Tokyo Desserts

Creamy chocolate mousse with raspberry gelatin

Winter is my season of choice for baking with chocolate. My house is not well insulated so it is chilly even with the heat on so basically a good place to work with chocolate.

In this recipe you need to combine the warm chocolate with the warm anglais - keeping both at about the same temperature - and the room temperature can effect how these two mix together.

This recipe does have several steps to it but you can make it a day ahead if you want to have it for a special dinner.

I used an 18 cm x 6 cm baking ring to make this cake.

Cake

This cake has several steps to it so you may be a bit hesitant to tackle this, however, if you can find a kitchen helper then the process will fly by. The cake has four steps - bake the cake, make the mascarpone mousse, coffee chocolate mousse and lastly the chocolate mousse. The finished product is very delicious and is a great dessert to impress your friends and family.

The recipe below is enough for a cake that fits a cake ring 18 cm x 6 cm.  Overall, the cake will take about 2 hours or less to put together. Each step is done separately so it is easy to do other activities around the house while making the cake. Please allow about 3 hours for the cake to set in the refrigerator before serving.

To use a baking ring for a mousse cake, you can either line the inside of the ring with mousse film for easy removal or if you don't use the film you can remove the cake by heating the outside of the ring with a kitchen torch which loosens the mousse and allows the ring to be lifted off easily.

You can put the cake together as you finish each step. For each of the mousses, once the gelatin and chocolate are combined the mixture can become firm quickly so be ready to use the mousse once you make it.

Here is the full recipe. Please feel free to use short cuts or substitutions as you like.

1. Mix the egg yolk and sugar in a small bowl.
2. Soften the gelatin in cold water. Heat the cream to lightly boiling with coffee then add to the egg yolk mixture and mix. Put back into the sauce pan and heat lightly on low heat to thicken. Lastly, add the gelatin and melt.
3. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and mix well with a small whisk. Allow the mixture to come to room temperature.
4. Fold in the whipped cream using a spatula.

Who can't resist the two great tastes of chocolate and marshmallow. Whoopie pies are an easy way to get your homemade cake craving satisfied but without too much fuss in the kitchen. Also, they are easy an dessert to put together if you don't have the right baking pan for a full cake.

There are all sorts of flavor combinations, but here is my winter recipe for chocolate Whoopie pies with homemade marshmallow filling. Obviously, if you need to save time please substitute the homemade marshmallow for marshmallow fluff, Nutella or any flavor of your favorite jam.

Whoopie Pies
120 grams butter milk (add a few drops lemon to milk if you don't have buttermilk)-room temperature
130 grams room temperature butter
30 grams room temperature shortening
130 grams sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
200 grams flour (sifted)
1 teaspoon baking powder
60 grams cacao powder

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Sift together, the flour, cacao powder and baking powder.
3. In a large bowl, mix the butter, shortening and sugar using a hand mixer on low speed (or stand mixer) until well mixed. Add the egg in portions and mix well. Lastly, add the vanilla.
4. Add the dry ingredients and milk to the butter mixture alternately and continue to mix on a low speed with the mixer until everything is well blended.
5. Scoop the dough into a piping bag fitted with plain nozzle and pipe small mounds of dough onto the parchment paper. Tip: dip a small round cookie cutter in flour and then tap on the parchment to provide a guideline for piping the dough. Do this to make a guide for all of the pieces you need to pipe.
6. Bake 12 - 15 minutes. After removing from the oven cool completely before filling.

Whoopie pies on a silpat sheet ready for baking Flour circles are a guide to size each piece

Marshmallow Filling
25 grams gelatin
120 grams water
80 grams water
120 grams sugar
40 grams corn syrup or equivalent (in Japan use mizu ame)
80 grams egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Soften the gelatin with the 120 grams water in a bowl.
2. Whip the egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks form.
3. Heat the 80 grams water, sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan until it reaches 110 degrees Celsius. Slowly pour this mixture into the whipped eggs and continue to mix with the mixer (or stand mixer).
4. Add the gelatin water to the saucepan and heat lightly so that the gelatin dissolves completely. Add this to the egg whites in portions and continue to mix with the hand mixer for a few minutes and then add the vanilla. Mix with the hand mixer until the mixture starts to become cool.
5. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a decorative nozzle and pipe a round circle on one side of a whoopie pie. Use another piece of whoopie pie to make a sandwich with the first.
6. Tip: after step 4 the mixture will become firm quickly since it contains a lot of gelatin so have the piping bag and whoopie pies ready. You can pipe leftover marshmallow pieces onto a baking sheet that has been dusted with cornstarch. The cornstarch will keep the marshmallow pieces from sticking to each other.

Christmas and cookies, the two just go together. It is hard for me to decide my favorite cookie, however, at Christmas I really love anything that tastes like gingerbread. Even though these cookies aren't gingerbread, they are a close second. Not only do they taste delicious but they look so darn delicious as well. The white sugar powder looks like chocolate buried in fresh snow.

I know you are eager to get baking so let's skip the story and get right to baking. Preparation time for these cookies is only about 30 minutes - just add a little more time for the dough to chill in the refrigerator and then they will be ready for a quick bake.  Happy Baking & Merry Christmas to you and you and your family.

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and other dry ingredients including the sugar.
2. In another bowl, mix together the eggs, instant coffee and vanilla using a small whisk.
3. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering hot water. After melting, remove from the heat and add in the butter in pieces and mix with a whisk.
4. Add the egg mixture to the melted chocolate in portions using a small whisk. Next, add the flour mixture in several portions and mix with a spatula.
5. Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until the mixture becomes firm.
6. Remove from the refrigerator and use a teaspoon to scoop a small amount of dough - about 10 - 12 grams - and roll into a ball. Roll each ball in granular sugar and then the powdered sugar before placing on the baking sheet.
7. Bake at 170° C for 15 – 18 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet to cool before serving.

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