With the main course of my Valentines meal decided it was time to move on to dessert and I could not help but think of chocolate. There are a lot of amazing chocolate desserts to choose from but I had one in mind already. Not too long ago I had the pleasure of attending a Bloggers Round Table put on by the Dairy Farmers of Canada where they treated us to, among other things, a chocolate mousse. This mousse was of course made with dairy products in the form of cream cheese and whipping cream. I had always been a bit leery about making mousse because most recipes call for raw eggs but this sounded like a perfect alternative.
With grocery stores having been flooded with oranges of all types these last few weeks I have been thinking about ways to use them and since oranges and chocolate are such great friends, it seemed only natural to make an orange chocolate mousse. I added the orange flavour through the use of some orange zest and a splash of orange liqueur. I finished off the orange trinity with a topping of candied orange peels.
If you are a fan of velvety smooth, creamy and decadent chocolate mousse but you are not too thrilled with working with raw eggs then this is the recipe for you! This mousse achieves that texture by combining cream cheese for creaminess with whipped cream for that light and fluffy airiness. Not only is this mousse addictively good but it is also really easy to make, though you do need some chilling time so keep that in mind. If you are planning a big Valentines day meal then this dessert is also good because you can make it the day before and lighten the load on the big day. Now please excuse me while I get back to my chocolate mousse.
Orange Chocolate Cream Cheese Mousse
ingredients
- 8 ounces dark chocolate (cut into small pieces)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange liqueur
- 1 orange (zest)
- 1 cup whipping cream
directions
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and set aside.
- Beat the cream cheese, chocolate, sugar, orange liqueur and orange zest until light and fluffy.
- Beat the whipping cream until it forms soft peaks.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese in two batches.
- Pour the mixture into the containers that you will server it in and chill in the fridge for at least two hours.
polwig says
February 12, 2011 at 12:34 amOrange and Chocolate is my favorite choclate flavor combination. I used to be able to find Hot Chocolate flavored with orange but it is no longer easy.. but mousse, Wow that takes it to another velvet level.
Anonymous says
February 12, 2011 at 1:25 amMmm your posts make me drool! I've always been apprehensive about making mousse because of the raw eggs too. Now I have no excuse but to try this! Thanks so much for this great recipe!
bellini valli says
February 12, 2011 at 2:06 amThis reminds me of one of my favourite stocking stuffers Kevin…a Terry's Chocolate Orange.
Pam says
February 12, 2011 at 2:23 amOrange and chocolate is also my favorite combination!
Maggie Williams says
February 12, 2011 at 3:03 amWOW! Love this recipe- so easy fast and uses no eggs. As soon as I read this I went into my clean kitchen to mess it up again making this yuumy dessert. I put them in fancy martini glasses- they are chillin' right now. Thanks again Kevin- love your site!
Anonymous says
February 12, 2011 at 3:05 amBe still my heart, I love the combination of orange and chocolate.
winnie
Nina says
February 12, 2011 at 5:24 amYour mousse looks wonderful and decadent! What a perfect pairing of chocolate and orange. Great VD dessert.
Mother Rimmy says
February 12, 2011 at 6:00 amOrange and chocolate is a classic combination and for good reason. I love the depth of dark chocolate in this dessert. It's worth every calorie.
Kristi
Nina Timm says
February 12, 2011 at 6:44 amMousse with no cream, I love it thank you. My mom is appauled by the idea of eating raw eggs, so she has never even tried my mousse. I am glad I can now serve her one without eggs. Love the candied orange peel!
jose manuel says
February 12, 2011 at 8:31 amFantastica la mousse
Pia says
February 12, 2011 at 11:58 amOrange Chocolate mousse is looking so Delicious. Mixing these two flavors must be a yummy treat
I am hosting Pesto Pasta Night#201 this week. I will be very happy if you will your pasta recipe for that
Joanne says
February 12, 2011 at 12:34 pmI've seen a lot of orange chocolate combos around lately Kevin and I've dismissed most of them, but this one is making me reconsidering my disdain for chocolate mixed with citrus. It looks delicious!
Amy says
February 12, 2011 at 5:06 pmThese sound so good! Definitely going to have to try this recipe!
janet planet says
February 12, 2011 at 5:18 pmthis looks divine! as do all of your luxurious creations.
Anonymous says
February 12, 2011 at 5:36 pmChocolate and citrus is one of my most favorite flavor combinations. This looks amazing!
manu says
February 12, 2011 at 11:18 pmChocolate and Orange . . . divine!
Anonymous says
February 13, 2011 at 4:51 amLooks SO good Kevin! I love chocolate and orange together. Your S/O is a very lucky person!
Claudie says
February 13, 2011 at 5:47 amJust fabolous. And dangerous too… you've got no idea how much I love chocolate mousse!
Gloria says
February 13, 2011 at 2:03 pmDear Kevin, you are an star you always inspiring me!! nice recipe! gloria
Medifast Coupons says
February 13, 2011 at 4:48 pmWonderful sounding mousse recipe, and it just looks so decadent. Thanks so much for a great dessert idea for tomorrow.
Happy Valentine's
Mª del Mar Hermoso says
February 13, 2011 at 6:55 pmSweet Saint Valentine. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Bren says
February 14, 2011 at 1:46 amfantastic, Kev. Orange and choco go so well together! I've been meaning to do orange chocolate spears! THanks for reminding me! 🙂
Elizabeth says
February 14, 2011 at 2:54 pmI've eaten chocolate mousse for years made with raw egg – nothing to fear! Try it one day!
Cookin' Canuck says
February 15, 2011 at 12:08 amChocolate mousse has always been one of my favorite desserts and I can imagine that it is made even better with the addition of orange.
Anonymous says
February 15, 2011 at 6:07 amHi! Thank you for posting!
I made this the other night and I have a few questions. The mousse I made was in no way pourable, it was really dense and fluffy (still delicious, just not very pretty). It is probably because I used 6 oz of unsweetened chocolate and 2 oz of semi sweet bakers chocolate but I wanted to double check with you to see if you had any experiences with this mousse being quite so thick? Was the differences because of the chocolate or can you think of other factors that could have caused the mousse to act in this strange way? Thanks so much!!!
Jackie at Phamfatale.com says
February 16, 2011 at 9:07 amLovely snack food, plus nothings goes to waste! :-Þ
Kevin says
February 16, 2011 at 11:42 amAnonymous: This 'mousse' is on the thicker side which I find enhances the creaminess. If you prefer a more liquidy mouse, replace half of the cream cheese with another 1/2 cup of whipping cream.
Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction says
February 17, 2011 at 7:07 pmThis looks amazing! I love chocolate mousse… And, the addition of the orange flavor just sounds perfect.
Susan says
February 19, 2011 at 1:57 amI made this tonight and I must say that it's absolutely perfect – it's definitely a keeper! I love the deep chocolate flavor and creamy texture. Do you have any ideas for presentation? It's so thick that it's hard to transfer into individual dishes without making a mess. I saw your suggestion to another poster to make it more liquidy by adding more cream/less cream cheese but I really like it as is. Any ideas are appreciated!
Kevin says
February 23, 2011 at 1:01 amSusan: I really like the thick and creamy texture of this mousse but it is not the best for presentation! I had to clean up around the rims of the glasses that I served them in. I have also experimented with placing it all in on big bowl to chill and then scooping it out with a spoon or ice cream scoop that I ran under warm water with a nice effect.
Avanika [YumsiliciousBakes] says
February 25, 2011 at 2:48 pmCream cheese in mousse. Now there's a first. It looks delicious, and super interesting. Can't wait to try it!
Anonymous says
March 1, 2011 at 6:35 pmI just made a chocolate mousse pie- without eggs- and it turned out lovely! It's a similar recipe to yours but I don't use cream cheese and I didn't add orange either. It came out super simply and so tasty!
http://thegirlwriter.blogspot.com/2011/02/falling-in-love-chocolate-mousse-pie.html
Anonymous says
March 8, 2011 at 6:10 amHey Kevin,
This recipe looks simply amazing, I'm trying to make this for White Day here in Korea but I'm having difficulty finding orange liqueur. Is there a possible substitute for it? I'm thinking of adding more orange-zest, what would you recommend/suggest? Thanks in advance.
Kevin says
March 8, 2011 at 1:56 pmAnonymous: You can replace the orange liqueur with orange juice concentrate and more orange zest.
eatme_delicious says
March 28, 2011 at 6:15 amOo I've never had mousse with cream cheese in it!! Sounds delicious.
Jujubee says
September 18, 2011 at 11:13 pmI made this as the birthday dessert for my husband and we love it. I used Mascarpone instead of cream cheese. And I thought I could whip half and half, but that didn't work very well (lesson learned), so I only put in about 1/2 of the un-whipped cream. It's probably not as thick as your mousse, but delicious none the less. I'll definitely make this again… and next time pair it with your chocolate-dipped orange peel.
Asmita says
December 6, 2011 at 1:27 pmorange and chocolate has to be one of my favorite dessert combination. I love the presentation.
Anonymous says
July 10, 2012 at 9:24 pmCan I use Agave instead of regular sugar?
Kevin says
July 10, 2012 at 11:40 pmAnonymous: Agave should also work.
Anonymous says
July 11, 2012 at 5:05 pmThank you!
md says
November 19, 2013 at 5:56 amWow, I think I need to follow this blog if only because you know to say, "bored WITH" something rather than "bored of" as most people seem to these days. Has me wondering if you're British, although your photo background looks awfully Greek. I'm off to make your Orange Chocolate Cream Cheese Mousse for a lunch tomorrow…
kevin says
November 24, 2013 at 7:58 pmMD: I am Canadian but the photo was taken when I visited Greece a few years ago. Enjoy the mousse!
Kannan says
November 26, 2013 at 10:11 amA QUICK QUESTION: Can I use this mousse as FILLING for a birthday layer cake?????? Or can I use it as frosting & piping ??????
kevin says
November 26, 2013 at 10:12 amKannan: Yes, that would work!
Anonymous says
February 9, 2014 at 11:20 pmKevin instead of orange liquor can I use blood orange olive oil? Someone told me it is great with brownies, so I thought maybe it would also be good with this delicious looking recipe.
kevin says
February 10, 2014 at 12:02 amAnonymous: I have not tried blood orange olive oil but it sounds good! You might try adding a drop to a tablespoon of the mixture at step 2 and see if you like it. Otherwise, if the orange flavour is not strong enough you could add some more orange zest. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
February 11, 2014 at 12:06 amThank you Kevin sounds good 🙂
Anonymous says
March 30, 2015 at 4:39 pmThis is one of the best things I have ever tasted. I love this recipe SO MUCH!
Mehriban says
May 18, 2017 at 5:09 amHi ! ) My english is bad sory. Can I replace the orange liqueur with fresh orange juice?
kevin says
May 26, 2017 at 7:08 pmMehriban: The orange liqueur is there primarily for extra orange flavour. You can replace it with orange juice or extra orange zest or just omit it. Enjoy!
Maria S. says
February 1, 2019 at 7:10 pmKevin, thanks for sharing this wonderful dessert. Fast, easy and delicious. mousse without eggs! Made a pretty presentation in my short fancy glasses. My husband, son and guests loved it. For sure will make again soon.