Crustless Chocolate Mousse Pie with Warm Caramel Sauce
Elegant and sinfully rich, this crustless chocolate mousse pie with warm caramel sauce is simply sensational. Your dinner party guests will groan with pleasure.
Servings (change as needed): 16 -18
Ingredients
Mousse
- 3 cups chocolate chips
- 2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream (35%), divided
- 4 large egg yolks
- 8 large egg whites at room temperature
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (plus 1/4 cup extra for garnish)
Caramel Sauce
- 1 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup whipping cream (35%)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- MAKE CHOCOLATE MIXTURE: Melt chocolate chips in a medium or small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Stir in 1 cup cream and 1 cup (85 grams) grated coconut. Pour into a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. Whisk egg yolks into cooled chocolate mixture.
- WHIP CREAM: Using an electric hand mixer or immersion blender, in a separate bowl, beat the chilled whipping cream until soft peaks form. Set aside (place bowl in fridge if possible).
- BEAT EGG WHITES: Clean and dry the beaters, then in a separate small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, but not dry.
- COMPLETE THE MOUSSE AND FREEZE: Gently fold whipped cream into the melted chocolate mixture in 2-3 stages. Then gently fold in whipped whites. Pour mousse mixture into a 10 inch (25 cm) springform pan (9 inch/23 cm will work too) with 2 inch/5 cm sides. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 6 hours or overnight.
- MAKE CARAMEL SAUCE: Stir sugar and water over low heat in a medium saucepan until it dissolves (about 5-7 minutes). Increase heat to medium heat and gently boil WITHOUT STIRRING until the syrup turns a deep amber color (about 8-9 minutes). Carefully add whipping cream (it will bubble vigorously) and stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla until smooth. If making a day ahead (or more), cover and refrigerate, then when ready to use, heat on low, stirring frequently until warm. Put sauce in a gravy or coffee thermos if desired to keep warm.
- TO SERVE: Place mousse in fridge for 30 minutes before serving to soften slightly. Run a sharp knife around the sides, the release the sides of the spring form pan. Place mousse (with bottom of spring form pan) on a serving plate. Sprinkle on coconut for garnish (I like to toast coconut first). Ladle a bit of warm caramel sauce onto plates. Slice mousse into thin wedges (it's very rich so keep slices thin!). Drizzle on a bit more sauce you like. Dig in!
Notes
- Expert tips on how to make mousse (by Food52)
- Follow the instructions in the order given in the recipe.
- Make sure the 'base" - in this recipe, the chocolate - comes to room temperature before adding other ingredients.
- Lightly fold in the 'aerators' one at a time - in this recipe, whipped cream and whipped egg whites. Work quickly and lightly. Use a rubber spatula and don't over mix in order to keep the mousse light. Add the aerators a bit at a time (in 3 parts).
- The mousse must be refrigerated to set. For this recipe, the mousse sets in the freezer.
- Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go. You will need lots of separate bowls.
- Variations to try with the mousse pie:
- Leave out the coconut if you or your guests don't like coconut.
- Instead of warm caramel sauce, you can try a pureed berry sauce.
- If you like a salted caramel sauce, just add a pinch of sea salt to the sauce or sprinkle on a few bits of flaky salt when serving.
- Make Ahead: The mousse and caramel sauce can be made 2 days ahead. (I've kept leftovers in the freezer and the caramel sauce in the fridge tightly covered for over a week and they were still sinfully good).
Calories: 486kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 83mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 974IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1mg