MANGO MOUSSE CHEESECAKE TRIFLE…quite a yummy mouthful!

“The fact is that it takes more than ingredients and technique to cook a good meal. A good cook puts something of himself into the preparation — he cooks with enjoyment, anticipation, spontaneity, and he is willing to experiment.”
Pearl Bailey
On now to posting about the yummy dessert that was born out of the very yummy Honey Castella, a sponge cake made from this post at Manggy’s @ No Special Effects. I posted it here yesterday. I had a fridge full of mangoes (lucky ole me), a kilo & a half of yogurt that I had set & some low fat cottage cheese…all this fell at my feet while I was clearing the fridge. Single cream is something I always have on hand, so my natural instinct was to try something different! How wrong could I possibly go with a fruit dessert?, I thought. Even if my cheesecake/mousse didn’t set firmly, it didn’t matter; it was in a glass anyway.
The cottage cheese I used is a very smooth version that we get here. There is just one brand that makes this low fat cottage cheese here, & it is almost like a smooth, yet firm ricotta with no water content. It grates almost like mozzarella so was a nice choice for this dessert.

I often use this combination of ingredients to make my cheesecake as cream cheese is hard to come by here, & is quite expensive as it is imported. In this instance, I have used gelatin as a setting agent as this is a no bake version. At other times I make a baked version that uses eggs. Both work fine in their own little ways. I do enjoy this eggless version that uses a combination of locally available stuff.
Topped with a mango mirror…
In desserts like this one, I think you can play around with ingredients as you like. Everything safely sits inside the glass & so they can be even set up with left-over pound cake or a sponge, with cream cheese, or mascarpone, with or without some cut mangoes, & topped with whipped cream. You can never go wrong with a trifle + fruit + cream…so do experiment! It’s FUN!!

I made some servings in bigger glasses, & a some more in cognac goblets. Both looked really pretty, made for great dessert, & were devoured with pleasure. The mango season here is rapidly coming to a close…so sadly, very few mango opportunities left now.

Purrrrrfect Mango Mousse…or is it mouse?

Recipe…

For the basic sponge
Honey Castella/ Sponge Cake recipe here

For the cheesecake
Ingredients:
Mango puree – of 5 mangoes (about 3 1/2 – 4 cups) (reserve 1/2 cup for the mirror topping)
Mango – 1 / chopped
Cottage cheese – 300 gms (low-fat / I use Le Bon); grated
Hung Yogurt – of 1 1/2 litres set yogurt (hung the yogurt overnight)
Cream – 300 ml
Gelatin – 3 tsps (the strength of gelatin we get here is quite low, so I didn’t get a very firm set cheesecake)
Gelatin – 1 tsp for mango mirror topping
Cream, Slivered pistachios, Fresh mint leaves etc for garnishing

Method:

  • Sprinkle 3 tsps gelatin over 3 tbsps of hot water & leave to stand.
  • Reserve 1/2 a cup of mango puree for the mango mirror topping.
  • Run the mango puree + cottage cheese + hung yogurt in the processor.
  • Taste for sweetness & add sugar if required.
  • Strain the gelatin into this & run the processor briefly again.
  • Whip the cream until firm & fold in.
  • Cut rounds of the Castella/cake with a cookie cutter, or cut out correct size pieces to line your serving dish / glasses/ bowls. Layer a glass with a slice of cake, followed with some cut mango pieces, then some cheesecake mix, another layer of cake, & then some more cheesecake mix.
  • Leave to set in the fridge for at least an hour or so.
  • For the mango mirror:
  • Sprinkle 1 tsp gelatin over 2 tbsp of hot water. Stir in well to mix. Cool.
  • Strain the reserved 1/2 cup of mango puree to get a smooth mirror), & strain the gelatin into it. Mix well.
  • Top each glass with 1 tbsp each of the mirror & leave to set in the fridge. Once the mirror is set, top with a 1/2 tsp of cream, swirl it, top with slivered pistachios, fresh mint etc.
  • Chill for 3-4 hours before serving.

Nirvana in a goblet!

Strawberries in a Trifle … Quite Literally So!!

“That most wonderful object of domestic art called trifle…with its charming confusion of cream and cake and almonds and jam and jelly and wine and cinnamon and froth.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Dressed up with grated chocolate, melted chocolate, sliced strawberries & fresh mint leaves!

I made these in dessert cups with the leftover sponge that I had frozen. Simple & effective, a rocking good dessert in one of our favourite combinations this season…‘Chocolate & Strawberry’!! Ready in minutes, with nothing very involved, this is indeed a whimsical way of using left-overs!!

A hearty trifle for Valentines…
The word “trifle” comes from the old French term “trufle,” and literally means something whimsical or of little consequence. Many puddings evolved as a way of using up leftovers and trifle originated as a way to use stale cake. A proper English trifle is make with real egg custard poured over sponge cake soaked in fruit and sherry and topped with whipped cream.

A pudding/dessert I made with a layer of strawberry sponge that I reserved while making the Chocolate Strawberry Cake(pictured right). I saved a layer of the sponge because I thought the cake looked a trifle higher than I wanted it to be.

Ingredients:(Makes 4-6 strawberry trifles)
Strawberry Sponge:
Eggs – 2
Sugar – 50 gms
Cornflour – 1 tbsp
Flour – 50gms
Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
Pinch of salt
Strawberry essence – 1 tsp

Strawberry cream:
Whipping cream – 300ml
Strawberries – 100gms / reserve 1-2 for topping
Castor sugar – 1-2 tbsps
Grated chocolate,dark melted chocolate,sliced strawberries,sprinkles,mint leaves etc for topping.

Method:

  • For the sponge:
  • Line & grease a swiss roll pan or an 8″ square tin.
  • Sift the cornflour + flour + baking powder + salt 3 times. Keep aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
  • Beat the eggs & sugar well till it holds thick ribbons; about 10 minutes.
  • Beat in the strawberry essence.
  • Gently fold in the flour mix, a tbsp at a time, in figure 8 hand movements so that the beaten air doesn’t escape.
  • Turn into the prepared tin & bake for about 15-20minutes/ until done.
  • Remove from tin after 5 minutes; take off the lining & cool completely on rack.
  • For the strawberry cream:
  • Chop the strawberries into small pieces.
  • Whip the cream with castor sugar till firm. Fold in the chopped strawberries.
  • To assemble:
  • Take a round cookie cutter & cut circles to fit dessert cup. Alternatively, crumble cake roughly & line the bottoms of the cups with half the cake.

  • Put a layer of strawberry cream, followed by another layer of cake.
  • Top finally with the remaining strawberry cream.

  • Border the cream with grated chocolate, drizzle melted dark chocolate over the top & place sliced strawberries & mint leaves. Use sprinkles if you like.
  • Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

In the shadow of the setting sun!

This month for Leftover Tuesdays #12, the challenge foodie Pam presents is to create something for your sweetheart and if you can use up some leftover Chocolate in the process your creation with be extra sweet!’ This trifle has got to be it from me. Even the chocolate I used to border the rifle is from a left-over bar of toblerone!! Sending this off to Pam…

This one is off to Zorra‘s as well for her hearty event…‘A heart for your valentine’. Do drop by her place and check out all the beautiful entries…

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