Bailey’s Chocolate Mousse Recipe

This boozy chocolate mousse recipe is simple to make and absolutely delicious. Some links in this post are affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

For a friend’s birthday party, I volunteered to bake her cake. Then she announced that she doesn’t like frosting. Wait, what?

As I slowly digested the idea that some people may not enjoy frosting, I started debating what cake to make. My original plan to do a lemon filled white cake disappeared in a poof.

I thought about making a pound cake with a simple strawberry syrup or blueberry syrup to top the slices. I almost went that route before I remembered a gluten free friend planned to join us.

That took her request for an apple pie out the window, and I decided to go with a chocolate mousse. It’s one of those classic desserts that tastes amazing but no one makes at home very often.

I used to make different mousses fairly regularly for dessert when I hosted dinner parties before kids, but I hadn’t made one in so long. A raspberry mousse is so delicious, but for my friend’s birthday, I went with an adult version – boozy chocolate mousse.

The Bailey’s was the perfect touch to this elegant dessert. I made individual servings in small stemless wine glasses, then topped them with a lightly Bailey’s tinged whipped cream. 

Can I tell you how quickly they disappeared?

One word of warning – a little goes a long way. I purposely put these in fairly small glasses because I didn’t want it to go to waste. You could just as easily serve this in a single large dish and let people scoop it out for a less formal dinner.

Regardless, this was a perfect end to a perfect birthday celebration. Various friends brought various foods to eat, with the main course being a mashed potato bar. I made my Instant Pot mashed potatoes, and we had all the possible toppings!

Next week, some friends and I plan to get together for a potluck lunch, and I think we may end up with a very similar menu! With some of my favorite Greek friends coming, I may make this feta and kalamata olive tortellini pasta salad, too!

How to Make Boozy Chocolate Mousse

I love no bake desserts. They’re less stressful than others, and they tend to be perfect for occasions where you need or want to make things ahead of time.

For your boozy chocolate mousse, the first step is to chop chocolate. I use a block of quality dark chocolate rather than chocolate chips. It melts more smoothly and tastes better, too.

Just use a sharp knife to carefully cut off small pieces starting in a corner. It goes surprisingly quickly, and it’s satisfying to watch the pile of chocolate grow.

In a heavy saucepan, add the chocolate you just chopped and butter. Over low heat, stir with a spatula until most chocolate has melted.

Many recipes call for you to use a double boiler. Honestly? I never do anymore. If you have a heavy cast iron pot and use low heat, you don’t scorch anything. It’s so much easier this way, and I end up with fewer dishes.

Remove from the heat when you still have some pieces of chocolate remaining, and continue to stir until smooth. The butter always melts before the chocolate.

Make sure you separate them carefully. Let the egg white go into a small dish, and place the yolk in a separate dish. Dump the egg white into a larger bowl. Repeat with each egg. That way, if you have an oops with an egg white or yolk, you don’t lose the whole batch!

Whisk in your egg yolks one at a time. Then add one quarter cup of the Irish Cream and stir. 

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Slowly add the sugar as you continue whipping in either a stand mixer or with your hand mixer. While you can use a whisk, it’s a lot of work!

Beat until the whites are shiny and form soft peaks. You don’t want to mix them until they are dry and start to separate, so periodically stop mixing and check to see how stiff your peaks are.

Add a third of whipped egg whites to the chocolate mixture and fold in using a spatula. This sacrifices some of the air you just whipped into the eggs but lets the chocolate mixture loosen a bit to better incorporate the rest of the whites.

To fold them in, use a C shaped stirring motion. Start from the back of the bowl and pull under the center, then through. Once the egg whites are mostly incorporated, add remaining egg whites and gently fold.

Pour two-third of a cup of heavy whipping cream into an empty bowl. Start on low speed and steadily increase until you reach the highest speed. Avoid a mess and don’t go too fast too soon!

Keep beating until medium peaks form. You want them to hold their shape but not stand upright. They should fold over gently when you lift out your beaters.

Gently fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture. You’ll use the same technique you did for the egg whites, but you don’t need to sacrifice that first third!

When no white streaks remain, gently scoop your boozy chocolate mousse into glasses or ramekins. Chill thoroughly for 2 or more hours.

Just before serving, make a laced whipped cream. Add 2 tablespoons Irish cream to 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream. Start your mixer on low speed then increase the speed as it thickens. Whip until medium peaks form.

Scoop the laced whipped cream over each serving of boozy chocolate mousse and serve immediately. Add chocolate shavings for a decorative touch.

Have you ever made a boozy chocolate mousse?

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