Dark Chocolate Mousse – is a sweet comfort when life moves at a pace faster than we can handle. The orange perks me up; the lovely sunshine color and its perfume, especially when paired together with dark chocolate, defines dessert at its best.
On a day when the sky was a gray, and the mind was overwhelmed, I needed the comfort in these creamy fluffy sinful cups. It is alright to indulge sometimes, I told myself. It is all about being happy.
It seems to me that the Spring arrived overnight. May be I was too tied up to notice the subtle changes. The trees around our yard are in glorious bloom again. And it feels good to wake up in the morning when the sky starts to light up. Creeping out of the blanket at the scream of the alarm clock when the entire world seems asleep is not my thing to do; yet I keep on doing that day after day, packing lunch and making breakfast in the half sleep mode till I take that first sip of the strong black coffee. The brain starts to tick, the rush and the day begins.
Last week as I was driving my little one to the preschool, I told her to look out of the car and see the trees which did not look so dry anymore. They were pale white and pink, the buds ready to burst open at the slightest sway.
Later in the day, while I was driving down the same road to pick her up, I got a strange feeling, as if I was not going the right way. Something felt different. The buds had burst open! The roads looked dreamy and whimsical with the fully blossomed trees lined up on both sides moving gently with the breeze – all in a couple of hours time.
Chocolate mousse is also a great dessert for entertaining. It can be served in individual cups, is quick to made and the best part is that the mousse has to be made ahead of time, as it needs enough time to chill.
When you are ready to serve, the dessert is all ready too. The soft, luscious creamy texture is hard to resist and the orange in it makes it ever so special.
Orange Scented Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse
Ingredients: (makes 8-10 individual cups)
- 6 oz mascarpone cheese
- 400 ml heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 3/4 cups chopped semi sweet/dark chocolate
- zest of one large orange
- 1 tablespoon orange flavored liqueur- Grand Marnier/Triple Sec/Cointreau etc (may be substituted with 2 teaspoons orange blossom water or 1 teaspoon orange extract)
- lightly toasted almonds or hazelnut to garnish
- orange slices to garnish (Optional)
Preparation:In a non reactive heat proof bowl, combine chocolate and 5 tablespoons heavy cream. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave (I melted the chocolate in the microwave; heat for about 30-45 seconds). When you see the chocolate just starting to melt, take it away from the heat and stir it till all of the chocolate is melted, smooth and shiny and well combine with the cream. It will be be thick enough to densely coat a spoon. Cool to room temperature.
Beat the mascarpone cheese for a minute or until it is loosened and is smooth.
Beat sugar and cream till soft peaks form. Do not over beat. Gently fold in the the orange zest. Fold in the melted chocolate and the mascarpone, and whisk for about a minute or till everything is well combined. Tip in the orange liqueur (or blossom water or extract) and fold it in.
Spoon over into to individual cups and refrigerate to chill at least for 3-4 hours. Overnight is good too. The consistency of the mousse will get denser as it chills.
Garnish with chopped/sliced nuts and orange slices.
Related Posts:
Layered Cranberry, Pomegranate Chocolate Mousse
Amaretto Strawberry, Hazelnut and Mascarpone Cream Parfait
Saffron Yogurt Mousse with Rose Petal Honey
Love this Mousse, will definitely give it a try! Love all eggless desserts….!
I liked the idea of using mascarpone cheese. Always love the mild flavour of that. Soma, this is totally D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S! 🙂
You’re right! How can chocolate and orange NOT pick you up! Lovey dessert Soma!
Just a whiff of orange and it makes the dessert seem so fresh and vibrant! Your mousse looks delicious!
I love orange scented anything…from cakes, to juice, to candles….Lovely clicks!
Shobha
What a gorgeous mousse! I made that version once a nd totally loved it.
Cheers,
Rosa
This sounds wonderful Soma. I am making a strawberry mousse later today which I will post tomorrow.
Chocolate Mousse looks exquisite….Looks even more beautiful through your lens…I recently tasted a orange flavored chocolate and loved the combo…I can imagine its taste…
ummm wish i could taste this now,.
Never tried orange and chocolate combo, always feel that one will mar the flavor of the other. But your dessert tempts me to try it soon. Lovely clicks, Soma!
This mousse looks so good that I can’t resist to get a bite into this. Love dark chocolates and this will make me come down on my knee for some! Looks gorgeous!
Gorgeous mousse, loved the fact that it is eggless and having my fav ingredients -chocolates and oranges, a deadly combo. I am sure it must be delish too !
Oh my! I have to make this today and I am in the middle of writing a shopping list. Dangerous times 🙂
wow ! wonderful, and heavenly delicious looking, will try it for sure, any substitute for mascarpone cheese?
Wow this looks so delicious and yum….very tempting
lovely words on the arrival of Spring Soma. We are heading into winter now, although there is trace of summer left.
I always have a likign for chocolate mousse! Yours look perfect.
I used make moose a lot and for some reason I totally forgot about those! It’s time .. i have to dig into them soon! 🙂
PS: Following you in twitter now!
Mmm… I simply adore chocolate mousse and yours sounds and looks absolutely delicious. My husband hates mousse and I’ve been waiting for a great recipe to come by to have an excuse to make it for myself 🙂 Waiting for spring to come by soon here in MN but something tells me I’ll have to brave the winter for several more weeks…Love your photography and loved the post!
Looks very delicious…Your have nice and lovely blog…Please visit my blog when you have time…
Bravo! Excellent Dessert for any time of the year! Can’t go wrong when Chocolate & Marscapone!
Mascarpone is one of my fav addition to a dessert..Love the chocolate, mascarpone, and the Orange, all in one..Soma!!
Chocolate Mousse looks too tempting and delicious to look at. Must have tasted wonderful as well.
Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi
This one is a luxurious dessert indeed! Finally the spring is here too!
That looks like a perfect treat! I love the combination of orange and chocolate, one of the best!
Soma,
Do you know what trees these are? I live in Dallas and have been noticing blooming trees all over!
– Ruma
I want to taste this right now!!!
O wow, you have blossom already! I wish I could say the same but spring is not there yet! Your chocolate mousse is fantastic and with the addition of mascarpone I can only imagine how delicious it must be!
Looks totally delicious Soma!
I loved the way you described the arrival of spring. Isn’t it the greatest feeling to see life blossoming around you?
Yes, I always wonder how fast the grass grows and the trees bloom as the Spring gets springing in 🙂
Chocolate and orange is an awesome combo and this mousse looks just terrific
This looks delectable! Thanks for sharing- can’t wait to try out the recipe!
I love the chocolate and orange combination – beautiful mousse!!
Oh chocolate and orange are a great combination, Soma! This looks rich and delightful mmm. I especially like the angle and styling of the second to last photo.
I love the pairing of orange and chocolate and your photos are incredibly beautiful. What a dessert!
This is an awesome recipe – I want to have some now! I would also love to try this recipe with a little Kahlua (for the coffee fan in me) or some Bailey’s.
Picture looks gud enough to eat …cant wait to try them out…
First time on your space… love it and glad to follow you !!
It looks so beautiful! And I really like the presence of orange! It will really help our taste buds a lot.
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The instructions mention orange zest but it’s not in the list of ingredients. How much should I use?
sorry about that! it is the zest of one large orange. Updated that post and thank you very much for pointing that out!
Wow, just made this and it is completely delicious, I’m going to be popular with my family tonight!