Espresso Cherry Trifle
Christmas is incomplete without a trifle, but we don’t have to be boring about it. This Espresso & Cherry Trifle is anything but boring. Apart from the fact that it’s absolutely delicious, its a flavour explosion in your mouth. Light, airy, slightly bitter espresso mousse compliments those sweet & tart cherries beautifully. Very easy to put together, yet looks very stylistic and stunning at the same time. A must add to your holiday tables this season.
If you’re one of those people who is not particularly a fan of trifle, you’re going to love this. It has all the ease of a trifle, but all the flavours of a really good standard dessert- win win!
Starting with the flavours- cherry and espresso are beautiful together! Coffee (bitter) when used in a creamy medium, like a mousse or cremeux pairs beautifully with something tart- like cherries. This is the same principle you can use to pair coffee with any other tarty fruit- like raspberries. Throw in a little bit of pistachios that lend a certain fattiness to the dessert and you’ve got yourself a winner :D
This Espresso Mousse is based off my Sea Salt & Olive Oil Parfait recipe. This mousse is light as air, so you can still move around despite a decadent meal. Very satisfying, and your pants aren’t gonna tighten at the thought of second helping :)
The almond dacquoise, pronounced as dack-waas, is a type of French sponge, that is crisp and chewy when fresh but gets soft as it absorbs the moisture from the mousse/compote. Dacquoise is a nut meringue sponge, giving it its signature chewy texture. It’s also a great way to use up all the egg whites leftover from the mousse.
When using dacquoise, it’s important to let the cake sit after assembling, for at least 8 hours to allow it to soften and give a beautiful soft sponge texture. Which is why, we assemble this trifle a day before serving.
It’s a great dessert to make ahead in time so that you’re not stressing about dessert on Christmas day. Very time efficient and you can totally come back to the layers as you get time throughout the day. I hope this dessert makes it onto your festive table. It’s very fun and very very delicious. Happy holidays and bon appetite! xx
Recipe
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
For the almond dacquoise:
100g egg whites
35g caster sugar
90g almond meal
90g icing sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
zest of 1/2 lemon
For the espresso mousse:
27g egg yolks
20g caster sugar
10ml water (a)
18ml espresso (~1 single shot approx.)
10ml Frangelico
2g gelatine powder
12ml ice cold water (b)
75g heavy cream
For the cherry compote*:
200g fresh cherries, pitted (weighed after pitting them)
10g caster sugar
20g water
1/4 tsp tartaric or citric acid
15ml Amaretto
For the salted caramel chantilly:
35g caster sugar
150g heavy cream
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
50g mascarpone
pistachios, lightly roasted, for garnish
cherries, fresh or tinned, for garnish
Method
For the almond dacquoise:
Prepare on day 1: Preheat oven to 170°C (fan-forced) or 180°C (deck oven). Grease and line a 13x9.5 inch baking tray with baking paper. Keep aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, add the egg whites and caster sugar and whip the meringue, on medium speed to medium-stiff peaks.
Meanwhile, while the meringue is whipping, add the icing sugar, salt and almond meal to a blender and pulse a few times, for a few seconds each. You should have a lump free nut-sugar mix. Keep aside.
Once the meringue is ready, gently fold in the nut-sugar mix along with the lemon zest in two parts, careful not to deflate the meringue.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray and spread evenly using a palette knife.
Bake for 15-18 mins or until the dacquoise is dry to touch. Take it out of the oven and use a cookie cutter that fits the size of your dessert glasses to cut the dacquoise into 6-8 circles (I use 9cm cookie cutter for mine).
Return the tray to the oven. Turn off the oven & let the dacquoise sit inside to dry out further for 10 mins. Cool completely.
Place a circle of dacquoise at the bottom of your dessert glasses (3-4 glasses depending on the number of dacquoise discs you get. You need two per glass). Keep aside while you prepare the mousse.
For the espresso mousse:
Prepare on day 1: Sprinkle the gelatine powder in ice cold water (b) and place in the refrigerator to bloom for 5-10 mins or until a gelatine mass forms. Keep aside.
Whip 65g of the heavy cream to soft speaks. Keep refrigerated. Weigh the remaining 10g of heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl. Keep aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, add the egg yolks and whip on medium-high speed until light and pale in colour. Reduce speed to medium and continue whipping.
Meanwhile, weigh the sugar and water (a) in a small pot and place over medium heat. Cook to 115°C.
Once the sugar reaches the temperature, pour in the hot sugar syrup into the whipping yolks, in a single stream. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue whipping until the mixture cools down to room temperature and looks fluffy and voluminous.
With the mixer still running, pour in the espresso & frangelico. Mix until well combined.
Transfer the mousse base to a medium mixing bowl.
Heat up the reserved 10g of heavy cream in a microwave until hot. Add the bloomed gelatine and stir until the gelatine has melted.
Add to the mousse base mix and fold using a spatula.
Lastly, add the semi-whipped cream and fold gently using a spatula. Be careful not to deflate the mousse.
Pour the mousse into the dessert glasses, up until half-way. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Place another disc of dacquoise on top of the mousse. Keep refrigerated while you prepare the cherry compote.
For the cherry compote:
Prepare on day 1: Chop the cherries into halves.
In a small pot, add the chopped cherries, sugar and water and place over low-medium heat.
Cook the compote for 10-15 mins or until the cherries are soft but can still hold their shape. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pot.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Add the tartaric acid and Amaretto and stir to combine. Cool down completely.
If using tinner cherries, strain the cherries and chop them into halves.
Spoon a generous amount of the cherry compote on top of the dacquoise to ensure you completely cover the cake. (You can save the cherry liquid for cocktails/mocktails. It makes for a great Cherry Amaretto Sour if you’re into that.)
Refrigerate overnight.**
For the salted caramel chantilly***:
Prepare on day 1: In a small pot, add the sugar and place over high heat to make a dry caramel. Cook the sugar until deep amber in colour, stirring to prevent it from burning.
Meanwhile, heat 75g of the heavy cream in a microwave until hot.
Once the sugar reaches the desired colour, remove from heat and add the hot cream in 3 parts, whisking after each addition. Be careful as the caramel will bubble rapidly.
Once the cream is added in, place the caramel back on heat and cook for a few seconds, whisking continuously to emulsify well.
Remove from heat and add in the remaining 75g cold cream, vanilla paste and salt. Start with 1/4 tsp of salt and add more if you’d like it more salty. Whisk to emulsify the caramel base. You can also use an immersion blender.
Place a cling wrap on the surface of the caramel and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.
The next day, whip to medium-stiff peaks. Spoon a few dollops of the chantilly on top of the cherry compote. Refrigerate until service.
To serve:
Coarsely chop the roasted pistachios.
Right before serving, sprinkle the trifle with chopped pistachios and garnish with fresh cherries. Serve cold from the refrigerator. Bon appetite!
Notes:
*- If cherries are not in season for you, you can also use the store bought cherries in syrup. Strain the cherries and chop into halves before using.
**- It’s important to assemble the trifle upto the cherry layer at least 8 hours in advance for best texture. Read the post description for more details.
***- If time is an issue, you can also simply use regular chantilly.
If you enjoyed that and tried it at home, please tag me at @myyummyspatula on Instagram so that I can see all your bakes! For more BTS stories, updates and fun, you can follow long here:
