What is a coffee mousse?
If you’ve ever been to Italy you know that over here we really love coffee, and we use it in many sweet preparations. Coffee mousse, also known in Italian as “crema al caffè” is a very simple dessert made by mixing very cold espresso coffee with whipped cream and sugar, and with a sprinkle of unsweetened cacao powder on top. If you’ve never tried coffee mousse, you’ll be surprised by how delicious this simple treat is.Ps. We like to make this with a soy-based, dairy-free, and vegan whipping cream to keep this recipe free from dairy, and the taste is delicious.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Coffee: we use a really strong espresso coffee made with an old Italian moka. You can use any strong black coffee. I’d say, if you are a coffee lover, the stronger the coffee the better for this recipe. You can use instant coffee in the same quantities.Whipping cream: there are so many whipping creams out there. We like to use a soy-based, dairy-free and vegan whipping cream that is already a little sweet. But there are many others you can choose from.Sugar: regular white sugar.Cacao powder: we like to use unsweetened dutch-processed cacao powder, but any other will be good too.Coffee beans: we like to add a few coffee beans on top of the coffee mousse for both decoration and crunch. I personally like to eat the toasted coffee bean, but some people might not like that. This is optional of course.
How to make coffee mousse
Start by making the coffee. It needs to be strong. We like to make it in an Italian Moka to make it extra strong. Let it cool down, then put it in the refrigerator until it’s cold. You can do this step the night before and let it cool overnight. It’s important the coffee is very cold, or it will melt the whipping cream. In a bowl, whip the whipping cream, then when it’s firm, add the sugar, a little at a time, while whipping. Make sure your whipping cream is very cold before whipping it. Now add the coffee, a little at a time, while whipping. Your mousse is ready, store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it. It’s good to let it set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. To serve it, scoop the coffee mousse into single portion glasses or cups, sprinkle with cacao powder after each scoop of mousse. Add some coffee beans on top as decoration.
Tips
Strong coffee: the stronger the coffee, the more coffee flavor you’ll have in the mousse. We recommend getting the strongest coffee you can because the whipped cream will soften the coffee flavor a lot. Try espresso, or even better, ristretto coffee.Cold Coffee: the coffee must be completely cold before adding it to the whipped cream, or the cream will deflate and melt.Cold whipping cream: the cream should also be very cold before whipping it. My advice is to put both the coffee and the cream in the refrigerator overnight.
Frequently asked questions
Dinner ideas
Did you know that we develop our recipes to go together for a complete dinner meal plan? Serve this easy coffee mousse as a dessert, with: Oven roasted broccoli with lemon chili garlic dressing Vegan mushroom pasta For many more easy dessert ideas, check out our desserts category page.
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