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!

How to make Kothu Parota/Kothu Roti

This dish takes me back 15 years to when my grandmom(mom’s mom) turned 60 and she took our entire family on a trip to see the Navagraha temples in South India. It was a very well planned trip and we were almost at the end of our trip of 10 days and we had a stop over at Tirunelveli. It was pretty late and all of us a group of 15 including kids, famished, went into a restaurant. We all decided to order Kothu Parota imagining Parotas and delicious curry on the side not really knowing what Kothu meant! 

What came totally had us in surprise..Parota was torn to pieces almost minced, sautéed with onions and tomatoes and different spices. All of us had ordered the same dish and we had a good laugh before we ate. It was only then the waiter explained the dish to us. Apparently this dish is popular in Tamil Nadu. This incident has us in splits even today. But it was the inspiration to recreate my own version of the Kothu Parota or Kothu Roti.

I’ve used leftover Chapatis (Rotis) instead of Parotas, its lighter on the stomach and anytime there is leftover chapatis, this is the easiest and tastiest way to finish them off. I’ve used eggs but this can be made without eggs and it will be just as tasty.

Ingredients:

Serves:2

2 leftover 8-inch whole wheat Chapatis/Rotis

3 tbsp Oil

½ tsp Mustard seeds

½ tsp Fennel seeds

Few curry leaves

2-3 Green chillies, slit lengthwise (adjust to taste)

1 onion chopped

1 large tomato chopped

¼ tsp turmeric

2 eggs, beaten lightly

1-2 tsp Pav bhaji masala

1 tbsp Chopped cilantro

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard and fennel seeds. Let it sizzle. Then add curry leaves and slit chillies. Add chopped onions and sauté until done. Add chopped tomatoes, and turmeric. Cook until tomatoes are soft. Add the chopped chapatis. 

Combine and then add the beaten eggs. Scramble on medium heat. Season with salt and add pav bhaaji masala. Combine well and cook for a few minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and serve hot.

 I never liked having leftover chapatis but now I make extras so I can make delicious Kothu Roti the next day.