If you’ve ever tried to make a smooth and creamy chocolate mousse, but it comes out all “bumpy” and weird, this post will answer the burning question “Why is my chocolate mousse grainy?” I’ll teach you why it gets grainy and also how to prevent it from happening in the future. On a related topic, you may also be interested in learning how to fix broken ganache without changing its texture. This post is part of my Fundamental Fridays series where I answer your baking and cooking questions. For ease of browsing, you can find all the posts in one place.
Chocolate with more cocoa butter in it will render the chocolate mousse heavy and thick. How to choose the right fluidity? Too much fat in the recipe creates a texture that is too thick and heavy. Cream with a 35% fat content in combination with a three-drop chocolate yields the perfect texture.
Understanding Graininess Starts with Understanding Chocolate
Okay, so what do we know about chocolate?
Chocolate is an emulsion–wee dry particles of cocoa liqueur suspended in the bunch of different fats that make up cocoa butter.
You’ve heard of chocolate’s seizing, right?
It seizes, or gets thick and clumpy, because you’re accidentally introducing just a Tiny Amount of liquid into the now-melted emulsion. Do you think the liquid is going to mix with the dry particles or the fat?
The dry, you say?
You are correct! Water is hardly going to play nicely with the fat.
What Happens When Chocolate Gets Cold
Here’s another thing we know about chocolate: you put it in the fridge, and it gets hard.
The fats firm up to the point of Rock Hard. So, if you start mixing melted chocolate together with some crazy cold cream, it’ll get all chippy on you.
Jenni Says: Once your mousse gets grainy, there really is no saving it. Learn the correct mixing procedure so your mousse won’t ever get grainy in the first place!
To fool melted chocolate into playing nicely with water-based and cold ingredients, you’ve got to take both Things We Know About Chocolate into account: the specific makeup of chocolate and what happens to it when it gets cold.
As far as the emulsion deal, you’ll want to add in the fattiest ingredients first (yolks, butter). Next, fold in the ingredient that contains the most water without being cold.
And that’s egg whites. Plus, egg whites whip best at room-ish temperature, so you won’t have to really worry about the cold factor coming into play.
As far as the cream goes, you want to make sure that it’s not crazy cold.
Yes, they always tell you to make sure the cream is as cold as possible and to stash your bowl and beater over at the local Cryogenics Lab alongside Walt Disney before whipping.
But, here’s the thing, if your cream is too cold, you’re running the risk of chipping up your chocolate. Besides, when it comes to making mousse, I advise only whipping until barely soft peaks.
You’ll continue to “whip” the cream as you fold everything together.
If you whip to medium or stiff peaks, you run the risk of overwhipping during the folding process and ending up with grainy mousse at best and chunky buttery mousse at worst. Ew.
Consider whipping the cream by hand so you can more closely watch the texture and stop before over-whipping.
How to make BETTER CHOCOLATE MOUSSE | Solving 2 problems | DallasChocolateClasses.com
FAQ
Why is my chocolate mousse not airy?
Why did my chocolate mousse get hard?
How do you fix mousse thickening?
What are common mistakes when making mousse?
Why is my chocolate mousse curdled?
The mousse is actually not curdling in that exact sense as milk, but the texture is changing. That’s because chocolate seizes and turns grainy at a drop of a hat when it comes in touch with liquid. That looks like curds to you now because the chocolate is seizing in certain places more than the others.
What are the negative effects of dark chocolate?
The main problem with most brands of dark chocolate is that they contain a lot of added sugar. Dark chocolate also has caffeine and theobromine, which can cause problems for people who are sensitive to them. Some people may also experience digestive issues after eating dark chocolate. Additionally, dark chocolate contains oxalates, which can bind to calcium and lead to kidney stones. Finally, some people may be allergic to cocoa or other ingredients in dark chocolate. If you experience any negative effects after eating dark chocolate, stop consuming it and talk to your doctor.
Why is my chocolate mousse runny?
It has nothing to do with nutrition in a chocolate mousse recipe, but with its temperamental nature. It takes a single mistake and the mousse will turn runny or grainy. You could be doing something wrong, or you’re not using the exact brand and the type of chocolate that the writer of the recipe used. So, what now?
How does chocolate mousse get its stability?
The mousse gets some of its stability from the chocolate that sets (which we’ll discuss in more detail next). As such, this last chill step is crucial. As the mousse cools down in the fridge, it becomes firmer and less delicate.