Easy Vegan Chocolate Mousse With Aquafaba Food

FLUFFY VEGAN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH AQUAFABA

Steps:

• Chop or break the chocolate into smaller chunks and place it in a glass or metal bowl. Place the bowl over the water bath and allow the chocolate to heat up very SLOWLY and make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl (that's important as chocolate is very sensitive to high temperatures). Once the the water barely just starts to simmer, switch the heat off. Once chocolate looks melted, give it a gentle stir (dark chocolate is sensitive to overstirring). Take the bowl off the heat and allow the chocolate to cool down - you want it as cool as possible but still liquid.
• Open your tin of chickpeas and drain the chickpea water into large glass bowl. Aquafaba should not be cold as it will make chocolate seize when added. The bowl and the utensils you'll use to whip aquafaba need to be completely grease-free as even the tiniest grease residue can prevent aquafaba from reaching stiff peaks.
• Add acid (neutral vinegar, lemon or lime juice) to the chickpea water to stablise the aquafaba. If using aquafaba from homecooked chickpeas, I also like to add a small pinch of salt - it helps to reach stiff peaks and reinforces chocolate flavour.
• Using an electric egg whisk, whip the chickpea water into stiff peaks - this is SUPER important as otherwise your mousse will deflate completely once the chocolate has been added. The best way to check if you have achieved stiff peaks is to invert the bowl with whipped aquafaba. If aquafaba slides down even a tiny bit, you are not there yet - keep on whipping until it does not move at all. I used an old, hand-held whisk and it took me about 10 minutes to get stiff peaks. If you are a lucky owner of a stand mixer, it will happen quicker. The good news is that (as opposed to egg whites) aquafaba cannot be overwhipped.
• OPTIONAL Once you reach stiff peaks, start adding sugar, bit by bit, whipping the whole time. If sugar has caused the stiff peaks to perish, whip the mixture until you get stiff peaks again. Caster (also known as superfine) sugar or icing sugar are preferred. Other sugars are known to make aquafaba deflate too much.
• Check that the chocolate has cooled down sufficiently - it should not be warm to the touch or else chocolate is likely to seize and you will end up with grainy mousse.
• Gently and gradually fold a portion (approx. a quarter) of melted chocolate into whipped aquafaba (or whipped aquafaba into the melted chocolate - I've heard claims that it stops chocolate from seizing, but I haven't noticed any difference personally) - using a silicone spatula and a gentle folding motion. Continue adding the chocolate to the aquafaba in small increments until all of it has been incorporated. Do not worry if your fluffy mixture deflates a bit once all of the chocolate has been added - that's perfectly normal - but you should still see plenty micro bubbles in the mixture. By the time you've added all of your melted chocolate, the mousse MAY have more of a pourable than spoonable consistency - that's ok.
• Add chilli powder if using and mix well. Divide the mixture between 4 glasses. Gently stir the mixture between putting it into individual glasses as a bit of melted chocolate tends to drop to the bottom sometimes. Once in glass, give the mousses a gentle stir with a toothpick to ensure the mixture sets evenly.
• Put glasses into the fridge overnight for the mousse to set.

VEGAN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH AQUAFABA

Steps:

• Melt chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Beat aquafaba in a stand mixer on high speed until firm peaks form, 10 to 15 minutes. Add sugar gradually into the mixture while continuing to beat. Fold in cooled chocolate gently.
• Spoon mousse into small glass cups and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.

EASY FLUFFY VEGAN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH AQUAFABA

Steps:

• Prepare the bowl for whipping your meringue by ensuring it's very clean. *Refer to the blog post for notes.
• Place a sieve over the bowl to drain the chickpea liquid. *Reserve the chickpeas for another recipe, like this easy butternut squash & chickpea stew.
• Add the cream of tartar to the chickpea water. Using an electric whisk, whip for 3-5 minutes until stiff peaks start forming. Add maple syrup and vanilla paste and whisk for a few seconds until incorporated.
• Pour the melted dark chocolate into the meringue and fold in with a spatula (not the electric whisk) until incorporated. Try not to overwork the mousse at this stage, you still want to keep as much air as you can.
• Pour the mousse into glasses or ramekins and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Garnish with coconut yoghurt & chocolate shavings just before serving.