White Chocolate and Raspberry Mousse Cups

As many of you will know from reading this month’s Friday Challenge posts I have found this quite difficult because I don’t have a sweet tooth and also I NEVER cook puddings! I feel really proud of this recipe so even though it may need a little tweaking, I think it makes a pretty impressive pudding or sweet canape!

I had the idea of making a white chocolate and raspberry mousse after making the dark chocolate mousse topped with raspberries (which you can see here)! I liked the flavours together but I thought the dark chocolate was very rich and I’d prefer a lighter mousse if I was going to make it.
I then thought of making the chocolate cups for the outside after making the marbled chocolate bars and realising that chocolate can be just as impressive if used for decoration as it is for its flavour! I couldn’t decide what kind of cup to make so I did three different ones (I made two of each type) -

A dark chocolate cup -

A White Chocolate Cup -

And a marbled chocolate cup -

The first time I made these cups I placed six square sillicon muffin cases upside down on a tray and drizzled the chocolate over the top, spreading it out thinly with the back of a spoon, then set them in the fridge. Well once they had set I realised I couldn’t get them off the tray because the chocolate had literally glued them to the tray once hardened. By the time I’d got them off the tray they were smashed to pieces. So… I ate the pieces… and tried again but this time I spooned the chocolate on to the inside of the muffin case and then again using the back of a spoon I made sure the layer of chocolate up the side was quite thick and even, I then placed these into the fridge quickly to set. (I put each one in the fridge as soon as I had coated the inside of the muffin case) I had thought the chocolate would simply run back down the sides however it didn’t and when I gently peeled away the cases I was left with these chocolate cups!

The white chocolate was more runny and I found it harder to work with but my favourite is the marbled cup! To create the marbled effect I took the white chocolate first and drizzled it in a zig zag into the muffin case, I then filled the gaps with dark chocolate and using the back of a tea spoon I spread it out so that the case was evenly coated. To be honest I had thought this would look terrible but I am pleased with the result!

The Mousse is balanced nicely between sweetness and sharpness of the fruit. I loosely based the recipe on the dark chocolate mousse however I omitted the yoghurt and replaced it with fresh raspberry puree. It is very foamy and light however after leaving it in the fridge over night this did firm up considerably!

Here is my recipe, this serves 6

For the cups:

60g White Chocolate
60g Dark Chocolate
Or 120g of just one type of chocolate depending on what type of cup you want to make! I used chocolate chips because they are very quick to melt.

Get 6 sillicon muffin cases (I imagine this will work with paper ones too but I didn’t try it). Melt the white and dark chocolate in seperate bowls by either placing the bowl into a pan over boiling water, without the bowl touching the water, and stir untill melted…or as I do, stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then for another 30 seconds and it will be perfect.

Spoon about 1 or 2 tablespoons of chocolate into the case and then using the back of a metal tea spoon start to spread the chocolate around the inside of the case. Spread the melted chocolate up the sides of the case creating an even layer. It is hard to explain but when you begin to do it you will see that it works! Once you have done each case put it straight into the fridge and begin the next case. You can drizzle abit of each coloured chocolate to create the marbled effect.
Leave them to set for an hour and then once you can see the chocolate has hardened gently peel back the muffin case untill it is completely removed, then place the chocolate cup back into the fridge.

For the Mousse:

85g White Chocolate chips
2 Egg Whites
1 tablespoon Sugar
125g Raspberries and a few extra for decorations

Begin by melting the white chocolate in a bowl and then put to one side.

Place the egg whites in a big bowl and whisk them with an electric whisk untill you have soft peaks, add the sugar and whisk untill the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are beautiful and glossy!

Puree the raspberries in a blender and then stir most of them into the white chocolate, but reserve some of the pureed raspberries to pour on top of the mousse when it is in the cups. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate and raspberry mixture using a metal spoon untill combined and then fold the rest of the eggs in. Try not to mix it too hard as you don’t want to loose the air in the mousse.

Take the chocolate cups out of the fridge and spoon the mousse into the cups, top with some raspberry puree and a few raspberries then place them straight back into the fridge for 1 or 2 hours (or over night).

I think the key to this recipe is to work quickly with the chocolate when making the cups and get them into the fridge as soon as you’ve made a layer within the cases. Also be very gentle when removing the cases and try to not press too hard on the base of the cup! Most of all have fun, experiment and enjoy!!

Marbled Chocolate Energy Bars (Delia Vegetarian): Friday Challenge!

I chose this recipe because it looked so impressive with the marbled top, I wasn’t sure mine would look like the picture in the book but it did such a satisfying feeling! I jotted the recipe down on a piece of paper when I was visiting my mum in France so I don’t have a photo of Delia’s version but you can find the recipe here and you can buy her Vegetarian book here

I liked the fact that it was an “energy bar” not a flapjack, even though when I took them into work I just called them flapjacks for simplicity. Although after eating them everyone did say they tasted much healthier than a flapjack and it was obviously not filled with syrup and sugar. I made a few changes to the recipe just because (as usual) I wanted to use up some ingredients I had in the cupboard – I swapped pecans for just a bag of mixed nuts, I also swapped the apricots and raisins for dried figs and dried cranberries. I think the fruits and nuts I used tasted great so was really happy it still worked.

I was nervous about using condensed milk because I haven’t eaten it in years and I didn’t really understand how it was going to bind everything together. I bought a squeezy tube of condensed milk and it worked great, it also meant I had none left over which also suited me fine!

The recipe says it served 16 and I have to admit I was very tempted to just cut it into 8 or 10 slices because 16 slices were so small! But I sliced it into 16 in the end and I would recommend sticking to this size as the bar is quite rich and filling. It also meant I didn’t feel so guilty when eating it!

What I have learnt about chocolate:

When teamed with other flavours like dried fruit and nuts, chocolate can make the snack more indulgent and more of a treat. Chocolate also doesn’t have to be the main ingredient to take centre stage as it can be used to decorate and enhance other flavours within the recipe.

I absolutely loved the marbled effect, it was so easy to do but it looks so impressive and makes the bar look much more special. Next week I definitely want to play around with using chocolate for a visual effect as well as adding to the flavour!