Raspberry & Chocolate Mousse Cups
I know it has chocolate and I know it has raspberries and it’s red but it is NOT a “Valentine’s day dessert ideas” post, I promise. I mean you can make these for Valentine’s Day if you’d like, but I don’t believe you need a commercialised cookie cutter holiday as an excuse to make these. They’re going to equally delicious and satisfying on a regular lazy Sunday, like today. That’s my guarantee.
I know nobody likes to read blog posts anymore but on the off-chance you’re one of the very few in the minority that still does, hi! I’m very glad you do. Let’s talk cake, shall we?
I know trifles don’t seem that exciting, but call me old-fashioned, I loveee a good trifle! Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t put them on a menu of a 3 hatted restaurant, but as a lovely treat at home? Sign me up! It’s got all the excitement of that of a layered cake or dessert with the gorgeous layers & flavours but none of the hassle that comes with finishing or decorating these cakes. I don’t think that’s a bad deal, at all.
So whether you’re looking for a simple fix, or you wanna dabble into something fancier, I’ve got you covered. You can use this exact recipe and make this into a layered cake if you’d like. Guess what? You don’t even need to finish it off with a glaze or anything. It’s gorgeous on its own. And if you’re sticking to the trifle version, that’s fine too.
I don’t need to tell you that chocolate and raspberries are a match made in heaven. You already know that. Which means, you also already know just how delicious this is going to be. But let’s talk about why this particular one is special.
Starting with that chocolate cake at the bottom. I’ve used my favourite chocolate cake recipe for this and as always, it never disappoints. It’s quite literally the best chocolate cake I’ve had, with the perfect balance of lightness yet indulgent. It soaks up the liquid from the raspberry jam when you assemble this and stays really moist and soft even refrigerated. Plus, did I mention, it’s extremely simple to make?
Coming to the star of this dessert- the olive oil chocolate mousse. As a pastry chef, I’ve had a LOT of chocolate mousses over the years. Hell, we made three different kinds at the restaurant I was the Head Pastry Chef at, but the texture on this mousse is mind-freaking-blowing! The olive oil lends a beautiful fattiness to the mousse to make it one of the most luscious mousses of all time, with an incredibly velvety mouthfeel. Honestly, it’s the stuff of the dreams.
Pair that with a refreshing raspberry jam, and some light mascarpone chantilly, you’ve got yourself a winner.
So make this for your Valentine, or to impress your guests at a party, or just because you want some delicious dessert- it’s going to make you very happy. Happy baking xx
Recipe
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
For the chocolate cake:
1 whole egg
15 ml milk
30 ml vegetable oil, or any neutral flavoured oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
57 g sour cream
18 g good quality dark chocolate (min. 50%), melted
60 g self raising flour
25 g cocoa powder
35 g light brown sugar
50 g castor sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
63 ml boiling water
For the raspberry jam:
150g frozen raspberries
15g castor sugar
For the olive oil chocolate mousse:
100 ml milk
110 g good quality dark chocolate (I use 54.5% from Callebaut)
15 ml extra virgin olive oil
200 ml heavy cream
2 g gelatine sheet
For the mascarpone chantilly:
150 g mascarpone
110 ml heavy cream
30 g castor sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 punnet of fresh raspberries, to garnish
icing sugar, for dusting on top
Method:
For the chocolate cake:
Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease a 8” x 11” rectangle baking tray and line with baking paper. Keep aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla and oil. Keep aside.
Put the dry ingredients in a stand mixer bowl and using a paddle attachment, mix the ingredients well until homogeneous.
While the mixer is on, stream in the wet ingredients.
Pour in the melted chocolate and add the sour cream.
Lastly, add the hot water slowly and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Use a hand whisk to break the lumps, if any.
Pour onto the prepared baking tray and bake for 13-18 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. A few moist crumbs is okay. Let it cool completely.
For the raspberry jam:
Put the frozen raspberries and sugar in a small pot. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring continuously.
Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 10-15 mins or until the jam has thickened slightly, stirring occasionally. Cool completely. It will thicken as it cools down.
For the olive oil chocolate mousse:
Soak gelatine in cold water for 5 mins or until soft. Squeeze the excess water. Keep aside.
Whip the heavy cream to medium peaks. Keep refrigerated.
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or a microwave.
Heat milk until warm. Add the soaked gelatine and stir until completely melted.
Pour the milk over the melted chocolate and emulsify to make a ganache. Add the olive oil and emulsify again. Cool to 30°C.
Fold the whipped cream into the cooled ganache. Transfer to a piping bag. Use immediately.
For the mascarpone chantilly:
Whisk together the mascarpone, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract to medium stiff peaks. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a nozzle of your choice. Keep refrigerated until use.
Assembly:
Use a cookie cutter one size smaller than the size of your dessert cup to cut the chocolate cake. Place at the bottom of the cup.
Spoon two tablespoons of raspberry jam on top.
Fill with chocolate mousse, leaving 1 cm at the top. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set completely.
Pipe the mascarpone chantilly on top of the set mousse.
Garnish with fresh raspberries. Dust icing sugar on top to finish. Serve cold from the refrigerator. Bon appetite!
Notes:
How to tinker: you can substitute the olive oil in the mousse for any alcohol like whiskey/rum/bourbon to add a different depth of flavour.
Here’s an alternate version of this dessert, without the raspberry jam or mascarpone chantilly. I’ve switched the olive oil for whiskey and set it inside a 16cm cake ring to make a large cake instead. Finished off with a chocolate ganache (click for recipe) and cocoa nibs. Enjoy!
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
