Decoding

chocolate mousses
Part I
The Science

by
Ramon Morató

Collaboration
Scinnov (Scientific advice)
Decoding chocolate mousses
In this new bulletin, we are going to take a look at the world of chocolate mousses, more
specifically, chocolate mousses used for assembling desserts.

What are the differences between a crème anglaise-based mousse and one made with
chocolate ganache?

How does using egg products affect the final texture and does it matter whether they are
beaten or not? How is stability affected if cream is not used as an aerating agent?

To carry out this experiment, we went to the University of Barcelona, more specifically
to the Mineralogy department, and looked at the texture of the chocolate mousse
under a scanning electron microscope. We also worked with Anne Cazor from Scinnov
(R&D company based in Paris) to obtain a scientific explanation on mousses.

To put theory into practice, we took six classic recipes for creating chocolate mousse with
different techniques but used the same chocolate, the exceptional Fleur de Cao™ dark
couverture chocolate from Cacao Barry®.

Since the techniques used vary greatly, the results were very diverse, but they all shared
a common element. We wanted to ensure that the texture of the final product and the
product stability were identical, so the mousse could be used in a display or piped into a
dessert, an entremet or a serving glass.

Ramon Morató Scinnov

Creative Director Cacao Barry® Scientific advice 3
What is a chocolate mousse? The process
A chocolate mousse is a very airy liquid preparation that changes texture when cooled as the fat (cocoa butter and milk fat) crystallises Here we are going to look at the traditional system for confectionery mousses.
and a stable gel forms thanks to a gelling agent (*gelatine where used).
These phenomena help mousses conserve the air inside until consumed. Traditional system Siphon Industrial system

Mix various liquid or semi-liquids by hand Mix various unwhipped ingredients Similar to siphons, all the ingredients are
Crème anglaise base Egg white base with aerating agents and stabilise the together and pour into a container mixed together as a liquid, added to the
whole mixture with a gelling agent or fat. incorporating gas, which will be machine. The machine settings are then
responsible for giving the mousse or foam adjusted to pipe the product with the
the airy texture when piped. desired proportion of air.

Focusing on chocolate mousses for assembling desserts, the mechanisms for obtaining mousses are always the same, no matter the
technique chosen:

• Prepare a liquid or semi-liquid base

• Incorporate a stabilising agent
• Prepare an aerating agent

Preparing a liquid or semi-liquid base Incorporating a stabilising agent

This can be a crème anglaise, fruit purée, milk, pouring cream, etc. Mousses always need a stabiliser. Generally, two very common
These images taken with a scanning electron micoscope (SEM) show two very different examples of chocolate mousse. At this point, if the recipe includes it, you should add the gelatine, agents are used:
The left photo shows a crème anglaise-based mousse at a magnification of 40, while the right photo shows at egg white-based mousse, dissolving it in the warmed liquid.
also at a magnification of 40. In both cases, the scale bar is 500 micrometres (µm). Where the process allows it, we recommend you pasteurize • Cocoa butter, found in the couverture in the case of
In both cases, a very airy structure can be seen, however in the case of the crème anglaise-based mousse, the structure of the air the gelatine sheets. Take advantage to add them at the end of chocolate mousses;
bubbles is very small and homogenous, with a relatively wide distribution of bubble size. However, in the egg white-based mousse, the cooking of the crème anglaise or in purées and pouring cream, • Gelatine sheets, for mousses in general; or
bubbles are larger and more disorganised, with a greater distribution of size. heating a section to 85°C. • A combination of both in specific cases.
From these images, the reason why egg white-based mousses are less stable compared to crème anglaise-based mousses is evident. For the crème anglaise recipe, make sure the temperature reaches
Below you can see the same sample of crème anglaise-based mousse with different magnifications: 500, 100, 50 and 20 microns. 80/84°C to correctly pasteurize it.
If you are using a crème anglaise base for the various mousses,
it should be used straight away once finished. If it is refrigerated,
cover the surface with a plastic film and use it up to 48 hours
after preparation.

Decoding chocolate mousses Cacao Barry® Ramon Morató Scinnov

Part I. The Science Creative Director Cacao Barry® Scientific advice 5
Couverture chocolate Gelatine sheets Preparing the aerating agents Fresh semi-whipped whipping cream (35% fat): 148% approx.
In chocolate mousses, the cocoa butter found in the couverture One of the advantages of gelatine over other gelling agents is Of all the ingredients used in pastry, only two can be whisked Classic Italian meringue: 250% approx.
added is responsible for controlling the texture of the mousse and that it melts at body temperature. and allow their airy texture to be transferred to other ingredients: 2:3 ratio meringue: 275% approx.
stabilising the foam. It melts or becomes soluble in liquids at around 35/40°C and whipping cream and egg products. Classic “pâte à bombe”: 345% approx.
Cocoa butter is solid at temperatures under 35°C approximately, starts to form a gel once the temperature of the mixture drops In fact, it is the fat present in the cream that crystallises and also Whisked egg whites with 20% sugar: 650% approx.
and liquid at temperatures above this point. below 35°. the egg proteins that provide this capacity to stabilise the air
The final percentage of cocoa butter in most mousses used It is difficult to identify the exact gelling point of gelatine as incorporated in mousses. It can be seen that whisked eggs such as pâte à bomb or whisked
for assembling desserts is around 11 to 16% according to it will be determined by the ratio used in the recipe, and more The overrun is the percentage increase in the volume of a mixture egg whites such as meringues will give a texture with the greatest
the couverture used and will influence the percentage of air specifically, the gelatine's bloom, however it can be seen as the due to air incorporation. amount of air.
incorporated. Remember, with milk and white chocolates, the viscosity of the mixture increases, going from a fluid texture to an To calculate this value, weigh the initial product (without any
other fats found in these couvertures modify the crystallisation elastic texture. added air) in a container. Subtract the weight of the final product Here the aerating agents used for the chocolate mousses are:
process of the cocoa butter. These fats do not have the same Generally speaking, temperatures below 20/22°C should be avoided. with air incorporation, weighed in the same container, and finally
properties as cocoa butter and do not crystallise at the same In most of the classic mousse recipes, the percentage of gelatine divide by the final weight and multiply by 100. • Fresh semi-whipped whipping cream
temperature. In some cases, a small percentage of gelatine incorporated to stabilise the foam varies from 0.5% to 1.5%. If It is very important to ensure both measurements are taken with • Pâte à bombe
needs to be incorporated to solidify the structure of the mousse the mousse contains alcohol, acidic fruit or incorporates lots of air, the container completely full. • Whisked egg whites
at room temperature. its percentage will be close to the higher threshold.
Otherwise, if the mousse is chocolate-based and incorporates Let's look at the example of whipping cream. In a container Although for mousses in general, meringue is a good option as an
To ensure the chocolate is correctly emulsified in cases where the sufficient cocoa butter, gelatine may not be required, or in any filled to maximum capacity, whipping cream weighs 216 g. Once aerating agent, for chocolate mousses it will not be used here as it
liquid or semi-liquid part is not hot, melt the chocolate if required. case, only in a very low percentage in mousses using milk or whipped, the container is filled again and its weight is 87 g. provides too much sugar to the preparation.
Emulsify uniformly by adding the crème anglaise, fruit purée or white couvertures. Since pasteurised egg whites are now readily available, they
pouring cream gradually to the couverture until an elastic, glossy The calculations are: 216 g - 87 g = 129 /87 = 1.48 x 100 = 148% will be used directly as if they were a pasteurised cream ready f
core is achieved, which should be maintained until the end Some countries do not use gelatine of animal origin and it can be air incorporation. or whipping.
of mixing. easily replaced by agar-agar or other gelling agents.
For fruit purées with a pH under 4.5, the purée doesn't need to be Note: To perform these calculations, always work with the net
pasteurized, so it is recommended to heat the chocolate to 45°C weight and tare the container.
and add the purée at 20°C.
Once the couverture has been emulsified, check the temperature To understand the aerating capacity of each of the agents
of the base before adding the remaining ingredients of the usually used to incorporate air in preparations, the approximate
mousse. This temperature may vary depending on the type of overrun of each of the bases used to create mousses is listed in
mousse being prepared, the couverture used, the quantity ascending order:
added, etc.

Decoding chocolate mousses Cacao Barry® Ramon Morató Scinnov

Part I. The Science Creative Director Cacao Barry® Scientific advice 7
Semi-whipped cream Pâte à bombe Egg whites
To obtain whipped cream with optimum air incorporation and There are many recipes for pâte à bombe, however the basis is Since pasteurised egg whites are used for the mousses, the
good foam stability, the following conditions must be met: always a sugar syrup with a higher or lower concentration that is problem we encountered was the sugar wasn't dissolved fully by
Fat content between 33 and 36%. used to scald a egg yolk and/or whole egg base. the water in the white during beating. For this reason, we have
Cream should be whipped at medium speed; if it is whipped If the recipe only requires for egg yolks, the mixture will contain used invert sugar in the whisked white-based mousses. Invert
quickly, a lower quantity of less stable foam is achieved. less air. We prefer a mixed base using yolks/whole eggs and sugar is already partially dissolved in water, provides viscosity and
Optimum temperature for whipping cream is 0 to 5°C; if the have replaced the standard sugar for invert sugar due to its improves the beating process. It is also hygroscopic. As white-
temperature is 3 or 4°C higher, the cream whips less and has a hygroscopic properties. based mousses contain the most air, they tend to dry out in the
greater tendency to curdle. Remember that, after scalding the egg mixture with the syrup, it is display, so this sugar prevents this issue.
Finally, remember for mixing processes, the milk fat (butter) must essential to check that the pasteurization values have been reached. To get a better yield during beating, use egg whites at room
be partially solid. Milk fat is only 20/22% solid at 20°C. If the Once scalded, the mixture needs to be re-heated in a bain-marie temperature (the egg proteins will be more active in stabilising
temperature is increased, the percentage of fat solids falls and until reaching 82/84°C. The egg proteins will be less diluted the air incorporated than at low temperature) and remember
this results in a loss in air bubbles in the mousse. Hence, logically than in the crème anglaise and hence will be more exposed to during mixing processes that egg whites start to coagulate
you need to avoid high temperatures during mixing. coagulation, so you need to be careful during this process. from 62°C.
The pâte à bombe needs to be beaten at medium speed to
achieve an aerated but homogeneous mixture that can be used.
Remember for mixing processes that eggs start to coagulate
from 65°C.
If you are using a pâte à bombe base for the various mousses,
it should be used straight away once ready. If it is refrigerated,
cover the surface with a plastic film and use it up to two
days after preparation.

Decoding chocolate mousses Cacao Barry® Ramon Morató Scinnov

Part I. The Science Creative Director Cacao Barry® Scientific advice 9
Final temperature of the mousses
There is no final temperature for all the mousses, since the temperatures will vary according to the percentage of couverture in the
recipe, the type of couverture used, and the percentage of aerating agent (cream, egg white or pâte à bombe).

Nonetheless, it can be described in general terms as:

Egg white-based mousse Cream-based mousse

Dark White or milk Dark White or milk

chocolate chocolate chocolate chocolate

Upper threshold : Coagulates the white

65ºC

Upper threshold : From 30°C, the fat contained

in the cream melts and the air incorporated
Optimum zone
is lost.
30ºC

Optimum zone
22ºC
Lower threshold Lower threshold
18ºC
Lower threshold Lower threshold

Solidifies the fat content and increases Solidifies the fat content and increases
the mousse’s viscosity. The air bubbles the mousse’s viscosity. The air bubbles
formed burst. formed burst.

Leaving the final temperature aside, the final texture of the mousse can be more or less dense according to the air incorporated. If
the viscosity of the mousse so allows, such as in the case of a bavarois-based or a crème anglaise-based mousse, the desserts can be
assembled using a ladle. In other cases, it needs to be done using a piping bag.

Decoding chocolate mousses Cacao Barry®

Part I. The Science
 Decoding chocolate mousses
Part I.
The Science

Ramon Morató
Creative Director Cacao Barry®

Scinnov
Scientific advice

We would like to thank the University of

Barcelona for their precious support.

Cacao Barry®