Chocolate mousse belongs in a mould. It should be set in a mould, served in a mould, and eaten out of mould. Yes, there are exceptions like mousse cakes and Swiss rolls and fanciful mousse quenelles on plated desserts, but for the most part, chocolate mousse is, and should be, made and mounted in a mould.

Or so I thought.

Because in the midst of the covid hysteria, I chanced upon a video, a YouTube video I saved a year ago but then forgotten, from a Korean cooking Youtube channel by the name of Cooking tree (or more accurately, “Cooking tree 쿠킹트리”) In it, after 2 minutes and 56 seconds of stirring and whisking and pouring the chocolate mousse paste into a loaf tin to set—done by a pair of nameless hands overlaid with orgasmic ASMR magic—the chocolate mousse is turned out, revealing a great big glistening, sensually wobbly slab of chocolate. And it looks stunning.

So of course after I saw that glistening hunk of chocolate, being the chocolate fiend I am, I set out to make it. I made some minor adjustments—a little less milk, a handful of better chocolate, a little more binding ingredients (I’m in Malaysia after all, where it’s hot and humid and everything cold melts if you even so much as glare at it). And I have to say, the results were sensual.

Fine, I admit, the look of it isn’t one of my finest moments. And despite upping the amount of cornstarch, it still ended up a little too soft and quickly became sloppy from the Malaysian heat. One might call it rustic, but really, let’s just call it what it is—sloppy. But maybe that is the point. Maybe instead of pots de crème and mousse cups served on pearly white porcelain chalice, dug up with silver spoons, put to your mouth with the utmost caution so as not to soil your cravats, mousses are meant to be sloppy and sensual, served in large slabs and slobbered on so the taste of chocolate and cream lingers on on your palate and plate, tempting you to put all manners aside, lick them clean and just indulge.

Chocolate Mousse Loaf

Makes 1 hunk of mousse

Ingredients

100ml whipping cream
500ml milk
20g cocoa powder
30g cornstarch
60g sugar
100g good dark chocolate, roughly chopped up
5g cocoa powder, to dust on

Directions

Pour the whipping cream and milk into a medium pot or saucepan, and heat it up until it starts steaming slightly.
Meanwhile, oil your baking tin, and line it with baking paper.
In a clean bowl, sift and mix the cocoa powder and cornstarch together. Then, add the sugar to this mixture. Add two ladles of the warm milk mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir until no more lumps remain. Then, pour this back into the remaining milk mixture, passing it through a sieve to remove any remaining lumps.
Add the roughly chopped dark chocolate into the milk mixture, then bring the whole thing to the boil, whisking it continuously. The mixture will become thick and gloopy as it cooks, and it should be one smooth, homogeneous paste.
Pour the mousse mixture into the lined baking tin, smooth the top with a spoon, and give it a few taps to make sure there are no air bubbles. Store this in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight if possible.
When the mousse is completely cooled and set, flip it out onto a serving tray, then peel off and discard the baking paper. Dust on a thin layer of chocolate mousse on top, and you’re ready to slice it and serve!