Choosing the right chocolate for the right application - Mousses

The importance of fluidity

Chocolate mousse for pastries should have an intense chocolate taste; a light, airy and silky smooth texture that is creamy on the tongue; and a firm enough consistency to keep its shape, even when it holds the weight of different layers of cake filling. In order to obtain this perfect end result, it’s crucial to choose chocolate with the right fluidity. We recommend using chocolate with a three-drop fluidity.

If you used chocolate with a lower fluidity (i.e. containing less cocoa butter), it would yield a chocolate mousse with a really soft texture after crystallisation. It wouldn’t be solid enough to hold on a cake or inside a cake with the weight of different layers of cake filling on top. If you used chocolate with a higher fluidity (i.e. containing more cocoa butter) you’d get a chocolate mousse with a grainy, very solid and fatty texture, which would look and taste unappealing.

Fluidity guidelines

Callebaut offers a wide range of fluidity levels for each of its chocolate recipes. It’s important to know that all of the chocolates with the same recipe number taste exactly the same, although the amount of cocoa butter they contain differs. The fluidity of a particular chocolate is indicated on the packaging with a drop symbol system. Depending on the application, it’s crucial to choose a chocolate with the right amount of cocoa butter in it:

• Chocolate with a one-drop fluidity: great for infusing e.g. fillings, butter cream or ice cream with a hint of chocolate taste;
• Chocolate with a two-drop fluidity: perfect for large moulded chocolate figures;
• Chocolate with a three-drop fluidity: extremely versatile, ideal for any application;
• Chocolate with a four-drop fluidity: best choice for moulded chocolates with a thin chocolate shell or (sharply) angular chocolate moulds;
• Chocolate with a five-drop fluidity: excellent for applying a thin layer of chocolate on top of biscuits with a large surface.