Tiramisu Chocolate Mousse

This Tiramisu Chocolate Mousse is an easy and classy dessert for any special occasion. It’s egg free, quick to make and so delicious!

This is the stuff my dessert dreams are made of: It’s super easy to whip up (quite literally), has all of the amazing Tiramisu flavors… and none of the complicated layering!

Instead of using raw eggs like a classic Tiramisu recipe would, I simply use mascarpone along with the heavy whipping cream to add volume and stability, and some melted chocolate and strong espresso for flavor and color.

It’s done in 10 minutes and then chills in about 20. So quick and easy, and great for Valentine’s Day!

And if you were so inclined as to listen to some wonderful, if a little different, Valentine’s Day music while you’re making this recipe… Here is a playlist that was partially arranged and sung by one of the best people I know:

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Ingredient notes

• Cream: Make sure you use cream from a carton labelled “heavy whipping” or something similar. Pouring cream, light cream, cream for cooking, half and half, milk or anything that doesn’t say “heavy cream” or “whipping cream” or “heavy whipping cream” will NOT WORK in this recipe. Make sure it is well chilled, or else it will not whip.
• Mascarpone: If you can’t get a hold of mascarpone, softened cream cheese works as a substitute. It yields a somewhat different taste and texture, but it still works incredibly well.
• Icing sugar: It’s very important to use icing sugar, and not regular sugar here. If yours is lumpy, please sift it before adding it to the recipe.
• Chocolate: Dark chocolate adds the deepest flavor and color to this recipe. If you prefer a milk chocolate mousse, feel free to use that instead.
• Espresso: You want this brewed really strong, because you’re not adding a lot. If you don’t have an espresso maker, brew very strong coffee instead.
• Ladyfingers/cocoa powder (or chocolate shavings): These are all optional for serving, but they make for a really nice presentation!

How to make Tiramisu Chocolate Mousse

1. The first thing I do when I make this is make sure I have enough clean individual jars or ramekins about. This fits perfectly into four ¾ cup ramekins, but I used a few smaller and larger ones to have 5 for a better photo. Food blogger problems 😉

Then, brew a strong espresso and take away 2 tablespoons for the mousse. Drink the rest so you can sing better to the music; please note this triggers big second hand embarrassment in any children over the age of 5 you may have around.

2. I melt the chocolate in a small saucepan with the espresso and a touch of cream to keep it smooth. But make sure to melt it over medium-low heat only, or it will split and curdle and you’ll have to start all over. Set this aside to cool for 5-8 minutes (stick to the timing, or the mousse will not work out).

3. The next step is to rinse a stainless steel bowl with ice-cold water and dry it really well. If you don’t have a stainless steel bowl, well, get one 😉 or use a ceramic one, but it may be a bit more difficult to get a stable mousse.

Into the bowl add well-chilled heavy whipping cream, mascarpone and icing sugar, then use an electric mixer to whip it to very soft peaks. Drizzle in the cooled melted chocolate (it should still be pourable, but considerably cooled down) while whipping on high speed.

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4. Keep on whipping on high speed JUST until the mix is thick and fluffy, like a cozy duvet you might want to snuggle with, and the gnarly ridges stay put when you stop mixing. You WILL NOT be able to invert the bowl without the mousse sliding out, so don’t wait for that test to work. Unless you’re really into washing your hair, ask me how I know… Be cautious and don’t overwork the mousse. If you do, it will split like a bad relationship.

5. Finally spoon the mousse into your serving vessels, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or up to a few hours.

Right before serving this up, I garnish with a few dollops of whipped cream (I know, the sheer decadence), shaved chocolate and serve with ladyfingers.

All that’s left to do now is relishing in the ooohs and aaahs over dessert, whilst hiding the fact that you spent a mere 10 minutes on preparing it. Just hope nobody slipped any Veritaserum into yours…

Recipe tips

Chocolate melting: Melting the chocolate in a little bit of liquid is a very simple method that’s quite foolproof. That being said, you must stick to medium-low heat. Else, even this method will cause the chocolate to seize up and get ruined.

Chocolate chilling: Make sure to chill the chocolate mixture for no more than 5-8 minutes, else it will be too firm and no longer pourable. This would prevent it from properly mixing into the cream base.

Temperature of cream: It is absolutely crucial to have well-chilled heavy cream. It needs to be in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before being used in the recipe. This is not usually an issue if you buy chilled cream, just make sure you do not remove it from the fridge until the minute you need it.

Beating of cream mixture without chocolate: At this point, you only want the mixture to start to slightly thicken, or very soft peaks to form. You do not want it to look like actual whipped cream yet, or the mousse will end up overbeaten.

Mixing time: Once you add the chocolate mixture, only beat until the mousse is done. You want the finished mixture to look like a thick, fluffy duvet. Do not overmix it, or the mousse will split!

Storage tips

The mousse keeps in the fridge for 1-2 days. Do not store it for any longer than that, or the flavor and consistency could start to change.

More Valentine’s Day treats

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.