When I was a kid, mousse was always a disappointment. You would always get excited when you saw it somewhere, and then your dreams would be crushed into dust when you discovered it wasn't ice cream. I hope I wasn't the only one. However, the most interesting thing about life is our individual evolution. I now love mousse and I love this Vegan Orange Chocolate Mousse more than just about anything right now. This includes my family. Just kidding...
The New OC
OC is really having a moment on this blog right now and I'm not talking Orange County. I have really been feeling the classic, orange-chocolate combo and I'm not even sorry about it. If it isn't your bag, please stay tuned for future content as I'm sure I will be tiring of it soon. Until then, Vegan Orange Chocolate Mousse, you have the floor.
Vegan Orange Chocolate Mousse Ingredients
- Nondairy Chocolate Chips: Dairy free chocolate chips can be found at just about any grocery store. Semi-sweet chips are typically dairy-free but always check the ingredients. There is no need to use fancy, dark chocolate chunks here as you will be melting the chocolate anyway.
- Orange Juice: Orange juice from a carton is totally fine here. If you are feeling extra ambitious you can squeeze it yourself but I assure you, it isn't necessary.
- Orange Zest: Using citrus zest in recipes is a great way to strengthen the flavor of whatever kind of fruit you are using. When you add zest to a recipe, you are including the natural oils that exist within the fruit straight into your dessert without having to turn to artificial flavoring. Only a little is needed here as we don't want the zest to throw off the creamy texture.
- Canned Coconut Cream: When purchasing canned coconut cream it is super important not to purchase canned coconut milk instead. What we want for this recipe is solid cream, not liquid milk. Due to its high fat content, there will be separation in your can of coconut cream with the solid cream at the top and the water at the bottom. You do not want these to mix! Scoop the coconut cream off the top taking care to leave the water behind.
- Powdered Sugar: It is important to use powdered sugar in our mousse as it will initially be used to make a whipped cream. If you were to use granulated sugar your result will be heavy and sandy.
Tips For Making Orange Chocolate Mousse
- When making coconut whipped cream, it is important for the ingredients and equipment you are using to be as cold as possible. Refrigerate your can of coconut cream overnight and freeze the bowl and whisk attachment of your mixer for at least 10 minutes prior to use.
- When melting chocolate in a saucepan, only continue heating until chocolate is just melted and there are no more chocolate lumps. You want to keep the mixture as cool as possible.
- Never shake or mix your can of coconut cream. The solid coconut fat should be separated from the water at the bottom of the can. Keep it that way! When scraping the cream off the top, be careful to leave the coconut water behind. If you lose out on a little of the cream in the process so be it!
Please remember if you make this recipe to snap a pic and share with @censoredbaker on instagram!
Vegan Orange Chocolate Mousse
Light, fluffy orange-chocolate mousse. Perfectly decadent and 100% vegan.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Spoon Dessert
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
1 c nondairy chocolate chips
½ c orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1 13.5 oz can coconut cream, refrigerated overnight
½ c powdered sugar
Instructions
1. Place a large bowl in the freezer to chill for at least 10 minutes. While the bowl is chilling, add nondairy chocolate chips, orange juice and orange zest to a saucepan and heat over medium whisking constantly until chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to another bowl. Place in fridge for 15 minutes to chill.
2. While chocolate mixture is chilling, remove the empty bowl from the freezer. Open your can of coconut cream taking care not to shift it too much to avoid mixing. Scrape the cream out of the can and into the bowl. Avoid the coconut water at the bottom of the can. It is better to leave some cream behind as opposed to introducing some coconut water into your bowl as this can impact your final results.
3. Add the powdered sugar to the coconut cream and beat using an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks begin to form, about 2-3 minutes. Once your coconut cream resembles whipped cream, add in your chilled chocolate mixture. It’s okay if the chocolate is still slightly warm. Beat with mixer until well-combined, about 1 more minute. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or transfer mousse to individual serving jars and seal. Chill 8 hours or overnight.
4. Remove mousse from fridge and pour into serving cups if you haven’t already. You can garnish with berries or orange slices if you’d like.
Notes
*Mousse will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. This recipe is not freezer friendly.
**You don’t want to over-chill the melted chocolate mixture as it will begin to solidify. If this does happen to you, leave the bowl out at room temperature for 30 minutes or so and it should soften enough to use.
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