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.
Orange 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.
Mmm 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!
This reminds me of one of my favourite stocking stuffers Kevin…a Terry's Chocolate Orange.
Orange and chocolate is also my favorite combination!
WOW! 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!
Be still my heart, I love the combination of orange and chocolate.
winnie
Your mousse looks wonderful and decadent! What a perfect pairing of chocolate and orange. Great VD dessert.
Orange 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
Mousse 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!
Fantastica la mousse
Orange 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
I'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!
These sound so good! Definitely going to have to try this recipe!
this looks divine! as do all of your luxurious creations.
Chocolate and citrus is one of my most favorite flavor combinations. This looks amazing!
Chocolate and Orange . . . divine!
Looks SO good Kevin! I love chocolate and orange together. Your S/O is a very lucky person!
Just fabolous. And dangerous too… you've got no idea how much I love chocolate mousse!
Dear Kevin, you are an star you always inspiring me!! nice recipe! gloria
Wonderful sounding mousse recipe, and it just looks so decadent. Thanks so much for a great dessert idea for tomorrow.
Happy Valentine's
Sweet Saint Valentine. Thanks a lot for sharing!
fantastic, Kev. Orange and choco go so well together! I've been meaning to do orange chocolate spears! THanks for reminding me! 🙂
I've eaten chocolate mousse for years made with raw egg – nothing to fear! Try it one day!
Chocolate mousse has always been one of my favorite desserts and I can imagine that it is made even better with the addition of orange.
Hi! 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!!!
Lovely snack food, plus nothings goes to waste! :-Þ
Anonymous: 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.
This looks amazing! I love chocolate mousse… And, the addition of the orange flavor just sounds perfect.
I 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!
Susan: 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.
Cream cheese in mousse. Now there's a first. It looks delicious, and super interesting. Can't wait to try it!
I 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
Hey 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.
Anonymous: You can replace the orange liqueur with orange juice concentrate and more orange zest.
Oo I've never had mousse with cream cheese in it!! Sounds delicious.
I 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.
orange and chocolate has to be one of my favorite dessert combination. I love the presentation.
Can I use Agave instead of regular sugar?
Anonymous: Agave should also work.
Thank you!
Wow, 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…
MD: I am Canadian but the photo was taken when I visited Greece a few years ago. Enjoy the mousse!
A QUICK QUESTION: Can I use this mousse as FILLING for a birthday layer cake?????? Or can I use it as frosting & piping ??????
Kannan: Yes, that would work!
Kevin 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.
Anonymous: 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!
Thank you Kevin sounds good 🙂
This is one of the best things I have ever tasted. I love this recipe SO MUCH!
Hi ! ) My english is bad sory. Can I replace the orange liqueur with fresh orange juice?
Mehriban: 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!
Kevin, 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.