We live in the internet era, which means we have more information than we know what to do with right at the tips of our fingers! When it comes to recipes, there are literally thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of websites to go to (thanks for choosing ours!) One of the most popular places to find recipe inspirations and directions is YouTube. With so much food, creativity, and diversity available, what do you think the most popular recipe video on YouTube is? I thought for sure it would be some elaborately decorated cake or a special family recipe that is hundreds of years old.
Turns out, less is more.
The most viral recipe video on YouTube is for a simple chocolate mousse. The original video, found on a Japanese cooking channel, HiroMaru CooK TV, has been viewed over 43.5 million times. Crazy! One of my favorite YouTubers brakes down the recipe below. Let’s take a look and see what the hype is all about!
Here it is, in all its glory. The photo doesn’t really do it justice. You don’t get to see the texture or the way the chocolate mousse jiggles. I’m still floored that this is the most viral recipe, but I won’t deny that I’d totally eat that entire log of chocolate decadence. What’s so special about it? Is the chocolate sourced from a small village in West Africa? Is the milk from a special cow that has been hand-fed said West African cocoa beans? Nope and nope. It really is as simple as its name suggests!
First, and arguably most importantly, prepare the chocolate. You’ll need both a chocolate paste and chopped high-quality dark chocolate. Make the paste by combining two tablespoons of hot water with some cocoa powder. Whisk until a nice, thick paste has formed. Then, grab your dark chocolate and place it on a piece of parchment paper before chopping away. This ensures that you’ll get all of the little pieces of chocolate and not leave any stuck to your cutting board!
Now that the chocoalte is prepared, let’s prep the gelatin. Pour the little packet into some water and let it sit for a bit. Combine milk and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Add white sugar, sweetened condensed milk, cocoa paste, and the chopped chocolate to the pan, stirring to combine. Then, grab the gelatin, which should be a thick paste, and microwave it for a few seconds until it’s liquid. Stir everything until nice and smooth!
Next, pour the chocolate concoction through a fine mesh sieve to filter out and chocolate or sugar chunks. Set the bowl of filtered chocolate mousse into a large bowl of ice water to help it cool and set properly
While the mousse is chilling, literally, grab a mold and prepare it however you normally would. Once the mousse has the consistency of thick gravy, go ahead and pour it into the mold. Leave it in the fridge for twenty-four hours, and then enjoy! Top with cocoa powder, whipped cream, fruit, whatever floats your boat.