Coffee Mousse

By
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin is a freelance lifestyle writer and recipe developer. Her expertise is in French cuisine, which she writes about and teaches.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 10/27/21
Coffee mousse
Oxana Denezhkina / Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Chill: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 40 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
331 Calories
23g Fat
23g Carbs
9g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 331
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g 30%
Saturated Fat 14g 70%
Cholesterol 162mg 54%
Sodium 113mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 23g 8%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 23g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 1mg 7%
Calcium 221mg 17%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 292mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Coffee mousse is a deliciously sophisticated dessert. It's the perfect ending for a candlelight dinner for two, and the recipe makes enough for eight servings, so it's also a great choice for dinner parties. A simple twist on chocolate mousse, this lovely dessert skips the chocolate entirely, focusing instead on the rich flavor of coffee alone. Of course, you can always dress it up with chocolate sauce if you like.

The coffee mousse recipe is relatively simple. Even if it's your first attempt at making the airy French dessert, it will walk you through the steps of making a delicious mousse. It is slightly different from other mousse recipes because it uses evaporated milk and brown sugar and is stabilized with gelatin.

There is a trick to successfully making the egg custard that is blended with the freshly whipped cream. After heating the evaporated milk and coffee, you'll need to temper the sweetened egg yolks by adding just a portion of the hot coffee milk and mixing that before combining it with the rest of the hot milk. Pour slowly both times because this key step gradually heats the eggs and prevents curdling, which could create an unappetizingly chunky mousse.

Since coffee is the only flavoring, make sure it's good and strong. Brew coffee with freshly ground beans and choose a brewing method, such as a French press or pour-over, that produces a richer, more flavorful cup than a standard drip brewing machine.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups evaporated milk

  • 2/3 cup strong coffee

  • 3 large egg yolks

  • 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

  • 1 (0.25-ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin, softened in 3 tablespoons cold water

  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a medium saucepan, combine the evaporated milk and coffee. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until it just starts steaming.

  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and brown sugar.

  4. Add 1/2 cup of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thoroughly combined.

  5. Add the warm egg-milk blend back into the hot milk in the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 165 F on a digital candy thermometer.

  6. Remove from the heat and stir in the softened gelatin. Chill the coffee custard thoroughly.

  7. Beat the heavy cream in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form.

  8. Thoroughly stir 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the chilled custard, and then gently fold in the remaining cream. The coffee mousse is ready when the custard is thoroughly incorporated into the whipped cream and no marbling shows. Serve the mousse chilled.

Recipe Tags: