Photo: @flouredfingers_
Banana Chocolate Mousse Recipe by Yuliya Mihaylova
Few desserts can boast being both light and decadent. Chocolate mousse is one of them. It’s lush, it’s comforting and it hits all the right chocolatey notes.
But to create such ethereal lightness, most recipes use whipped egg white. This vegan version calls for aquafaba instead — the magic liquid leftover from canned chickpeas. Many may mistakenly throw it out, but it’s a precious ingredient used in vegan baking recipes that can be whipped into fluffy stiff peaks too.
Here’s the recipe by Yuliya Mihaylova for a vegan banana chocolate mousse. Enjoy.
Makes: 4 Servings
Total Time: 2 hours
Ingredients
200g dairy-free dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
2 large bananas
2 tbsp maple or agave syrup
150ml Aquafaba (The liquid from a 400g can of chickpeas)
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cream of tartar
3 tbsp canned coconut cream (Optional)
10g shredded dark chocolate (Optional)
Method
Melt the dark chocolate. There are two ways to do this. The first method is to melt it in the microwave oven. Chop the chocolate bar into small pieces, put it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it in the microwave for no more than 20 seconds at a time to ensure that you do not burn the chocolate. After each interval, take the bowl out, stir the mixture and put it back in for another 20 seconds - continue until fully melted.
Otherwise, you can melt the chocolates using the double boiler method. Chop it into small pieces, put it in a heat-proof bowl that would fit over a deep pot. Pour some water into the pan, put the bowl over it and turn the stove on medium heat. Ensure that the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl, as you are risking burning the chocolate. Stir the chocolate over the heat until everything is melted completely.
Once the chocolate is ready, set it aside to cool while you prepare the aquafaba.
Choose a can of chickpeas that has more liquid in it. If you shake the can lightly, you should be able to hear the liquid and chickpeas moving around. This will ensure you will have enough aquafaba for all four servings.
In a big bowl, add the aquafaba, salt, lemon juice and cream of tartar. The cream of tartar is not mandatory, but it helps in achieving a thicker and fluffier beaten aquafaba to replicate beaten egg whites. The acidity from the lemon helps fluff the aquafaba too. In this recipe, I am using it to neutralize the light smell of chickpeas you get in aquafaba. If you do not have cream of tartar, you can double the amount of lemon juice used.
Beat the mixture on a high-speed, just as you would do with egg whites. The end result is almost the same in terms of both texture and taste. Beat for at least 10 minutes to achieve the correct consistency.
Add two - three tablespoons of the aquafaba cream to the cooled melted chocolate and start folding it in gently with a silicone spatula. Ensure that this step is done gently and carefully, as you do not want to lose all the air you just fluffed into the aquafaba cream. When it is loosely mixed, add maple syrup to the chocolate mixture and continue folding in gently. Then continue adding in more spoonfuls of aquafaba cream and fold in gently until you run out of the cream and you end up with a homogenous mixture.
Mash two bananas with a fork and distribute them evenly between the four cups you chose to present the desert in. On top of the mashed banana, divide the chocolate mousse and place the cups in the fridge for two hours to set. After the two hours, you will have delicious traditional-style mousse to enjoy.
An optional step: You can beat a bit of cold coconut cream with a mixer and add one to two tablespoons on top of the chocolate mousse for decoration and extra decadence. Decorate with some coconut or chocolate shavings and you are good to go. Enjoy! 
