WOYP Day # 46 Belgian Chocolate Mousse Pudding

I’m very often left with a ton of cake scraps or trimmings, after I’ve made custom cakes, and my boys rarely leave much behind for me to make anything out of it but there is a rare occasion now and then when I need to put it to good use. I’ve made Cake Truffles before, and used Vanilla cake scraps in a Trifle Pudding.

We met up with friends over the weekend for lunch and I took this as dessert. Chocolate cake layered with a rich Belgian Chocolate Mousse and topped with fresh strawberries and more crumbled cake. 

I didn’t want to call this a Chocolate Mousse cake since I’m not baking a layer of cake as the base but using cake crumbs instead. So I felt it was a pudding. Either way, it turned out great and every one loved it! Having said that, you can bake this rich Chocolate Cake and use that as a base instead.

It is important to use good quality chocolate in this mousse, since there are only 3 ingredients and the chocolate flavor shines through well. The mousse will taste only as good as the chocolate you use. I used Cote D’or Belgian Milk Chocolate. Use a fine quality bar chocolate and you are good to go. Do not use chocolate chips. 

Belgian Chocolate Mousse Pudding:  

 
For the Cake base:

You will need:

3 cups Chocolate cake crumbs
1 tbsp Chocolate icing *

*If you don’t have icing use a 2 tablespoons of melted chocolate

Set aside 2 tablespoons of the cake crumbs for topping. Combine the remaining cake crumbs and icing (or melted chocolate). The mixture when squeezed in your palms should hold shape. If it is still crumbly then add more icing or melted chocolate. Press this mixture evenly in a deep pan or glass dish. I used a Pyrex glass container. Chill for an hour. I went ahead with the mousse and chilled after assembling all the layers since I was pressed for time.

For the Mousse: 

You will need:

6 oz Belgian chocolate Dark/ Milk or Semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp Unsalted butter
1 cup cold Heavy whipping cream (36%-46% fat)
1 tsp pure Vanilla extract

Heat 2 inches of water in a deep pan. Bring to a simmering boil. Meanwhile place the mixing bowl and beaters in the refrigerator to chill.

Add the chopped chocolate and butter in a glass bowl. Set the bowl on the simmering water taking care the water doesn’t touch the bowl. Stir to melt the chocolate and butter until smooth and shiny. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. 

Whip the heavy cream in the chilled bowl with the vanilla until soft peaks form. Add little bit of this whipped cream into the melted chocolate and fold to lighten the chocolate. Add the remaining whipped cream and gently fold to combine well until no streaks remain.

Spread the mousse over the cake base and smooth the top. 

Top with sliced strawberries and the reserved cake crumbs. Chill for 3-4 hours or more. Slice and serve. Since I had to travel 40 minutes with the pudding in the sweltering Atlanta heat, I froze the pudding for 2 hours before we started so that the mousse wouldn’t start melting and once we reached my friend’s place, it was in the refrigerator until ready to eat. It was perfect to slice! 

The next time you have leftover cake (if that ever happens in your house :D) do give this a try!

WoYP Day #28 - Potato Bell Pepper Rice

There are days when we aren’t in the mood for elaborate food, and make do with a simple one pot meal. I often have leftover rice and this was a perfect way to use it and in the process get our daily dose of veggies. The boys were initially hesitant to try it since they felt it might be spicy, and then came in the food creativity. Shaped like a fish, it soon became a contest to see who gobbles the “fish” first :D Sometimes I have to think on my feet to make meal time fun! :)

You will need:

2 cups Cooked white rice
1/2 cup green Bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup Onion, thinly sliced
1 medium potato, cubed and boiled
1 tomatoes chopped
2 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Fennel seeds
3 green chilies
2 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
1/4 tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1 tsp Lemon juice
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Sauté for a few seconds. Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté until fragrant. Add the green chillies, onions and bell peppers. Cook until the bell peppers are soft and the onions are done. Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric, coriander and cumin powders. Combine and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the boiled potatoes, stir and then add the cooked rice. Season with salt and combine well. Add the garam masala and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning if needed. 

Serve hot with a Cucumber raita.

Chocolate Cake Truffles

I bake a lot for friends and family as well as for my cake business. Which means at any given point of time there is leftover cake in my refrigerator. I know many who would look at me wide-eyed at the mention of leftover cake… I mean its all polished off…what is leftover cake?!:D Haha… I wish I could say that too but when you are around cake all the time, you wouldn’t eat it as much.

This is one of the best ways to put that cake to use. Chocolate Cake Truffles ....chocolate in every bite, every chocolate lovers' dream! 

You will need:
Makes: 20-25 Cake truffles 

2 cups chocolate cake, crumbled

¼-1/2 cup chocolate buttercream/chocolate ganache

Ghirardelli Melting wafers or Semi-sweet chocolate(see Note)

1 baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Note: You can use Ghiradelli’s Melting wafers or Semi-sweet chocolate. I liked the melting wafers, they were easy to use and left a nice shine on the truffles once set and had a nice snap to it when bitten into. The semi-sweet chocolate dried matte once set and was softer. Both work well and taste good, so use either one. I did one batch with the wafers and a second batch with the semi-sweet chocolate.

Crumble the cake into a medium bowl. Add a scant ¼ cup of the chocolate buttercream or 3-4 tbsp of the Chocolate Ganache. Combine to form a smooth dough. Add more buttercream only if the mix feels too crumbly.  Break off into small pieces and roll into balls. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment. Chill for 2 hours.

In a heat proof bowl, add chopped chocolate or melting wafers. Microwave in 10 second bursts and stir after each burst until melted and smooth.

Remove cake balls from the refrigerator and dip one at a time, use a fork to lift the balls and tap off excess. Place on the lined sheet. Since the balls are cold the chocolate will set almost immediately. If you want to add nuts or sprinkles, work quickly and sprinkle them before the chocolate sets. 

Decorate:

These truffles are ready to eat as they are, but a little deco will create a professional look. My boys of course don’t care how it looks and are ready to eat them! I used a drizzle on top by melting candy melts and little shortening in the microwave. It should be free flowing from the spatula. Transfer it to a Ziploc bag, snip a tiny hole in the end and drizzle away. I prefer to do this while the truffles are still on the sheet, so the excess stays on the parchment and you get an even drizzle. 

This is for Srivalli's Kid's Delight event, guest hosted by Kalyani, themed on Chocolates.

 

 Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#74

Enjoy the truffles! :)