Transform Chocolate Pudding Into Velvety Mousse With One Addition

With its melt-in-your-mouth texture, chocolate mousse is the perfect ending to an elegant dinner party, a romantic meal, or any time you want to indulge in a little chocolate bliss. But attempting chocolate mousse at home can be pretty intimidating. Most traditional recipes require carefully melting chocolate, separating eggs, gently folding ingredients together, and chilling the mousse for several hours before serving — not the most beginner-friendly of recipes.

Fortunately, we have a shortcut: All you need is some instant chocolate pudding and some whipped cream, and you'll be able to get faux chocolate mousse that has virtually the same velvety texture and rich flavor, just with a fraction of the effort and time!

For this trick, we're using instant chocolate pudding as a flavor base in our mousse, so you don't have to bother with melting down chocolate bars or cocoa powder. Simply mix it as it says on the box (typically by cooking the mix together with milk on the stovetop). Once you have the pudding mix, fold in freshly whipped cream and start whisking. The pudding mixture will gradually become aerated and lightened as you whisk it in. Continue whisking for a few minutes and you'll eventually have a pot full of chocolate mousse that's all but certain to satisfy your sweet tooth!

In a traditional chocolate mousse, the super-silken and light texture of the dessert comes from an initial meringue-like foamy mixture of beaten egg whites and sugar. This bubbly mixture is so important that the dessert is named after it ("mousse" in French stands for "foam"). In our adapted quick mousse recipe, this role is taken up by whipped cream, which, being heavy cream whipped until light and airy, can do the same job as giving our final dessert a nice texture. Besides giving the mousse its texture, the unsweetened whipped cream can help temper the sweetness of the pudding, resulting in a more balanced chocolate flavor.

As you mix the two elements, be sure to use a light hand and a folding motion instead of vigorously stirring to avoid deflating the whipped cream. At this stage, you can also add a tablespoon of liquor, like Grand Marnier or Kahlua, to give your mousse an added dimension of flavor. Once the mousse has turned into a smooth mix with a uniform texture, chill for a couple of minutes in the fridge before serving!

First time serving chocolate mousse to guests? Fancying it up is easier than you might think! One classic way to serve chocolate mousse is by piping it into expensive-looking cocktail glasses. Top it with a bit of leftover whipped cream in the kitchen, and the dessert will look right at home in an upscale French restaurant. If you want to pull all the stops, consider garnishing the mousse with ripe berries. The combination of rich chocolate and juicy berries is always a crowd-pleaser — plus, it simply looks amazing.

Speaking of garnishes, there are plenty of ideas to try, depending on what sort of vibe you're after. Kids will surely love having bits of crumbled chocolate cookies and sprinkles on their sweet treat. And if you're hosting a grown-up party, infuse your whipped cream with booze like dark rum and top it on your mousse. The possibilities are endless here.

Finally, don't forget that chocolate mousse can be the star of other desserts, not just a treat on its own. It can be piped into a jar lined with crumb crusts, for instance, to make a fast chocolate mousse pie. Or you can even venture to make a caffeinated Mini Guinness Chocolate Mousse to finish (or start) your evening with a bang. Now that you know how versatile it is, be prepared to find a reason or two to whip up a fresh batch every week!