Chocolate Chantilly Cream
Think of chocolate Chantilly cream as a really thin ganache — whipped. Yes, you can make chocolate Chantilly cream with cocoa instead, however the cocoa butter in the chocolate makes a nice stabilizer, helping the whipped cream hold its shape. If you wish to supplement the real chocolate with more cocoa powder to boost the chocolate flavor, you can.
Begin by combining a cup of heavy cream with about two ounces of chocolate. These are 70% chips, but just about any chocolate will do.
Zap the mixture in the microwave for about 30 seconds on high and stir, then use as many more zaps of 15 seconds as you need to melt the chocolate completely (stir between each). The mixture will start out looking grainy…
…then smooth out as you re-establish your emulsion. Be advised, the darker the chocolate the more you’ll need to blend the mixture to avoid flecks. I got some as you can see above, but they were small enough that I really didn’t mind them. Use a stick blender to get a perfectly smooth emulsion. Refrigerate the mixture for about 4 hours until it’s quite chilly.
Pour the whole thing into the bowl a mixer fitted with a whip.
And whip to soft or stiff peaks, whichever you prefer. If you want to sweeten the cream along the way, you can do that as well.
Is it possible to add melted and slightly cooled chocolate to cream while whipping it?
Hey HBM!
Yes, it’s possible, but having everything incorporated and chilled ahead of time will give you a higher whip!
– Joe
Hi Joe
I make whipped ganache all the time, but this is more a real Chocolate Chantilly. I must warn you of overwhipping as, from bitter experience, over whipped ganache gets grainy. The melting again, cooling again and whipping again makes you (me, at least) almost cry.
Great point, Clary. Just like regular whipped cream, this can be easily over-whipped. And as good as chocolate butter can be, it doesn’t perform the same.
– Joe
Easy and it looks very tasty. I’ve whipped ganache before and yes once did it so long it didn’t get grainy but it went to butter and separated into liquid and a very solid mass. I think I found some use for it in the long-run but I learned my lesson about overwhipping. I loved the part about “re-establishing emulsion”. I love to watch that happen but didn’t know what to call it other than…magic. Thanks!
OMG, did someone say chocolate butter? Can I add bacon to that?
I don’t see why not, Dave. Where do you live and how do I get there?
– Joe
I have never succeeded in whipping chocolate infused cream – I think that chilling before whipping is critical and I just don’t have the patience for that given most of my “experiments” in the kitchen are more about taste than texture. I wonder though – does the amount of chocolate you add to the mix affect the cream’s ability to whip. By my taste buds, I would normally almost quadruple (really) the amount of 70% chocolate in this recipe and I have a niggling feel that it is my greed for chocolate that is getting in the way of a perfect whip…
Hey OB!
Funny you should say “quadruple” because if you did that you’d have ganache, which you can definitely whip. There’s a recipe on the blog under “Components”. But you can pretty much whip any combination of cream and chocolate, from a 10-1 cream-to-chocolate mixture right up to 1-1. Of course if you were to keep going, with the chocolate outweighing the cream, you’d eventually run the risk of seizing, but I can’t think of many uses for a 5-1 chocolate-to-cream mixture. Maybe it’s out there, but I’ve never heard if it.
Thanks for the comment!
– Joe
Ummm… I have a use for the 5-1 chocolate-to-cream mixture. It’s called Spoon-to-Mouth and it will make you smile!
Eva 😀
I’m smarter than to get between a woman and a spoonful of ultra-thick ganache, Eva. You have my blessing.
– Joe
Now you’re talking! How about doing away with the cream altogether (all the rage at the moment) and just eating it warm, molten and without any interference from anything…best way to eat the stuff.
I’ll look the other way, OB. Knock yourself out! 😉
– Joe
For a stronger cocoa flavor, how much cocoa powder would you recommend adding, and when?
Thanks!
I’d say a tablespoon or even two depending on how dark it is. It can go in once the chocolate is melted.
– Joe
I doubt it will make it to the mixer at all in my case 😛
white chocolate works well too and is a nice lighter change from buttercream for filling layer cakes. it’s really good in coconut cream cakes.
Very true, thanks Candide!
– Joe
I wonder if this would work well as a filling in a cake? I am making a retirement party cake for my dad next weekend and am trying to find a different filling than more buttercream. I personally think buttercream frosting and filling is a bit much. I wanted to add some chocolate chunks to the filling too. Would this hold up well in the cake? Or should I go with more of a ganache? (I am making a double layer sheet cake with chocolate and yellow-from scratch if the conversion I read on this website works!).
Thanks for the help!
Hi Jennifer!
It would work as a cake filling, just as whipped cream will work. The cake just won’t hold for terribly long before serving. If it needs to hold for several hours or more, I’d suggest a whipped ganache.
Cheers and I won’t take it personally about the buttercream.
– Joe
Thanks so much for the advice Joe. It’s a life saver! I was planning on having it sit for more than a few hours before serving so I’ll give the whipped ganache a try…I think. It seems more complicated but I’m always up for it.
Let me know how it goes, Jennifer!
– Joe
I keep a bitter chocolate sauce on hand in the fridge (recipe from David Lebovitz site…and btw, I didn’t find a chocolate sauce recipe on your site! What the heck?) and decided to try the chantilly cream using it. I used about 1/3 cup of the sauce instead of the melted chocolate. It whipped up beautifully, took less than 5 minutes and is delicious! Thanks for the inspiration!
You made me chuckle, Susan. Yes, I’ll get a dad burn chocolate sauce up there! 😉
That’s a great solution. Nice improvisation!
– Joe
Hi there, thanks so much for the recipe!!
I’ll show all my friends your website and I’m sure they’ll love it!
I was wondering, concerning soft or stiff peaks, which one is better?
Well, it might be according to preference, but which one do you prefer? I don’t really know the difference in tastes either; is the difference a lot?
Please let me know and thank you so much!!
Hi Ali!
Soft or stiff, it doesn’t impact the flavor very much, but it will impact the texture and the appearance. I prefer soft peaks since I find the look of it more appealing. But to each their own! Thanks for the comment!
– Joe
I was wondering how this will will stand the test of time? I am planning on using this on top of a pumpkin mousse pie, and want to make the chantilly ahead of time. Will it deflate or will the chocolate help keep it’s whipped texture? I was thinking of making it about 6 hours before it will be served.
Hey Meg!
Your best bet is to stabilize it if it’s going to hold that long. See right here:
http://joepastry.com/category/pastry-components/stabilized-whipped-cream-pastry-components/
Have a great Christmas!
– Joe
Can you keep the chocolate cream chantilly overnight?
Hey Anne!
Chantilly cream doesn’t hold up terribly well overnight. Better to make it and use it fairly soon after.
Cheers,
– Joe