A rich, silky dark chocolate mousse set on a crushed biscuit base in a glass, elegant enough for a dinner party and ready in fifteen minutes with no baking, no gelatine and no cooking.
About This Recipe
No-bake chocolate mousse cake in a glass is one of those desserts that looks considerably more sophisticated than the effort involved in making it. A biscuit base, a silky whipped chocolate ganache poured over it, and a dusting of cocoa or a few raspberries on top produces something that genuinely looks like it came from a patisserie. The entire thing takes fifteen minutes and requires no cooking beyond melting chocolate.
The mousse is made from dark chocolate melted with a small amount of butter, folded into whipped double cream until smooth and glossy. This is a simplified mousse rather than a classic French version with egg yolks and whites, and the result is slightly denser and richer but no less delicious and considerably faster and safer to make. The key is folding rather than stirring, which preserves the air in the whipped cream and produces a light, airy texture.
Setting the mousse in the glass rather than a mould eliminates the risk of unmoulding failure and produces an attractive layered presentation that shows the biscuit base and the dark mousse in cross-section. Glass tumblers or ramekins both work perfectly. The mousse sets in the fridge in fifteen minutes to a texture that is firm enough to hold a clean scoop but yields immediately to a spoon.
History and Origins
Chocolate mousse has been a staple of French dessert-making since the late 19th century, where it was made from chocolate, butter, eggs, and sugar beaten together into a light, aerated mixture. The simplified version using whipped cream rather than eggs became popular in home kitchens in the 20th century due to its reliability and speed. The individual glass or pot format became fashionable in restaurant presentation in the early 21st century.
Why It Is Fast To Make
No baking required. Melting chocolate takes 2 minutes. Whipping cream takes 3 minutes. Total assembly 15 minutes including chilling.
No Bake Chocolate Mousse Cake
Course: Cake1
servings10
minutes2
minutes1120
kcalIngredients
•t100g dark chocolate 70 percent chopped
•t20g unsalted butter
•t200ml double cream
•t1 tbsp icing sugar
•t0.5 tsp vanilla extract
•t4 digestive biscuits crushed
•t30g butter melted
•tCocoa powder or raspberries to finish
Directions
- Mix crushed digestive biscuits with melted butter. Press into the bottom of two glasses.
- Melt dark chocolate and 20g butter together in 30 second microwave bursts. Cool for 3 minutes.
- Whip double cream with icing sugar and vanilla to soft peaks.
- Fold melted chocolate gently into whipped cream until smooth and combined.
- Spoon mousse over biscuit bases.
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes until set. Dust with cocoa powder or top with raspberries.
Notes
- Cool the melted chocolate for at least 3 minutes before folding into cream. Hot chocolate will deflate the whipped cream.
Fold gently rather than stirring. Rough mixing collapses the air and produces a dense, heavy result.
The mousse is ready to eat after 15 minutes in the fridge but improves with 30 minutes of setting.
Use good quality dark chocolate. The mousse has nowhere to hide a poor quality chocolate flavour.
Make Ahead Tips
The assembled mousse cakes keep refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Add the cocoa dusting or fruit topping just before serving.
Storage and Serving
Keep refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Cover with cling film to prevent the mousse from absorbing fridge odours. Serve cold directly from the glass. Pairs beautifully with a few fresh raspberries on top and a glass of dessert wine.
Variations and Substitutions
Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the melted chocolate for a mocha mousse. Add a tablespoon of rum or brandy to the chocolate. Use milk chocolate for a sweeter, less intense version. Add orange zest to the mousse for a chocolate orange version.
