the pan, then use a large spatula to transfer the pie to a serving plate.
- Mound or pipe the whipped cream over the mousse and top with chocolate curls, shards, or shavings. To serve, use a hot, dry knife (dip into very hot water, then wipe dry).
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes
Garnish with chocolate shards for an impressive presentation!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 494Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 194mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 2gSugar: 28gProtein: 4g
32 Comments on “Easy Chocolate Mousse Tart”
Another winner of a tart Liz! Looks so good 😀
Just beautiful as always, Liz. Have a lovely day! 🙂
What sweet decadence!
I’ve been having some serious chocolate cravings lately (which is not my normal) and I’m always on the hunt for easy recipes that impress! Your tart looks beautiful and with those ingredients it’s definitely delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
Easy huh?! That looks like it was insanely difficult to make, but then I read the instructions and it sounds easy peasy!
Delicious looking tart, love the shard technique. I can see why this was a big hit.
I am a huge fan of chocolate mousse–I need to try this! And I will be definetly making shards and not curls–LOL!!!
This looks divine, chocolate is my weakness.
Love a light and fluffy mousse at this time of year!
I have a chocolate mousse cake on my list of things to make – but now I want to make your recipe! Your chocolate curls are gorgeous Liz – and I bet the cake is delicious!
this look sensational liz!
YUM!
I need to try your method for the chocolate shards; because around here in the desert the shavings always melt before I can get them to the dessert.
…now I’m off to buy that half-gallon of whipping cream @ Costco!
Melody, the link to fine cooking will lead you to exact instructions for making the chocolate shards! I hope you try this!!!
I love the chocolate shard topping, such a stunning tart!
Very pretty! Bet it didn’t last long:@)
This is gorgeous! And I love that it’s made without eggs – there has been a shortage of pasteurized eggs around us, so I have been trying to think of egg free desserts and dinners.
OMG how much cream? No wonder it lookks to die for lol. And got to try those chocolate shards!
This mousse reminds me of some simple mousses my Dear Mom used to make by simply flavouring whipped cream. Sometimes it was as basic as adding a little fruit syrup to our carbonator and presto, a simple whipped dessert. Of course, it never had the jazzy chocolate shards! Your dessert looks beautiful and I would argue that you have indeed mastered the shard distribution over the top, it looks fantastic, it’s no wonder your family gobbled it up.
Look really delicious Lizzy !!
Be warm dear !
This looks so decadent! I love the chocolate shards – they’re perfect for this dreamy tart 🙂
So chocolatey and tempting…that’s a pure delight, Liz.