Simple Chocolate-Orange Mousse (Vegan and Dairy-Free)

By on February 19, 2012 in Decadent, Desserts & Baked Goods, Holidays
I was working on “veganizing” a King’s Cake recipe (more on that soon), and ran across this technique to make non-dairy whipped cream using coconut milk.  Brilliant!  I decided to give this a try but wanted to see if I could make a dairy-free chocolate mousse using the same technique, and it worked really well.

The base of the mousse is chilled coconut cream, which you get by refrigerating a can of full-fat coconut milk (overnight is best).  Do not shake the can, as you want the natural separation of the fat from the liquid.  Open the can and scoop out the layer of solid coconut cream, leaving behind the liquid part (which is great to bake with, or used in a smoothie).  This will whip up nicely into a creamy dessert.  It does not take on the same level of volume as whipping cream, but the texture is beautiful.  This is a really rich dessert, and I have provided options to make it sugar-free.  Serve in little dessert cups with some fresh berries and orange zest, or as pictured with some dairy-free chocolate shavings.

Simple Chocolate-Orange Mousse
1 15-ounce can full-fat coconut milk, chilled overnight
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon pure orange extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar or 3 packages of powdered stevia extract

Open the can of coconut milk and scoop out all of the solid layer of coconut cream.  Place in a mixing bowl and stir in the cocoa powder, salt, orange extract, and sweetener of choice.  Using a balloon whisk, whip the mixture for about five minutes, until it is fluffy and the volume has increased by about 50 percent.  Scoop or pipe into serving bowls and serve.

This stores well in the refrigerator and maintains its volume for a few days, so you could make it ahead for a special occasion.

Thanks for reading,

-Angela

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8 Responses to Simple Chocolate-Orange Mousse (Vegan and Dairy-Free)

  1. Lisa @ Snappy Gourmet February 19, 2012 at 8:01 pm #

    Oh my goodness Angela, that sounds and looks so good!!!!

    Reply
  2. Cathy W February 19, 2012 at 9:25 pm #

    Well, this just caught my husband's eye. It's beautiful! Coconut milk is on the shopping list…

    Reply
  3. Calogero February 19, 2012 at 10:39 pm #

    And what instead of coconut milk?

    Reply
  4. Karen Harris February 20, 2012 at 12:43 am #

    This looks so good. I will definitely be trying this soon.

    Reply
  5. The Foodie Physician February 20, 2012 at 10:45 pm #

    This looks delicious! I don't have much experience with vegan cooking but want to learn more about it. Whipped coconut cream seems like such a great alternative to traditional whipped cream.

    Reply
  6. marla February 22, 2012 at 2:04 am #

    Love the idea of this vegan chocolate mousse ~ pretty too :)

    Reply
  7. Jersey Girl Cooks February 22, 2012 at 12:24 pm #

    I love that you used coconut milk in this. I will definitely be trying it soon.

    Reply
  8. Choc Chip Uru March 11, 2012 at 6:30 pm #

    I bet coconut milk gives it great flavour as well as making it vegan – beautiful pic!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    Reply

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