Dark Chocolate Ganache Dessert Cups

chocolate, dessert, no bake, Other Chocolate Treats, Puddings, recipes

posted on April 4, 2012 by Bianca Garcia

The other day I had a hankering for chocolate mousse.

(You know when I use the word “hankering” that it’s a real serious craving.)

So I researched and I looked and I spent a lot of time on Pinterest. Then I surfed around some more until I found this recipe for the easiest chocolate mousse ever. Easiest? Of course I’m making it.

I tinkered with the recipe though. And the dessert I ended up with was certainly NOT a mousse.

Mousse seems to mean light and fluffy. This was luscious and thick and velvety.

Mousse seems to mean wholesome and kid-friendly. This is made with orange liqueur and partially raw eggs.

Mousse seems to be a down-home, friendly, almost sunny kind of dessert. This is all sophisticated and chic and definitely an after-dark kind of dessert.

But don’t worry, these Dark Chocolate Ganache cups aren’t so sexy that they’re intimidating.

Because here’s a little secret: I made these in a blender. And there’s nothing really sexy about the loud whirring sounds of a blender, is there?

Serve these in little dessert cups, because the mousse-that-turned-into-a-ganache is so, so, so rich that you only really need a small amount to be satisfied. But oh, trust me, you’ll definitely be satisfied.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Dessert Cups

Ingredients

6 ounces good-quality semisweet , chopped (I used dark chocolate bars from LA Burdick)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons orange liqueur (I used Cointreau)
4 tablespoons salted butter
2 eggs
2 tablespoons orange zest

Directions

Heat the cream and and butter in a small pot until the mixture is scalded, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat, add orange liqueur, and quickly stir to combine.
Pour half of the cream mixture into the blender and add half of the chocolate. Gently stir with a rubber spatula, then pour the remaining cream and chocolate. Blend until the chocolate is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Add the eggs and blend again, until no lumps remain.
Pour into cups and chill until set, at least 3 hours. Garnish with orange zest.

adapted from The Easiest Chocolate Mousse Ever from Epicurious)

Recipe

This dessert is very luxurious, with a texture that’s much closer to pot de creme than mousse. It has a rich, deep, dark chocolate flavor, thanks to the good quality chocolate I used. The taste of the orange liqueur is subtle, but it’s there. Actually I wished I used little bit more, plus fresh orange juice to add more citrus flavor. But the orange zest on top really contributes a brightness to each silken spoonful.