Desserts and Patisserie

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

February 14, 2020 by hannahhossack Leave a Comment

Vegan chocolate mousse – this rich eggless aquafaba chocolate mousse is light, airy and perfectly decadent. It is easy to make and the perfect dessert for all occasions. The chocolate lover’s dream!

This indulgent vegan chocolate mousse is rich and decadent yet light and fluffy as air. It is made using the magic substance that is aquafaba – the liquid drained from a tin of chickpeas.

Aquafaba can be whipped up just like egg whites into a fluffy meringue; that is what creates all of those little air bubbles in this mousse, giving it a wonderful, melt-in-the-mouth texture.

You can’t taste the chickpeas at all, this mousse is pure, unadulterated chocolate heaven!

It has a rich chocolate flavour and is not too sweet. The texture is light and airy and oh-so-moreish. I love it served with some fresh berries to cut through the richness a little, and maybe a dollop of whipped coconut cream or vegan squirty cream to top it all off.

A scattering of chocolate shavings is all the decoration this vegan chocolate mousse needs to turn it into an elegant dinner party dessert, and it can be made a day or two in advance as well, saving you time on the day.

How To Make Vegan Chocolate Mousse:

(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)

*For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.*

The mousse needs at least four hours in the fridge to set so don’t leave it until the last minute to make. I make mine the day before I want to serve it; it will keep in the fridge for up to three days.

Place finely chopped dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids, use a good one!), coconut cream and vanilla extract in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Don’t let the base of the bowl touch the water.

Stir until almost all of the chocolate has melted then remove the bowl from the heat and continue to stir until melted and smooth. The ganache should be smooth and glossy. Set it aside to cool to room temperature.

While the gananche is cooling, place the aquafaba and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk; or use a hand mixer with the double beater attachments. (A stand mixer is definitely less effort though!).

Whisk the aquafaba on a high speed until it is frothy, add a spoonful of the sugar and whisk until well combined; repeat until you have added all of the sugar. Continue to whisk the aquafaba until it forms stiff peaks. This can take 10-15 minutes so be patient. There is no risk of over-whipping aquafaba like there is with egg whites.

Make sure that the chocolate mixture has cooled to room temperature then add 1/4 of the whipped aquafaba to the chocolate and stir gently with a spatula until almost combined.

Add the rest of the aquafaba in three more batches, folding it in very gently until it is uniformly combined. You don’t want there to be any more streaks of chocolate or aquafaba, but don’t keep mixing for too long, you don’t want to deflate the mousse. (It will lose a bit of volume however and become slightly more runny – don’t worry, this is normal).

Divide the mousse evenly between 4-6 glasses and place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours until set. (I leave mine overnight).

Top Tips To Prevent Your Chocolate From Seizing (And How To Save It If It Does):

This vegan chocolate mousse is easy to make, but chocolate can be quite a tempermental beast to work with and things can go wrong very easily. For the best chance of sucess make sure that you follow these tips:

When heating the chocolate and coconut cream, you must make sure that the mixture does not become too hot otherwise the chocolate can sieze (become grainy or oily). The water bath should be just simmering, not boiling, and the base of the bowl must not touch the water.

Remove the bowl from the heat once most of the chocolate has melted and continue to stir until it is all melted and smooth.

If you are unlucky and the ganache does become grainy or oily, don’t throw it away, it can be saved! Vigourously stir in boiling water, a teaspoon at a time, until the ganache becomes smooth again. Don’t add more than 4 tsp of water however as your mousse will be too soft otherwise.

If the hot water is not enough to bring it back together, stir in a little melted cocoa butter if you have any or coconut oil if you don’t. Add a spoonful at a time and stir vigourously, the ganache should become smooth again.

When folding the whipped aquafaba into the chocolate ganache, the chocolate must have cooled to room temperature so that it doesn’t sieze. If it is still warm to the touch, wait until it has cooled before incorporating the aquafaba. The aquafaba should also not be too cold, you want both the chocolate and aquafaba to be about the same temperature.

How To Reduce Aquafaba:

While it is not strictly necessary to reduce the aquafaba I do find that it gives better, more consistent results and reaches stiff peaks more easily if it has been reduced rather than used straight from the can.

It needs to be completely cold before it can be whisked up so you ideally need to reduce it the day before you want to use it and let it chill in the fridge overnight.

To reduce it, pour the liquid from two cans of chickpeas into a pan and bring up to a gentle simmer. Allow to cook gently for about 10 minutes until it has almost reduced by half. It will thicken as it cools.

Once the reduced aquafaba has cooled, pour into an airtight container and refrigerate until cold before using.

More Vegan Dessert Recipes:

No-bake chocolate stem ginger tart

Vegan strawberry tart

Vegan steamed chocolate pudding

Vegan pumpkin pie

No-bake vegan chocolate cherry cheesecake

Vegan lemon blueberry cheesecake

Blueberry frangipane tarts

Vegan Baileys cheesecake

Blueberry pie with coconut oil crust

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Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Vegan chocolate mousse - this rich aquafaba chocolate mousse is light, airy and perfectly decadent. It is easy to make and the perfect dessert for all occasions. Serves 4 generously or 6 sensibly.

Course Dessert

Cuisine vegan

Keyword mousse

Prep Time 30 minutes

Chilling Time: 4 hours

Servings 4 people

Author Domestic Gothess

Ingredients

190 g (6 ¾ oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa)* finely chopped
120 g (1/2 cup) coconut cream**
1 tsp vanilla extract
120 ml (1/2 cup) reduced aquafaba (from 2 cans chickpeas)***
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3 Tbsp caster (superfine) sugar

Instructions

Place the finely chopped chocolate, coconut cream and vanilla extract in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Don't let the base of the bowl touch the water.
Stir until almost all of the chocolate has melted then remove the bowl from the heat and continue to stir until melted and smooth. The ganache should be smooth and glossy, see tips in the post above if it goes oily or grainy.
Set the ganache aside to cool to room temperature.
While the gananche is cooling, place the aquafaba and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk; or use a hand mixer with the double beater attachments.
Whisk the aquafaba on a high speed until it is frothy, add a spoonful of the sugar and whisk until well combined; repeat until you have added all of the sugar. Continue to whisk the aquafaba until it forms stiff peaks. This can take 10-15 minutes.
Make sure that the chocolate mixture has cooled to room temperature then add 1/4 of the whipped aquafaba to the chocolate and stir gently with a spatula until almost combined.
Add the rest of the aquafaba in three more batches, folding it in very gently until it is uniformly combined. You don't want there to be any more streaks of chocolate or aquafaba, but don't keep mixing for too long, you don't want to deflate the mousse. (It will lose a bit of volume however and become slightly more runny - don't worry, this is normal).
Divide the mousse evenly between 4-6 glasses and place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours until set. (I leave mine overnight).

Recipe Notes

*Because this mousse has such a pure chocolate flavour it is important to use a good quality chocolate that tastes good. A poor quality chocolate will yield a subpar mousse. Just sayin.
**I use coconut cream from a carton but you can also use just the solid white part from a can of chilled full fat coconut milk.
***While it is not strictly necessary to reduce the aquafaba I do find that it gives better, more consistent results and reaches stiff peaks more easily if it has been reduced rather than used straight from the can. See the post above for details on how to reduce aquafaba.

Vegan Baileys Cheesecake

February 12, 2020 by hannahhossack 1 Comment

Vegan Baileys cheesecake – this rich, creamy vegan cheesecake is the perfect dessert for celebrations. It is easy to make, eggless and dairy-free and tastes so good you would never guess that it’s vegan!

This delicious vegan Baileys cheesecake is adapted from my popular vegan lemon blueberry cheesecake recipe. The method of making it is the same, but the result is totally different!

It is rich and creamy, with an indulgent, grown-up flavour from the Baileys Almande. I topped it with a Baileys chocolate ganache which is to die for! I could just eat it by the spoonful!

The filling is made using silken tofu (hear me out!), soaked cashews, coconut cream and Baileys Almande, with a little flour and cornflour to set the cheesecake in place of the eggs and some lemon juice to add that cheesecakey tang.

You can’t taste the tofu at all, it just helps to provide a silky smooth texture and is low fat and high protein as a bonus! You need to get firm silken tofu which is the shelf stable kind, not the kind you would find in the fridge section. Most supermarkets have it, or you can easily find it online.

The cashews and coconut cream provide richness and make for that perfectly creamy, dense texture that is classic of a baked, rather than set, cheesecake.

Obviously the most important part of a cheesecake is the base (no crustless cheesecakes here please!), a biscuit base is of course the best kind, so that is what I have gone for here.

I used supermarket own brand digestive biscuits which appear to be vegan friendly (McVities are not) to keep things traditional, but you could also use gingersnaps, Biscoff, Oreos or another vegan friendly variety.

How To Make Vegan Baileys Cheesecake:

(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)

You need to start the day before you want to serve the cheesecake as it is best if it is refrigerated overnight.

Start by crushing your choice of biscuits for the base, you can do this in a food processor or put them in a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin.

Place the crushed biscuits in a bowl and mix in melted vegan butter. It should resemble wet sand. Tip this mixture into a good, non-stick 20cm/8 inch round springform cake tin, spread it out evenly and pack down firmly with the base of a glass.

Bake the base in a preheated oven for 10 minutes then set aside to cool.

To make the filling, soak some raw cashew nuts in boiling water for half an hour, drain well then add to a blender along with silken tofu (no need to press it but do drain off any excess liquid first), coconut cream, Baileys Almande, lemon juice, sugar, cornflour, flour, vanilla extract, nutmeg and salt.

Blend until the mixture is totally smooth, you don’t want any pieces of cashew left. Let it settle for 5 minutes to allow some of the air bubbles to pop.

Meanwhile, wrap the bottom of the springform tin in a double layer of tin foil; the tin is going to be sitting in water so make sure that the top of the tin foil is high enough that no water is going to come over the top. Put the kettle on.

Pour the cheesecake mixture over the baked base then bash the tin on the worktop a couple of times to burst any remaining air bubbles.

Place the tin in a roasting tray and place it in the oven. (I find it easier to add the water once the tray is in the oven so you don’t tip any over the top of the foil carrying it to the oven).

Pour boiling water into the roasting tin so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the tin. Be very careful that none goes over the top of the tinfoil.

Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour. When it is ready it should be set but still jiggle if you tap it. Switch the oven off but leave the cheesecake in there (it’s fine to leave it in the water bath) and leave it to cool down slowly for an hour or so then allow it to cool completely at room temperature before you cover it and place in the fridge overnight.

The next day, make the ganache. Place chopped dark chocolate, Baileys Almande and coconut cream in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (don’t let the base of the bowl touch the water). Stir until melted and smooth then remove from the heat.

Let the ganache cool until it is room temperature but still pourable. Carefully unmould the cheesecake, place on a serving platter and pour over the gananche. Either serve right away or referigerate until you are ready to eat it.

Vegan Baileys Cheesecake Top Tips:

You need to use firm silken tofu which is the shelf stable kind, NOT the kind you would find in the fridge section. Most supermarkets have it, or you can easily find it online. If you don’t want to use tofu then you can probably swap it for vegan cream cheese.

I used Baileys Almande, but you can use any kind of vegan Irish Cream liqueur instead, whether shop bought or homemade.

I used coconut cream that comes in a carton. If you aren’t able to get hold of coconut cream then you can use a tin of full fat coconut milk – don’t shake or stir it; use all of the solid white part then top up to the 250ml line with the leftover liquid.

The coconut cream can also be swapped for a soy or oat based cream. The higher the fat content the better.

The cheesecake will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for around 3 days. It can also be frozen.

How To Prevent Cheesecake From Cracking:

Cracking is a very common problem when it comes to baked cheesecakes and while it doesn’t affect the taste at all it can be very annoying. Here are all my tips to try to prevent your cheesecake from cracking:

Get all of the air bubbles out of the batter – air bubbles in the cheesecake mixture can rise to the surface and cause cracks. Give the mixture a bit of time to settle after blending and then once you have poured it into the tin, give the tin a good bash on the worktop a couple of times to burst any remaining bubbles.

Use a good non-stick springform tin – if the cheesecake sticks to the sides of the tin, cracks can form as it cools and shrinks.

Bake the cheesecake in a water bath – a water bath provides an even temperature and makes the oven humid which helps to prevent cracks. (See recipe instructions for how to make a water bath).

Don’t over-bake the cheesecake – overbaking can cause the cheesecake to dry out which is a major source of cracks. The cheesecake is ready when it is set, but still jiggly if you tap it.

Don’t open the oven door – avoid opening the oven door until the cheesecake is almost done as drafts and drops in temperature can cause cracks.

Leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven – cooling down too quickly can cause cracking so once the cheesecake is done, switch the oven off and leave it in there for an hour or so to cool down slowly. Then allow it to cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating.

How To Fix A Cracked Cheesecake:

Even if you follow all of the steps above, sometimes your cheesecake may crack anyway but don’t be disheartened, all is not lost!

The easiest way to fix a cracked cheesecake is to simply top it with something – like the chocolate ganache on this vegan Baileys one, that way you won’t be able to see the cracks. Fruit compote, chocolate ganache or sliced fresh fruit all work well.

Otherwise, once your cheesecake has chilled in the fridge overnight (or for at least four hours), you can dip a palette knife in boiling water, dry it with a tea towel and gently smooth over the cracks. Dip and dry the knife as needed. You wont get a perfectly smooth top, but it definitely helps!