Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Crust
200g / 7oz chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
45g / 3tbsp butter, melted

Chocolate mousse filling
225g / 8oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
240ml / 1 cup heavy cream, cold, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract

Peanut butter mousse filling
125g / 1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
35g powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
120ml / 1/2 cup heavy cream, cold

Caramel sauce
100g / 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tbsp honey or corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
30ml / 2tbsp water
60ml / 1/4 cup heavy cream
8g / 1/2 tbsp butter

Chocolate sauce

30g / 1oz semisweet chocolate

30ml / 2tbsp heavy cream

1) Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a 20cm / 8inch pan with a removable bottom with parchment paper. 

2) To make the crust, mix together finely crushed cookies with melted butter and press down to he bottom of the pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

3) To make chocolate mousse filling, place copped chocolate in a small bowl. Heat 120ml (1/2 cup) of heavy cream until hot enough but not boiling! Pour over chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. After 1 minute, stir to make a smooth ganache. Mix in the vanilla extract. Let cool slightly while you beat the cream. In a cold bowl, add the remaining 120ml of heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture. Mix carefully until incorporated. Spread onto the prepared crust. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

4) To make the peanut butter mousse filling, mix together peanut butter, salt, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a small bowl. In another bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently mix the heavy cream into the peanut butter mixture. Spread over the chocolate mousse filling. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or until firm.

5) To make the caramel sauce: in a medium saucepan, combine together sugar, honey or corn syrup, salt and water. Bring to boil while stirring. When it starts bubbling, stop stirring and let it turn to a light/medium amber color. At this point it will NOT look like caramel. Especially if your saucepan has a black bottom, you won't be able to see the real color so turn off the heat when it looks just slightly golden, otherwise, it will be dark and bitter. The whole browning process should take no more than 10 minutes. When you reach the desired color, remove from heat and slowly start pouring in the heavy cream. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the butter. Let cool. Once it has cooled, drizzle over the peanut butter mousse. Refrigerate.

6) To make the chocolate glaze, heat heavy cream until hot but not boiling. Pour over chocolate, let sit for a minute, and stir to make a smooth ganache. Let cool slightly and drizzle over the caramel.

7) Let the cake sit in the fridge overnight or at least for a few hours before slicing and serving.

Recipe by collecting memories

Raspberry Mousse Pie

Raspberry Mousse Pie

For the sponge
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
33g flour
33g cornstarch
1/3 tsp baking powder
70g sugar

For the mousse
320ml raspberry puree*
500g plain yogurt
4 tbsp powdered sugar 
8 tsp gelatin + 9 tsp water
200ml heavy cream + 2 tbsp powdered sugar

*You can make this by simply blending raspberries in a food processor and  pouring through a fine-mesh sieve to discard the seeds.

Make the sponge:
1) Beat egg yolks with sugar until light and fluffy.

2) In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.

3) In a third bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch and baking powder.

4) Carefully fold in the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, mixing with a metal spoon. Sift over the flours and mix until incorporated.

5) Bake in a preheated oven (180C) for about 10 minutes or until springs back when pressed.

Make the mousse:
1) Beat the raspberry puree with yogurt and 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar.

2) Sprinkle the gelatin powder on top of water and let sit for couple minutes. Place in a heat-proof bowl and heat over the stove or in a microwave just until dissolved. With a mixer on low speed, gradually add the gelatin mixture to the raspberry puree mixture and mix until combined.

3) Beat the whipping cream with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar until stiff.

4) Gradually fold the whipping cream into the raspberry puree mixture. Stir carefully so there are no lumps and the mixture is smooth. Pour onto the sponge and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Recipe by collecting memories

Coconut Chocolate Brownie bottom Cake

Happy holidays!! I have a perfect cake recipe for the New Year's Eve. I hope you didn't eat too much chocolate during the holidays and still want to make this rich and heavenly cake. It consists of three layers: chewy brownie, creamy coconut cream and chocolate mousse. For the brownie layer, you may use the recipe of your favourite brownie. I used my favourite one and I halved the ingredients. And for the mousse, I used 52% and 30% chocolate because I don't really like bittersweet so it's all up to you. For the topping, you may use anything you like, for example, whipped cream but I thought the cake itself is rich enough and no more creamy things are needed. The recipe may look difficult and time consuming but it really isn't! I needed about 1-1,5 hours to make it except the chilling time. 
So get ready and bake this cake for the last day of 2012. I wish you a happy New Year!!
 
Brownie Layer Ingredients: 
70g unsalted butter  

135g sugar 

40g unsweetened cocoa powde

1/4 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

35g all-purpose flour

1)  Preheat oven to 160C.

2)  Combine the butter, cocoa, sugar, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl. Set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir the butter cocoa mixture from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.

3)  Stir in the vanilla extract. Add the egg, stirring quickly. When the batter looks shiny, thick, and well mixed, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer. Spread the batter evenly in the 23cm springform pan.

4)  Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out just slightly moist with batter, 15 to 25 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely.

Coconut Cream Filling Ingredients:
360ml/1 1/2 cup half-and-half 
360ml/1 1/2 cup coconut milk
2 eggs
170g/3/4 cup white sugar
50g cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
75g/3/4 cup flaked coconut
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1) Combine the half-and-half, coconut milk, sugar and salt in a medium pot. Set over medium-low heat.

2) In a small bowl, lighyly beat the eggs and mix with cornstarch.

3) When the milk mixture boils, reduce the heat to the lowest and slowly add the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens.

4) Once the mixture is thickened, add coconut and vanilla extracts and the coconut and stir. Pour this filling over your brownie layer and put in the fridge to chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Chocolate Mousse Layer Ingredients:
57g/2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
57g/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
240ml/1 cup chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar

Sugar sprinkles or grated white chocolate for topping (optional)

1) Place the bittersweet and semisweet chips in a medium bowl. Bring 1/3 cup cream to boil in heavy small saucepan or in a microwave. Pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes before gently whisking it to a smooth ganache. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

2) In a chilled bowl, beat 2/3 cups cold whipping cream and icing sugar in to stiff peaks, adding vanilla extract halfway through. Gradually fold the cream into the chocolate mixture and pour the mousse onto set coconut filling. Chill until set, about 6 hours or overnight.

3) Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles, white chocolate or whatever you like and serve.