The Best Chocolate Summer Desserts Ever!

It's finally summer! *rain clouds approaches*. The BBQ has been pulled out of the shed, the charcoal is roaring and the burgers aren't quite burnt yet! You're getting ready to enjoy a summer meal of epic proportions, but what on earth do you serve for dessert? Well, do we have a treat for the chocolate lovers! Here are some light, delicious and decadent desserts to enjoy this summer. And don't worry, they are deceptively easy to make!

The Tastiest Chocolate Dessert Recipes For Summer From Cocoba

Now, chocolate desserts may seem a bit rich on a summer's day. However, we promise, you can make an impressive dessert for a summer dinner party or family BBQ with very little effort with one of the beautiful summer chocolate desserts below. Let's get stuck in, shall we?

Dark Chocolate Mousse

This chocolate mousse is made the French way. There's less cream, but a boatload of mouth feel and beautifully rich chocolate flavour. Plus, it's super simple to make!

We've called this a dark chocolate mousse, but you can use any chocolate you like. Milk chocolate, white chocolate, mint or orange chocolate. You could even melt down some of our salted caramel chocolate buttons for this one! The choice of chocolate is yours, but whatever chocolate you use, you're in for a taste sensation! Here's how to make it:

The Ingredients

• 6 egg whites
• 150g  Cocoba chocolate flakes
• 125ml cream
• 2 TBSP caster sugar

The Recipe

As we mentioned, this mousse is really easy to make and tastes so good everyone will want to lick the bowl - here's how to make it:

1. Melt the chocolate and butter together on a double boiler on the hob. You can use the microwave, but we always have better results on the hob. Stir the chocolate until it is nice and smooth and looks lovely and silky.
2. Next, separate the egg whites from the yolks. Place the egg whites into a large bowl and whisk to soft peaks. Sprinkle the sugar over the top and whisk again until the mixture forms stiff peaks. If you dare, you could place the bowl over your head, if nothing falls out, you're ready for the next step, if it does, you’ll need to shower and then start over!
3. Add a third of the egg whites to the melted chocolate and mix vigorously. Work fast so the chocolate doesn't harden. Now fold the rest in carefully so the air in the mixture stays. Now you can spoon the mousse into ramekins or glasses and pop them in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

When it comes to serving, serve each with a dollop (or two) of whipped cream, or maybe some vanilla ice cream, and some more Cocoba chocolate flakes.

Make it Vegan!

This is one of the easiest recipes to convert into vegan because all of the ingredients either have vegan substitutes or are already vegan!

If you are planning on making a vegan chocolate mousse, we'd recommend using an oat-based whipped cream alternative. Oat-based alternatives give the best mouth-feel in tests that we've conducted at the Cocoba Cafe. Vegan egg whites are also widely available, and when it comes to chocolate, Cocoba's signature chocolate flakes are vegan!

The recipe above will work wonderfully for your vegan mousse, so we won't repeat ourselves. Instead, let's look at more chocolate recipes to enjoy over the summer months, shall we?

Are you loving summery chocolatey treats as much as we are right now? Well, we have another treat for you! Learn how to make chocolate ice cream at home using Cocoba chocolate! Don't worry, it's really easy and ever so tasty!

Chocolate Fondue

If you thought the first recipe was easy to make, this one really takes the biscuit! It is simple, sweet and shareable, so it's perfect for a summer dinner party and even better when served with a few flutes of fizz!

Ingredients

• 300ml double cream
• 150g Cocoba chocolate flakes
• Two tsp of sea salt

Platter ingredients

Your platter can consist of anything that you love to dip in chocolate! It could be delicious chewy chocolate chip cookies, strawberries, grapes, apple slices, marshmallows, pretzels or more chocolate! The choice is yours!

Recipe

1. Warm the double cream on a low heat on the hob until it's steaming, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.
2. Place the chocolate flakes in a bowl and pour the hot cream over the top of them. Add the sea salt and leave this to sit for a few minutes. Once the chocolate has started to melt, give it a whisk until you have a smooth, rich and silky chocolate ganache.
3. Spoon into a bowl, place the bowl on a large platter and surround it with all of your favourite things to dip in chocolate. 

You can make this in advance, you'll just need to reheat the chocolate when ready to serve. For an extra special treat, try using our salted caramel chocolate flakes or white chocolate flakes - both offer a rich, sweet and elegant twist on this easy-to-make summer dessert!

White Chocolate and Strawberry Cheesecake

This is a very, very tasty treat - and there’s no added sugar! If there's no added sugar that definitely means it's healthy, right!? All of the sweetness comes from the white chocolate and strawberries. It can be served with whipping cream or ice cream if you like, or you can just enjoy this cheesecake all by itself!

This is a great one to make with the kids too, as there’s hardly any heat involved, and they get to bash up the biscuits for the base! Let's find out how to make it, shall we?

Ingredients

• 300g digestive biscuits
• 150g unsalted butter
• 200g  Cocoba white chocolate flakes
• 680g full-fat soft cheese
• 200ml double cream
• 50g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g strawberries cored and halved

Recipe

1. Lightly grease a loose-bottom cake tin (a springform cake tin will work too). Line the bottom with grease-proof paper and set aside.
2. Now we need to bash up some biscuits for the base. You can do this in a food processor if you like, or place them in a sealable bag and use a rolled pin to crush them. Once nice and crushed up, place in a bowl and set aside.
3. Melt the butter on the hob and then add this in with the crushed biscuits. Give it a stir until it resembles wet sand.
4. Transfer this mixture to the cake tin and press it down firmly. The base should be as even and smooth as possible. Place the tin in the fridge to chill while you prepare the rest.
5. Melt your chocolate flakes in a double boiler on the hob.
6. Place the soft cheese into a bowl and give it a good whisk. If you have an electric whisk, this would be the perfect time to use it. You want the soft cheese to be fluffy - which takes about 3 minutes with an electric whisk.
7. Once the soft cheese is fluffy, add the icing sugar and melted white chocolate and mix it all together.
8. In a separate bowl, pour in your double cream and vanilla and give it a good mix. Now pour this into the soft cheese mixture along with chopped strawberries (but save some for the top of the cheesecake) and fold until everything is combined.
9. Remove the cheesecake base from the fridge and pour the filling on top. Take care to spread it evenly and smooth it out with a spoon or spatula.
10. Place the cheesecake in the fridge overnight and it's ready to serve.

Just before you serve it, don't forget to put the remaining strawberries on top, you could also add some more chocolate flakes, icing sugar or cocoa powder if you like!

So, there are some tasty chocolate dessert recipes for summer. Did we miss your favourite chocolate dessert for a special occasion? Let us know on Facebook or Instagram. Or, if you make one of the recipes above, tag us and show us your delicious treats!