Vanilla Blackberry Pistachio Mousse cake receipe and assembling

Assembling the cake in the mould or pan

The arrow shows the layers from the bottom of the pan or mould to the top.

Notes :

· I will try to present the method in the sequence as which should be made first.

· The cake receipe is for a 6 * 3 inches cake pan.

· The Pistachio and Blackberry mousse receipe one single layer in a 6 * 3 inch pan

· Instead of whipping the cream to soft peaks I used the readily available Krafts whipped Cream

Pistachio Paste : 

Adapted from kitchen wench 

Ingredients:

1 cup      unshelled Pistachio

1 cup      castor sugar

3/4 Tsp   Corn Syrup ( Glucose Syrup )

3-4 drops Green Food Colour

Method :

· Soak the pistachio in boiling water for 2- 3 mins and peel of the skin.

· Line a baking tray with parchment paper or foil and spread the pistachio over it. Bake the pistachio in a preheated oven at 100 C for 15 mins. Do not over toast else the pistachio will loose its aroma. You will find that the pistachio are still a little wet. Thats ok for blending.

· Put the pistachio, castor sugar, corn syrup, water and food colour in a food processor and blend well till you have a smooth paste.

 Notes : 

· The paste may not be as smooth and silky as store brought but its way way cheaper and you could always pass the final mixture that you have mixed the paste with through a strainer. I used this paste to make the pistachio mousse and passed the final mixture after adding gelatine through the strainer.

· This receipe makes more of the pistachio paste than what is needed. You can store the remaining paste in a box and refrigerate it.

Chocolate Cake Base :

I have used Bretty Crocker Moist Chocolate Cake Mix.

But you can use the chocolate jaconde receipe or any of your favourite chocolate cake receipe.

Notes :

· If you are using a cake mix use only a single layer of cake about a cm or so in thickness. This leaves you with a lot of unused cake. you can wrap it in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for about a week.

· You could use the leftover chocolate cake to make a Trifle as in this post or to make a chocolate cake with raspberry swiss meringue buttercream ( post shortly on way )

Pistachio Mousse :

 

Makes a single layer of mousse in a 6 * 3 inch cake pan.

Ingredients :

70 ml                    ( 70 gm )     Milk

1 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp   ( 20 gm )      Pistachio Paste

2 -3 drops                               Vanilla essence

2                            (40 gm )    Egg Yolks

1 Tbsp                   ( 15 gm )   Sugar

1/2 tsp                   (2 gm )       Gelatin  in humid condition increase gelatin a little more

1/2 Cup + 1 Tbsp  ( 130 ml)  Heavy  or Whipped Cream    I used the krafts whipped cream

Method :

· Line the cake pan with a plastic wrap for removal and keep aside

· If you are using heavy cream, whip till you get soft peak, and put it back in the refrigerator till later use.

· Whisk egg yolk and sugar in a bowl and keep aside

· Boil milk, Pistachio paste and vanilla in sucepan allowing not to burn the milk.

· Tempering the yolk mix :    Add a Tbsp of the boiled mixture to the yolk mix and stir. keep repeating this 2 - 3 times  until the yolk mix has a warmer temperature. Then add the yolk mix slowly and stirring gently to the boiled mix.

· Return the entire mix to low heat stirring, till the temperature reaches 85 C

· Remove from heat, add gelatin and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.

· Strain the mixture so that you remove all the lumps in the mixture.

· Let the mixture cool.

· Once cooled fold in the whipped cream.

· Pour the mousse mix in the prepared pan and refrigerate until the mousse is well set.

Italian Merigue :

Ingredients :

1 Cup + 1/4 cup + 1Tbsp   ( 260 gm )Sugar

50 ml        ( 50 gm ) (or just till it covers sugar in bowl) Water

6               ( 180 gm ) Egg whites

Method :

· Boil the sugar and water together till the temperature of the mixture reaches 118 C - 120 C on a candy thermometer. If you are not using a thermometer the syrup should be somewhere in between the soft ball to firm ball stage.

· Using a electric beater whip Egg whites .

· Carefully pour the syrup mx into the eagg whites continuing beating with the electric beater.

· Whip till you get stiff peaks.

Note :

· This receipe makes more italian meringue than what is needed in the Blackberry mousse. You can use all the remaining to make one receipe of the Vanilla cream mousse that can be used to fill a 6 * 3 inch cake pan.

· Cover the meringue with a lid and keep it in a cool place away from heat. Meringue can last for at least 12 hours in cool temperatures.

Blackberry Mousse :

 

Makes a single layer of mousse in a 6 * 3 inch cake pan.

Ingredients :

1/4 C + half of 1/4 C   ( 90 ml )   Heavy Cream  I used Krafts whipped cream

90 ml                            ( 90 gm)  Blackberry Puree

1 Tsp                             ( 4 gm )   Gealtin

18 ml                             ( 18 gm )  Framboise  Used 1 Tbsp Raspberry jam + 1 Tbsp water, boiled

                                                                          together and then strain. Use only 18 ml of the syrup.

2 Tbsp                            ( 30 gm )  Italian Meringue

Method :

· If using heavy cream whip the cream till you get soft peak and keep in refrigerator till being used.

· Line the cake pan with a plastic wrap for removal and keep aside

·  If you are using fresh or frozen Blackberries, Puree the fruit in a blender and strain the puree so you get rid of all the seeds.

· Simmer puree on low heat.

· Remove from heat, add gelatin and stir till well dissolved.

· Remove any lumps in the mix

· Let cool.

· Add the Framboise.

· Fold in the italian meringue.

· lastly fold the whipped cream

· Pour the mousse mix in prepared pan and refrigerate till the mousse is set 2-3 hours
 

Vanilla Cream Mousse :

Notes :

·  This receipe makes for a 6 * 3 inch cake.

· Make the vanilla cream mousse at the time of assembling the cake
 

Ingredients :

18 Tbsp           ( 270 ml )      Milk

2 Tsp              ( 10 ml )       Vanilla Extract

6 Tbsp            ( 90 gm )    Sugar

6                     ( 108gm )    Egg Yolks

3 Tsp              ( 15 gm )      Corntarch

3 Tsp              ( 15 gm )      Custard Powder

6 Tsp              ( 30 gm )    Gelatin Powder

1 Cup + half of 1/4 Cup ( 270 ml ) Heavy Cream I used Krafts Whipped cream

Remaining all of Italian Meringue

Method:

· If using Heavy cream whip till you get soft peak and put it in the refrigerator till being used.

·  I assume here that the Meringue is prepared before else make it now.

· Whisk egg yolk, cornflour, custard powder and keep aside.

· Warm milk in bowl taking care that it just warms up and does not boil.

· Temper the yolk mix with the milk and simmer the mix till it thickens a little, taking care not to overdo this process. ( if the mix becomes to thick mix a tsp of milk at a time )

· Remove from heat and add gelatin stirring it well till dissolved and till you have smooth consistency.

· If you find lumps in the mix, strain the mix.

· Let it cool completely

· Fold in the italian meringue

· Lastly fold in the whipped cream.

Cocoa Glaze :

you can prepare this ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator for a week.

When using just warm it in a microwave or over a bain marie.

Wait till it cools to room temperature before drizzling on the cake

Ingredients :

150 ml Water

1 Cup + 1/4 Cup  ( 250 gm )   sugar

1/2 Cup ( 100 gm )                   Cocoa powder

1/2 Cup  ( 150 ml )                   heavy cream

3 Tsp       ( 15 gm )                   Gelatin.

Method :
 

· Put water, sugar and cocao powder in a bowl and bring it to just boil.

· Add cream and bring it to boil.

· Mix gelatin and stir till well dissolved.

· Strian to remove any lumps.

· Set aside to cool.

· Pour on the cake to cover it.
 

Assembling the Cake :

 

· We need to arrange this cake in a upside down manner so the asembling process goes in the reverse order

· Use a 6 * 3 inch cake pan for this.
 

· Cut a cm thick layer of the chocolate cake.

· Cut a smaller circle from the pistachio and blackberry mouse so you have a smaller circle than the cake pan you are using.
 

· Pour the vanilla cream mousse in the pan so it fills about a cm or two in thickness.

· you can put the pan in freezer for 5 mins.
 

· Now place the blackberry mousse in the pan taking care it is placed in the center. ( I forgot to take pictures for this step, but its the same as the pistachio mousse that is in the picture below)
 

· Pour another layer of vanilla cream mouse and put the pan in the freezer for 5 mins.
 

· Place the pistachio mousse in the pan taking care it is placed in the center.



 

· Pour another layer of the vanilla cream mousse till you have enough space left to fit in the cake layer.


 

· Spread raspberry jam on one side of the cake layer.



 

· Place the cake with the raspberry side touching the mousse in the pan.


 

· Keep the pan in the refrigerator till the cake is set.
 

· Now place the pan upside down over a cake board or a a flat plate and use a hair dryer or warm towel over the pan and slowly unmould the cake.
 

· Cover the cake with the cocoa glaze :

·  Place the cake on a wire rack and put a tray under it to collect the drizzle.

·   Now pour the drizzle over the cake to entirely cover it.

·   you can reuse the drizzle collected in the tray.