White chocolate & passionfruit mousse

Desserts

9 June

This White Chocolate & Passionfruit Ripple Mousse is the perfect dessert when you need something elegant with minimal effort. Rich, silky white chocolate mousse is swirled with tangy passionfruit and served in individual glasses for a beautiful make-ahead treat. Simple to prepare and impressive to serve, it's ideal for entertaining when you're short on time.

This mousse is one of those desserts that looks impressive but is actually so easy to make. The combination of creamy white chocolate and tangy passionfruit is hard to beat – rich enough to feel indulgent, but fresh enough that everyone will happily go back for seconds.

I often make these with my toddler as they're simple, fun and mostly involve mixing and swirling. They're naturally gluten free, can be made the day before, and are perfect for everything from a casual family dinner to entertaining friends.

What's in this recipe?

White chocolate
A good-quality white chocolate is key to achieving a smooth, silky mousse with rich flavour. Choose a chocolate you enjoy eating on its own, as it is the star ingredient in this dessert.
Cream
Cream is used in two ways in this recipe – first to create a smooth white chocolate ganache, and then whipped to give the mousse its luscious texture. Be sure to use thickened or whipping cream, as reduced-fat or cooking cream will not whip properly and may affect the final result.
Mascarpone
The secret ingredient that takes this mousse to the next level. Mascarpone adds richness and helps create an ultra-smooth, velvety texture while balancing the sweetness of the white chocolate.
Vanilla extract
A small amount of vanilla enhances the white chocolate flavour and adds warmth and depth to the mousse.
Passionfruit
Passionfruit adds a burst of freshness that perfectly balances the richness of the white chocolate. Fresh or tinned passionfruit both work beautifully here – I usually use tinned, as fresh passionfruit can be expensive and isn't always readily available. Swirled through the mousse, it creates beautiful ribbons of colour and transforms the dessert into something light, vibrant and irresistible. Extra passionfruit can also be spooned over the top for serving.

Step-by-step photos

Melting white chocolate

Mixing white chocolate mixture & mascarpone

Beating cream to soft peaks

Folding white chocolate mixture into whipped cream

Adding mousse to jars

Swirling through passionfruit