White Chocolate Mousse Holiday Trifle

I firmly believe that despite our flaws, the United States of America is still the greatest nation on the planet. I love celebrating the Fourth of July, and I'm not ashamed to say I love my country! As the fourth approaches, I have been thinking a lot about sharing some great recipe ideas with you all. I really wanted to create something great to end your holiday barbecue as you settle in to watch
fireworks light up the sky. What better way to celebrate America's birthday than with this show stopping and impressive White Chocolate Mousse Holiday Trifle?

Trifle is a really fun and easy dessert to assemble. (And I think you'll find it even more fun to eat!) I created this trifle to show love of country and love of food. The base layer is made of Red Velvet cake with sliced strawberries sprinkled in. Next, a creamy, fluffy layer of white chocolate mousse is generously applied over the layer of cake. Then the mousse is topped with fresh blueberries. Repeat the layers one more time in that order finishing off with a few whole strawberries in the center just to make it look extra pretty. Sparkler is optional, but how fun would it be to present this dessert to your guests with one lit on top! What a fun way to get everyone psyched up for fireworks!

I really love fireworks, don't you? If I had a bunch of money to blow I'd buy tons every year and put on my own show. Dead serious. Now that I live in the desert the public is limited as to the types of fireworks we can purchase, so I usually like to go to a public fireworks display somewhere in town. What's your favorite part of celebrating the Fourth of July? Parades? Parties? Food? Fireworks? It's all good! And so is this recipe, I hope you try it and let me know what you think!

White chocolate mousse holiday trifle

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

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Ingredients (about 10 servings)

• 8 oz of white chocolate chips or white baking chocolate
• 2 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream
• 1 box of red velvet cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1 and 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 lb of fresh strawberries, sliced (save three whole as a garnish)
• 24 oz (1.5 lbs) of fresh blueberries

Instructions

1. Bake red velvet cake mix according to directions.

2. While the cake is baking, place the white chocolate chips into a medium mixing bowl. Heat 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a small sauce pot over medium high heat stirring constantly until it reaches a simmer. Remove from heat and pour over the white chocolate chips. Stir gently until all the chips are melted and smooth. Place in the fridge to cool.

3. Pour the remaining heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium for about 30 seconds then on high until soft peaks form. (Watch the mixer, this can go fast.)

4. When the chocolate mixture is cooled, whisk in about 1/3 of the whip cream into the bowl with the white chocolate mixture. Gently pour this mixture into the bowl of remaining whip cream. With a large spatula, gently FOLD the chocolate mixture into the whip cream, by running your spatula along the sides of the bowl holding the bowl at an angle. If you mix to rough, the mousse will deflate.

5. When the cake is cooled, slice into 1 and 1/2 inch squares. Line the bottom of a trifle bowl with two layers of cake squares and slices of strawberry. Press down gently to squish just a bit. Add a layer of chocolate mousse to cover the cake/strawberries and then a single layer of blueberries on the mousse. Repeat with a single layer of cake squares/strawberries, then mousse again and a final layer of blueberries with the whole strawberries in the center. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour to allow the mousse to set up. Serve.

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My most favorite dessert ever is...

Gluten Free Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

Manna from heaven. Seriously. This is the dessert of all desserts!
Recently I was asked to cook two cakes for a BSA (Boy Scouts of America) cake auction and this cake sold for the highest amount...$135! I was so happy to help out, and the folks that took this cake home said it was worth every penny.
You will feel like you've died and gone to heaven when you take your first bite of Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake, which happens to be gluten free.

I will always remember when I discovered this ultimate chocolate masterpiece while dining at one of my favorite restaurants in New Mexico. I thought that it was a one-of-a-kind restaurant creation until years later I stumbled across a recipe for it by Cooks Illustrated.  I was thrilled; then I read the instructions. A stand mixer was a requirement, and unfortunately I didn't own one. However, having this recipe in hand was certainly motivation to purchase one! Just last Christmas I finally added a KitchenAid stand mixer to my kitchen counter top and christened it with this recipe.

This dessert is a real showstopper and absolutely a crowd favorite. Your friends and family will be so impressed with your cooking abilities when you serve them a slice! The base is made of modified chocolate souffle/flourless cake, sturdy enough to hold up the milk chocolate and white chocolate mousse layers on top. Again, a stand mixer and a springform pan are required for this recipe. So get the equipment you need and make it!

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

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Ingredients (16 slices)

Bottom Layer

• 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into several pieces
• 7 ounces of semi-sweet (or bittersweet, same thing just different names) bakers chocolate, chopped up/broken into small pieces
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, separated
• a pinch of table salt
• 1/3 cup of packed light brown sugar (crumble with fingers to remove any lumps

Middle Layer

• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• 5 tablespoons of hot water
• 7 ounces of semi-sweet (or bittersweet) bakers chocolate, chopped up/broken into small pieces
• 1 and 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt

Top Layer

• 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
• 1 tablespoon of water
• 6 ounces of white chocolate chips
• 1 and 3/4 cups cold heavy cream
• Chocolate curls or strawberries to garnish (or both)

Instructions

First Layer

Spray a 9 and 1/2 inch springform pan generously with cooking spray. Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a heatproof bowl over a pot of just simmering water, stirring occasionally. The pot should only have about 1 inch of water.(The water should NOT touch the bottom of the bowl, or it will scorch the chocolate.) The steam from the simmering water gives the right amount of heat. When smooth, remove from heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Then whisk in the vanilla and egg yolks.

In a stand mixer, beat the egg whites and salt with the whisk attachment at medium speed until lots of bubbles appear about 30 seconds. This texture is called 'frothy'. Add half the brown sugar and mix for another 15 seconds or so. Then add the remaining brown sugar and switch the speed to high, beating until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, about a minute to minute and a half. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula half way through if needed. Watch carefully so as to not over-whip to stiff peaks.
Using a whisk, gently mix one-third of beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Switching to a rubber spatula, and fold (do not mix) in the remaining whipped egg whites until no white streaks remain. Gently poor the mixture into the springform pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.

Bake for 13 to 18 minutes, when the cake has risen, is firm around the edges and the center springs back after a gentle touch of the finger. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for about an hour. The cake will collapse as it cools and pull away from the edge of the pan. This is normal, don't freak out :0) Wash your stand mixer and whisk attachment for the next layer.You're done with the first layer!

Middle Layer

Mix the cocoa powder into the hot water and set aside. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and stir the chocolate occasionally until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. While waiting, whip cream, granulated sugar and salt with the whisk attachment at medium until frothy. move speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, about a minute. This goes fast so watch carefully!

Next, whisk the cocoa powder-water into the melted chocolate until smooth and shiny. Then using a whisk, fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining cream until no white streaks remain. Gently pour the mousse into the springform pan over the bottom layer and tap the bottom on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Smooth the top and refrigerate at least 15 mins while preparing the top layer. Wash your stand mixer equipment again.

Top Layer

In a small container, sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Place white chocolate into a medium sized mixing bowl. Bring 1/2 cup cream to simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and mix in the gelatin mixture. Stir until fully dissolved. Pour the cream over the white chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature, mixing occasionally.

Whip remaining cream in the bowl of your stand mixer at medium speed until frothy, and then increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, about one minute. Using a whisk, fold 1/3 whipped cream into white chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined. Then using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until fully incorporated. (It's a little hard to tell since you're mixing white into white essentially, just do your best to watch it and not fold to much or it will deflate.) Gently pour out onto the middle layer and smooth the top. Refrigerate until set, approximately 2 and 1/2 hours.

+To remove and serve+ Run a thin knife between the cake and the side of the springform pan. Remove the side of the pan. Run a clean hot knife along the outside of the cake to smooth the sides. Use a clean hot knife or wire to slice and serve with a garnish of chocolate curls or strawberries.

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