Chocolate Tofu Mousse
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BY STACY BROOKS
Photo by Becca Dilley / heavytable.com
I am a longtime skeptic of tofu desserts, since most of the versions floating around on the Internet are heavily influenced by diet culture and the adjacent “clean eating” trend. You know the drill: recipes that skimp on sweetness and calories to produce a concoction that is a sad facsimile of dessert, although it photographs beautifully and performs well on SEO.
This recipe is not that. I doubled the amount of chocolate that most recipes call for and used sugar instead of maple syrup or agave (and then significantly increased the quantity of sweetener). I added cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt to boost the chocolatiness even more. The obvious audience for a chocolate tofu mousse is vegans, or people who are allergic to eggs or dairy. But I can assure you (and my husband can second) that this recipe has universal appeal. Made with a food processor, it’s relatively foolproof—just let your tofu come to room temperature and allow your chocolate to cool after melting it. This ensures that the tofu and chocolate will play together nicely and form a mousse, instead of seizing up into a cement-like substance.
For the richest, most chocolaty flavor, I recommend using a high-quality dark chocolate (I went with Divine Chocolate’s 70% bittersweet baking bar) and Dutch process cocoa powder, which might also be labeled as “processed with alkali.”
Although this is a dessert that is extremely chocolate-forward, it does have a soy undertone. I think this is a feature, not a bug—the slightly nutty notes of the soy support the bittersweet chocolate flavor. Texture-wise, it’s very similar to a traditional chocolate mousse, with a glorious fluffiness.
Photo by Becca Dilley / heavytable.com
Chocolate Tofu Mousse
Serves 4-5
7 ounces (200 grams) 70% cocoa dark chocolate
14-ounce package soft tofu
¼ cup granulated sugar [1]
2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Finely chopped chocolate and fresh raspberries to garnish (optional)
Let the tofu come to room temperature by setting the package on the counter for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, break the chocolate into pieces and place in a small microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 50% power for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through. If it’s not completely melted yet, microwave at 50% power in 10 second increments, stirring after each stint in the microwave. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate on the stovetop in a double boiler. Cool the chocolate to room temperature, which takes about 10 minutes.
Drain the room-temperature tofu. Crumble it into pieces and add it to a food processor with the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Process until it forms a very smooth mixture, with a texture similar to a thick batter. Make sure that all of the solid bits of tofu, no matter how small, have been pulverized. Periodically scrape the sides of the food processor to make sure that all of the tofu is incorporated.
Add the cooled melted chocolate to the food processor. Process until the mixture has a creamy, slightly fluffy texture similar to a thick buttercream frosting. Make sure that the chocolate is evenly mixed in; you may need to scrape the sides of the food processor to incorporate all of the chocolate.
Photo by Becca Dilley / heavytable.com
Spoon the mousse into serving dishes and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving. If you want to be fancy, garnish the mousse with finely chopped chocolate and fresh raspberries.
This recipe yields 2½ cups of mousse, which gives you 5 satisfying portions or 4 even more satisfying portions. Covered tightly, it keeps very well in the refrigerator for a few days, and I think the chocolate flavor gets somewhat richer the longer you let it chill.
[1] WRITER'S NOTE: Some vegans avoid granulated sugar, since sugarcane-based granulated sugar is sometimes processed using charcoal derived from animal bones (known as bone char). Sugar beet-based granulated sugar isn’t processed with bone char, but labels often don’t specify whether granulated sugar is made with sugarcane or sugar beets. If this is a concern for you, use USDA certified organic sugar, which is never processed with bone char. Coconut sugar (organic or conventional) is another good option, since it’s never processed with bone char either.