Maida Heatter’s Chocolate Mousse Torte Recipe (2024)

Yes. It works perfectly. I’ve got the bottom crust in the oven now. By the way, for those afraid of raw egg, put half of the sugar in the bowl with the whites, the remaining sugar in the bowl with the yolks and whisk (separately) over a double boiler til hot to kill any bacteria, then carry on with the recipe.

When I made this recipe in 1972, I became a big fan of Maida Heatter. I bought all of her books and became a very happy dessert maker.

I don't prefer using raw egg yolks or raw egg whites; ould rather make a hot sugar syrup (cook 8 ounces of granulated sugar with 12 ounces of water to 245 degrees F.). Then stream half of it into the yolks whipping in an electric mixer with whisk attachment until just room temperature. Then in a clean mixer again using a whisk attachment, stream the remaining half of the hot syrup (you may have to reheat it) into the whites, effectively making an Italian meringue.Then follow the recipe as shown.

I make all kinds of things with raw eggs, and have never had a problem.

I've made this many times and it is delicious. Maida Heatter rocks, and I worry that younger bakers are not aware of her. She seems to be getting renewed attention, which is making me very happy. It is hard to go wrong with her recipes because they are so detailed and well-written. She originated some great tricks, two of which are in this recipe (fine bread crumbs rather than flour to line a cake pan, espresso powder to intensify chocolate. We need an all-out Maida revival!

I suggest two modifications:1. Beat the egg whites first. That way, you can use the same beater without any risk of the whites not beating up. (Any trace of yolk—or water from cleaning the beater—will deflate the egg whites).2. Add a half teaspoon of cream of tartar to the egg whites. After they have stiffened, beat in half of the sugar to make a meringue. This will give greater volume and stability to the egg whites.

RIP Maida Heatter. Her book "Cookies" has been my go-to cookie recipe source for over 20 years. Dogeared, stained, marked up, covered with sticky notes and bent out of shape, this book has brought me and my cookie loving friends great joy for years. And for many years to come. Thank you, Maida, for sharing your love of baking and your talents.

I’d whisk the egg whites first and set them aside, in order to skip the step of washing the whisk attachment and mixing bowl in the middle of the recipe. Transfer them to another bowl if you don’t have a second mixing bowl for your stand mixer.

I cooked this last night and it was surprisingly easy! It turned out great and was so, so tasty. The tablespoon of instant coffee was a great touch.When I make this again I would cook it for slightly less in the oven - it seemed a bit too well done and didn't fall as much as I was expecting it to. Still tasty and not at all overcooked, though!

Ok so I made this wasn’t happy but wrapped it in foil and stuck it in a fridge that doesn’t get opened a lot. 10 days later I rediscovered it and it was great! Even the whipped cream was still good. The mousse was airy too. So I guess what I’m saying is this can be made ahead.

My mothet made this dessert for years fir gatherings and parties as I also did for a number of years.....akways a sucess....its nice that a great recipe from the 70s still holds up now

Really outstanding effort-to-deliciousness ratio. Took the tip to beat whites first and transfer to another bowl and otherwise followed the recipe exactly because I have always trusted Maida! After transferring 4 c of mousse to the fridge, the remainder did not fill my pie dish, so I worried, but needlessly. It puffs up plenty. Next time I might transfer 4.5 c of mousse. Make this! Hurry!!

It’s easy to pasteurize eggs if you have a good kitchen thermometer. Put eggs in a pan of water, heat to 138 degrees. Don’t let water get above 142 degrees. After 3 minutes, remove eggs and rinse in cold water.

Because chips are designed not to melt as easily. They often contain fats other than cocoa butter, often have a waxy coating, generally contain less cocoa butter. Chips can not really be “tempered” and result in a less smooth melted chocolate. Not to mention how many types of chips are actually “chocolate flavored” and contain little or no chocolate.

Could I make the mousse and bake the bottom the day before and assemble and serve it the next day?

This is one of my favourite go to desserts! It's been a hit for all crowds, and it's relatively light as you eat it (especially with the whipped cream on top).

I have what I believe is a variation of this recipe, but the baked mousse (which falls in the center as this one does) is then filled with coffee ice cream. I believe the whole thing is then frozen, pehaps with the remaining mouse spread over the ice cream, But I have lost the second little notepad page of my directions! Does anyone recognize this???.

I don't know about the tart bit, but Silver Palate's Mocha Mousse has been a go to for many years... Awesome...

Wonderful recipe!

Sous vide users can pasteurize their own eggs if they feel that’s necessary.

To avoid raw eggs, if anyone is concerned, you can sous vide pasteurize the eggs:---Place egg in a 135°F (57°C) water bath for at least 1 hour and 15 minutes (Schuman et al., 1997).Pasteurized intact eggs can be stored and used just like raw eggs. While the properties of the egg yolk are unaffected, the egg white is milky compared to a raw egg. Whipping time is significantly longer for pasteurized eggs, but the final whip volume is nearly the same (Schuman et al., 1997).

For those saying that the original recipe called for 2/3 cup of sugar instead of 1/3: did it call for 2/3 in the mousse and 1/3 in the whipped cream, or 2/3 in the total recipe? Perhaps in the original recipe she didn’t break it out between the two parts?

Yes, Maida Heatter was so great! I, too, have used her “Cookies” book for years, and her other books, too! This particular recipe is terrific.

Wow -- just looked at the nutritional info. Sometimes it's better not to know.....

Perfect Passover dessert.

This is one of the best dessert recipes ever - especially when company comes for dinner. It is amazingly easy but those you serve it to think you must have slaved over it Just For Them. I have been making it on and off since 1972 when I first saw it. I lost the NYT clipping after a while and then searched for it successfully on-line when I wanted to make it for some friends. If you have any hesitation, just jump in and try it. You'll be so glad you did!

I have been making making the chocolate mousse pie since it was published in the 1972 in the New York Times. Well worth the task because some chocolate pies are very heavy after a large Thanksgiving meal. Try it,you'll like it.

I wrote to Maida Heatter about the use of raw eggs in one of her icings. She called me (!) and said to use the best eggs and - more saliently - to serve such cakes at large gatherings instead of meting out small portions over several days. This struck me as a great suggestion and I joyfully pass on her advice.

I have tried this recipe a couple of times. Both times it came out soggy- even though the second time I left the pan in for 50 minutes instead of 25. It came out better than the first time but was still too soggy for our taste. This is more of a bread pudding, if you like traditional French toast I would stick with the original made on a skillet.

This is perfect for Passover if you use matzah meal instead of bread crumbs. Also if you keep Kosher you either would skip the whipped cream or use pareve whipped cream.