Almost No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie is an easy chocolate dessert for any time of year. It’s creamy, decadent, and super quick to whip up. Chocolate lovers, rejoice!
This chocolate mousse pie is dangerously simple to make.
It’s “almost no-bake” because you do bake the crust for 5 minutes, but hey, that’s the least you can do for this awesome fluffy chocolate dessert (and if you want to skip that part, I won’t tell.) Chocolate mousse is unique in the world of desserts, and it’s definitely fallen out of fashion in recent years (it peaked last century!) But boy is that a shame because there’s nothing more simple or more satisfying for a chocolate lover than a dreamy mousse.
I was skeptical that something so utterly basic could morph into such a decadent dessert, but I should have known better.
One of the 2 components of this recipe is chocolate ganache. ‘Nuf said. The texture is, to me, just perfect. It’s creamy, fluffy, and incredibly satisfying to make given how few ingredients there are. Ganache is the magical substance that tops my Death by Chocolate Zucchini Bread, gets rolled up into Jewel Box Truffles, and fills my Sarah Bernhardt Cookies.
This chocolate pie is foolproof ~ so definitely add it to your holiday menu plans.
The recipe comes from a 1992 edition of Bon Appetit and seems have a LOT of fans. You can find the original recipe on Epicurious, I modified it just slightly. This is a rare dessert that I think is genuinely perfect just about any time of year. I could see it as amazing addition to a Thanksgiving or holiday table, but its cool creaminess works just as well in the heat of the summer, when you’re craving something chocolatey to balance out all that lovely produce.
There are lots of options for garnishing this cake. A simple dusting of cocoa powder, or extra chocolate cookie crumbs, like I did, makes for a minimal look. You could definitely add some berries to the top, too.
You can also top this pie with whipped cream. Of course this isn’t a dessert that needs whipped cream by any stretch of the imagination. I figured it would be over the top, but I actually found that it was a nice contrast, and helped cut the denseness of the mousse just a bit. I left my whipped cream completely unsweetened and it was a nice balance.
This mousse pie just begs for flavor adaptations!
- Any type of liqueur would be wonderful, just add a few tablespoons in place of some of the cream. I’m partial to Amaretto, but how about Grand Marnier, Kahlua, or any chocolate liqueur.
- Try different extracts like almond or peppermint.
More pies to try
Almost No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie
Equipment
- 9 inch spring form pan
- electric beaters
Ingredients
For the chocolate moussie pie
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs, I used 24 Nabisco chocolate wafers
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
Garnish
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Cocoa powder or extra chocolate cookie crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Butter a 9-inch springform pan
- In a food processor, grind the chocolate wafters until they become fine crumbs. You'll want 1 1/2 cups of crumbs total, this was just exactly 24 Nabisco chocolate wafters for me. If you want to save a little for dusting on top of the final pie like I did, you can add one or two more and reserve a tablespoon or so.
- Add the crumbs to the melted butter and stir together until evenly incorporated.
- Press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared springform pan, and up the sides a little bit (about 1/2 inch). Using a flat-bottomed measuring cup to tamp them down is an easy way to get a nice, even layer.
- Bake the crust for 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and set aside.
- Heat 1 cup of heavy whipping cream over medium or medium-high heat until it just begins to boil.
- Take the cream off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Allow to sit for 10 minutes or so until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir until everything is evenly mixed.
- Set the ganache aside to cool at room temperature, or place in the fridge once it’s cooled down a bit.
- Whip 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and the sugar until medium-stiff peaks form. You don’t want to over beat it, but you want the peaks to stand up on their own without flopping over.
- Gently fold the room temperature ganache into the whipped cream until completely mixed, and there are no streaks.
- Pour the mousse into the springform pan, and spread out evenly. You can shake the pan a bit to get it to even out a little more, but you don’t want to knock too much of the air out of the mousse.
- Refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours.
- To garnish, whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and spread in the middle of the cake. Top with cocoa powder or extra chocolate cookie crumbs.
Notes
Just made this mousse for the first time and it was so easy and so good! Unfortunately I missed the comments about adding in a bit of liqueur for that little extra something. When you said to replace a few tablespoons of the cream with the liquor, is that the cream that is heated or whipped?
Good question…you could add it to either, actually. If to the hot cream, I’d add it after you heat the cream and melt in the chocolate. Just stir it in. You can also whip it into cream, but you can’t use too much, probably 2 tablespoons.
How far in advance can this be made? Would love to have this for Christmas Eve, but the more ahead of time I can make it would be great.
I have made this chocolate mousse twice now. Family loved it and it’s so easy to make. Thank you so much this was my first mousse to ever make. The kitchen is also my happy place I love trying new recipes and many times I don’t do the same one twice. That had to make yours again too easy
Love this comment, thanks June 🙂