This Caramel Tiramisu Mousse Cake is made with layers of homemade ladyfingers soaked in espresso, a soft pillowy caramel mousse and finished with a shiny chocolate mirror glaze. A Christmas showstopper!
Whether you serve this Caramel Tiramisu Mousse Cake still a little frozen, semi-freddo style, or wait for it to turn into a soft, melt-in-the-mouth mousse, either way, it makes for a pretty impressive festive dessert. I’ve included a recipe for homemade ladyfinger biscuits purely because you can then make the layers round, but if you’d prefer taking a shortcut and using storebought, then go right ahead! I would then rather make it in a loaf tin than fight to make the finger biscuits fit. Use it, don’t use it.
The secret to getting the ultra smooth mirror glaze is to freeze the mousse cake. This not only makes it easier to unmould but means the glaze will cling to the frozen mousse and give a smooth finish. However, make sure your glaze is cool – 26 degrees celcius to be exact – otherwise it will melt the mousse and just slide off.
To make the finger biscuit layers, preheat the oven to 200˚C (180˚C fan-forced). Grease and line 3cm x 22cm cake tins (you can bake them one at a time if you only have one pan). Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form and gradually add the 75g castor sugar to form a meringue. Whip in the egg yolks, and fold in the cake flour and cornflour, taking care not to knock out the air. Add to a piping bag and pipe 3 concentric circles. Dust with a layer of icing sugar and bake, 8 – 10 minutes, until puffed and golden. Allow to cool before unmoulding.
Make the espresso syrup by dissolving the 30ml (2 tbsp) sugar in the hot espresso and allow to cool.
For the mascarpone mousse, beat the 3 large eggs with an electric mixer until pale and thick. The mixture should leave a trail. Soften the 3 gelatine sheets in water. Prepare a caramel by heating the white sugar in a frying pan until it turns golden and caramelised. Deglaze the caramel with the 50ml cold water and salt and boil until it reaches 121˚C (use a sugar thermometer). Add the gelatine to the hot caramel, then add it gradually into the egg yolks, while beating. Whip until the mixture is cool to the touch and thick, about 10 minutes. In the meantime, gradually add the fresh cream to the mascarpone, until thick and smooth. Fold this into the cooled egg mixture.
Assemble the cake by placing a finger biscuit layer into the bottom of a 22cm lined springform cake tin. Brush with the espresso syrup until soaked. Dust generously with cocoa powder. Pour over half of the mascarpone mousse. Dust with cocoa powder again. Repeat with the finger biscuit layer, syrup, cocoa and more mousse, finishing it off with the final biscuit layer and a thin layer of mousse. Freeze the cake until firm, about 4 hours.
For the mirror glaze, in a saucepan, combine the 125ml (½ cup) water, 250ml (1 cup) sugar, fresh cream and cocoa powder. Simmer, about 5 minutes, until mixture slightly thickens. Soften the 4 gelatine sheets in water and add to the hot glaze. Set over an ice bath and whisk until the glaze thickens and reaches about 26˚C, about 1 minute.
Unmould the frozen mousse cake, by using a hair dryer on a low hot setting to gently warm the pan and unmould easily. Set the cake on a small cake tin on top of a baking tray. Pour the glaze over, all at once, so it runs down the sides. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve, decorate the cake with hazelnut chocolates, macarons and gold dust.
Notes
TIP To make gold paint to splatter the cake with, mix 15ml (1 tbsp) gold dust with 5ml (1 tsp) vodka or vanilla extract.
STORAGE The entire cake can be made 2 – 3 days before, freeze it and allow to defrost in the fridge before serving.
By TheKateTin.com
Adapted from Created for Food & Home Entertaining Magazine
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Adapted from Created for Food & Home Entertaining Magazine
A buttery shortcrust pastry filled with homemade fruit mince and topped with a chewy coconut meringue – introducing the South African Mince Pie Hertzoggie!
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South African Christmas Desserts
Mince pie hertzoggies are the mince pies we should’ve had here in South Africa. At least that’s what I think! Every Christmas I take it as my duty to put a South African spin on some very European traditions that we’ve adopted. I’ve made this No-Bake Christmas Pudding which is actually a fridge cake in disguise, these Gingerbread Beach Huts which look like the colourful Muizenberg huts and this Milk Tart Eclair Trifle with Pinotage Jelly and Naartjie Caramel.
Christmas isn’t Christmas without a Christmas pudding, a gingerbread house, trifle or mince pies. But at least we can make it our own, right?!
Hertzoggies
If you don’t know what a hertzoggie is, it’s a local South African tart filled with jam (usually apricot) and finished with a chewy coconut meringue topping. They are sweet, buttery and incredibly moreish! So instead of the usual jam filling, I filled my mince pie hertzoggies with fruit mince. But not just any fruit mince.
Homemade Fruit Mince
I used Food Lover’s Market’s Luxury Festive Cake Mix as the base of my very own homemade fruit mince. It’s so easy to make you’ll wonder why you’ve been buying the horrid bottled stuff all along. If you’re not a fruit mince fan, then it’s only because you probably haven’t tasted the good stuff. It’s so easy to make and delicious – especially if you use a really excellent quality fruit cake mix. The Red Bucket has been around for 23 years for a reason. It is loaded with dried fruit and has nuts and chopped glazed fruit already in it so it’s packed with flavour and half the work has already been done. At R69.99 for 1kg it’s also really affordable.
If you’re more of a Christmas cake person, check out the indulgent Chocolate Mousse Fruit Cake I made for Food Lover’s Market last year that was a total hit!
Mince Pie Hertzoggies
2018-11-08 17:22:12
Yields 14
The South African jam tart topped with coconut meringue gets a festive Christmas spin and is filled with a homemade fruit mince.
Print
Prep Time
40 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 40 min
Prep Time
40 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 40 min
6530 calories
942 g
538 g
289 g
63 g
173 g
1815 g
3605 g
563 g
8 g
98 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
1815g
Yields
14
Amount Per Serving
Calories6530
Calories from Fat 2506
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 289g
445%
Saturated Fat 173g
866%
Trans Fat 8g
Polyunsaturated Fat 21g
Monounsaturated Fat 77g
Cholesterol 538mg
179%
Sodium 3605mg
150%
Total Carbohydrates 942g
314%
Dietary Fiber 35g
138%
Sugars 563g
Protein 63g
Vitamin A
139%
Vitamin C
84%
Calcium
51%
Iron
120%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
250g Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and grated
1/2 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
200g Food Lovers Market Luxury Fruit Cake Mix
2 tbsp (25g) mixed peel or chopped crystallized fruit
30g cherries
¼ cup (55g) pecan nuts, toasted
1 tbsp brandy
COCONUT MERINGUE TOPPING
4 egg whites
1 cup (230g) castor sugar
2 cups (155g) desiccated coconut
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees celsius with a large metal baking tray on the middle rack. Grease 2 x 12-hole muffin tins.
To make the fruit mince, heat the orange juice and brown sugar until dissolved.
Add all ingredients except the brandy and cook for 40 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the brandy and allow to cool.
To make the pastry, combine dry ingredients in a mixer and gradually add the butter until the shortbread comes together. Dust a surface with flour and roll the pastry out to 5mm thick.
Cut out rounds big enough to line your muffin tin.
Place a spoonful of the fruit mince into each pastry cup.
Whisk the egg whites until soft peak stage then beat in the castor sugar until thick and glossy. Fold in the coconut. Place in a piping bag and pipe meringue to cover the top of the fruit mince.
Bake in the preheated oven on top of the preheated baking tray for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool in the tin before removing and dusting with icing sugar.
Pile the hertzoggies high on a cake stand and decorate with spun sugar and sparklers.
Notes
Roll out the leftover pastry and cut out stars. Bake them and use to decorate your tower of mince pies.
It’s not Christmas without a gingerbread house, right?! Introducing the Funfetti Gingerbread House! Without really planning it, making a gingerbread house has become a bit of a tradition on this blog. I’ve done a Gingerbread Train, a Gingerbread house cake, and then we had the local ‘n lekker version of my Muizenberg Beach Huts last year! This year though, I was challenged to make a pretty pastel sprinkle-loaded Funfetti Gingerbread House of fun by the folks over at Stork. And yes, this was as fun to make as it looks!
This is no dark and spicy gingerbread, though. It’s light and crisp with just a hint of ginger. Using Stork Bake for the base means that the biscuits will stay fresher for longer – so you can actually eat the house! It’s not just a decoration, guys! Because the biscuit dough is loaded with funfetti, I kept the walls naked to show off the little bursts of colour. The trick to making a house that actually stands is to cut the gingerbread AFTER you’ve baked it, not before. If you cut the dough before, it will warp either during baking or when you move it onto the baking tray. Cutting it afterwards means you’ll have sharp, crisp lines that will make assembly so much easier!
Then, it’s all in the decorating! I used white chocolate drops to form the roof tiles, marshmallow strips and milky jelly tots to trim the walls – and how cute are those jelly heart windows? *faints* I’d definitely want to live in a house like this… Although, knowing me, I’d be homeless pretty soon with such delectable walls!
Feeling inspired to bake this Funfetti Gingerbread house? Or maybe you have your own festive recipe that’s a family favourite! Whip it up using Stork Bake and share a picture on the I Love Baking SA Facebook Page and you could WIN a Kenwood Mixer! Do it, go now!
Variety of sweets, lollies, candy canes, mini meringues and sprinkles
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C (or 160 degrees celcius if using a fan-forced oven). Download and print a gingerbread house template from the internet (whichever shape takes your fancy) and cut out the pieces. Cream the Stork Bake and sugar until very pale and fluffy – about 6-8 minutes. Add the flour, ginger, vanilla, salt, sprinkles, bicarbonate of soda and enough milk to form a soft dough. Roll the dough out on a floured surface or between two sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes if too soft. Place the entire large piece of gingerbread dough on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and, while still hot, cut out the gingerbread house templates using a sharp knife.* Set aside to cool.
To make the royal icing, whisk the egg white gently then add the icing sugar until a stiff paste forms. Add the lemon juice. The icing should be quite thick. Place the icing in a piping bag and snip off the tip.
To assemble, use the front side of the gingerbread so you can see the funfetti. Start by piping the gingerbread pieces to the bottom of your cake stand or serving board and then add the roof. Use the icing to pipe on the various decorations – roof tiles, doorway and ‘grass’.
*TIP If the gingerbread gets hard, simply pop it in the oven for a few minutes to soften up.
The best kind of Christmas tree? The one you can eat, of course! Imagine not having to worry about table decorations for Christmas this year? Imagine that the table decorations ARE the dessert! I came up with the idea for this Meringue Christmas Tree when I was dreaming up desserts that guests can have fun with and assemble themselves. They’ll have more fun, and more importantly, it’s less stressful for you! One giant meringue christmas tree in the middle of the table then becomes the pavlova at the end of the meal! Simply put bowls of ice cream, whipped cream, custard, fresh fruit and maybe a bottle or two of liqueur and everyone breaks off shards of meringue to create their own masterpiece!
Because this is quite a structure, you’re going to need to make sure you make a really good meringue! Here are my tips:
Use room temperature egg whites
Make sure your bowl and whisks are sparkling clean – any grease or fat will stop the whites from frothing
There shouldn’t be any egg yolk in sight.
Use a really good-quality sugar, I love the Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar because it’s unrefined which means it’s not just sweet, it has a light caramel flavour which adds so much extra flavour oomph to the merinuge! The fine texture is also important so it can dissolve and form a crisp shell.
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form before you start adding the sugar, and then add it gradually – not all at once.
The meringue stars can be made up to a week before serving which means the only thing you need to worry about on Christmas day is stacking them, adorning the ‘tree’ with gold balls, glitter and a generous dusting of Natura Sugars Demerara Icing Sugar.
Watch how to make the Meringue Christmas Tree below:
Decorate with gold leaf, chocolate stars or any other desired decorations.
Whipped cream and berries, to serve
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 100 ?C and line two to three large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper. Trace star shapes onto one side of the baking paper, ranging from 25cm wide to 5 cm wide then flip the paper over onto a baking tray. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip to stiff peaks. Combine the cornflour and caster sugar together then gradually start adding the mix, little by little, continuing to whip, until the meringue is very thick and glossy. Whisk in the vanilla then place the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe the meringue into star shapes on the templates created. Place in the preheated oven to dry (wedge a wooden spoon between the oven and the oven door to keep it ajar) until the meringues are crisp but still soft in the middle, 1 – 2 hours. Take out and allow to cool completely.Once all the meringue stars have dried out and cooled, stack the stars on top of each other. Twisting each star so the points don’t all face the same way. Decorate with desired decorations and dust generously with icing sugar. Serve the Meringue Christmas tree with whipped cream and berries.
Meet your new Christmas cake! It’s a moist chocolate fruit cake made with Food Lovers’ Market Luxury Festive Cake Mix, which is loaded with raisins, sultanas, cherries, flaked almonds, candied fruit and citrus peel. I also added some molasses and 70% dark chocolate, to really make it deep and dark! Of course the moist chocolate fruit cake wasn’t enough on it’s own so I sandwiched the layers together with a velvety chocolate mousse and a shiny gold-lustred mirror glaze. No marzipan or fondant icing in sight! Mirror, mirror, who’s the fairest cake of them all? Mine. Obviously.
The chocolate fruit cake itself is super moist – what’s the secret? I measured out the Food Lover’s Market Luxury Festive Cake Mix and then soaked it with some other delicious goodies like cherries and prunes overnight. This really plumps up the fruit and keeps it moist. Check out some of these other tips on how to keep your cake moist – the apple idea is very clever!
Now, let’s talk about that shiny mirror glaze. I know it looks intimidating but I promise you that it’s WAY easier than covering a cake in fondant. And it goes without saying that it tastes better too. The best thing about this mousse cake, is that you can make it and freeze it weeks in advance, then the day before, pour over the mirror glaze and stick it in the fridge to defrost. And if you think it’s too early to start thinking about Christmas, it’s just 6 weeks away – eeek!
60ml spiced rum (or brandy), plus extra for soaking
zest and juice of 1 orange
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp The Kate Tin Cocoa Powder
2 large eggs
75g self-raising flour
50g flaked almonds, toasted
50g The Kate Tin Dark Baking Chocolate, chopped roughly
Chocolate Mousse
375ml whipping cream, divided
170g The Kate Tin Dark Baking Chocolate, chopped
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Chocolate Glaze
½ cup water
1 cup sugar
½ cup cream
½ cup The Kate Tin Cocoa Powder, sifted
1 ½ Tbsp gelatine powder
Instructions
Place the fruit cake mix, prunes, cherries, butter, sugar, molasses, rum, zest and juice and spices in a large saucepan and heat gently until the butter is melted. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely then cover and allow to stand overnight. Preheat the oven to 150C. Line 1 x deep cake tin 20cm round, with a double layer of baking paper. To the soaked fruit cake mix, add the eggs, flour, almonds and dark chocolate chunks. Pour the mixture into the lined cake tins and bake in the preheated oven for 1 ½ hours. A skewer inserted into the middle should still have a few crumbs clinging to it. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the cake tins. Once completely cool, cut the cake in 3 so you have 3 cake layers. Wash the cake tin and line the sides with a 10cm high collar made from foil or baking paper – this is to extend the height of the pan. Set aside.
To make the mousse, whip half the cream to stiff peaks then refrigerate until needed. Heat the rest of the cream to just below boiling point, then pour over the chopped chocolate. Allow to stand for a few minutes then stir until smooth. Set aside. Whip egg yolks on high speed in a stand mixer until light and stiff. Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer until the syrup reaches 120 degrees celcius on a sugar thermometer. Start whipping the egg yolks again and gradually add the hot sugar syrup down the side of the bowl. Whip until the mixture has doubled in volume and is body temperature.
Test the temperature of the ganache (it should also be body temperature), then fold the ganache into the whipped yolks. Fold in the whipped cream in 2 batches.
To assemble, place a fruit cake layer in the bottom of the prepared cake tin. Brush the cake layer with the extra rum or brandy, pour in 1/3 of the chocolate mousse, then alternate with fruit cake, rum and more mousse, ending with the chocolate mousse. Make sure to press the cake layers down into the mousse. Freeze the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To make the glaze, bring the water, sugar and cream to the boil. Whisk in the cocoa and simmer for 4 minutes while stirring. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle the gelatin over ¼ cup of cold water, allow it to absorb and then whisk this into the hot cocoa mixture to dissolve. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.
To assemble the cake, remove from the freezer and unmould (use a hair dryer on low setting to release it if necessary). Peel away the paper collar and place the cake on a cooling rack with a baking sheet underneath. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake in one go, making sure it drips down the sides evenly. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
TIP To add gold to the glaze, add a few drops of liquid gold lustre (available at baking shops) before pouring onto the cake.
Forget dense, heavy fruit cake - this light but complex gingerbread cake is the new Christmas cake in town!
This is hands-down the best cake I have made all year! And I’ve eaten a lot of cake, people! By now you’ll know about my love for proper dark muscovado sugar – that deep, dark treacle flavour gives me all the feels and I loved how this cake was the epitome of that flavour. It’s loaded with molasses too – which, by the way, is high in B vitamins, so this cake is healthy too!
Unlike fruit cake, it’s light and spongy making it easier to eat more (if you are arguing about this statement, refer to the previous paragraph re vitamins) and the brandy butter, well it was just destined to be the frosting. The little Christmas tree decorations on top (made with this gingerbread cookie recipe) are simple, elegant and anyone can make them – even the kids can help out (less work for you!). To sum up; Fruit cake be gone because there is a new Christmas cake in town!
Christmas Gingerbread Cake with Brandy Butter Frosting
2020-01-13 13:41:14
Serves 12
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0 calories
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
0g
Servings
12
Amount Per Serving
Calories0
Calories from Fat 0
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0g
0%
Saturated Fat 0g
0%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 0mg
0%
Total Carbohydrates 0g
0%
Dietary Fiber 0g
0%
Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin A
0%
Vitamin C
0%
Calcium
0%
Iron
0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
350g Natura Sugars Demerara Icing Sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
2 tbsp brandy
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180° C (or 160C fan-forced). Grease and line the base of 2x22cm round cake tins. In a saucepan, melt the butter, molasses, syrup and sugar over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved completely. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Whisk the eggs and milk into the cooled molasses mixture then pour into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Divide the batter between the lined cake tins and bake in for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely then slice each cake in half horizontally to form 4 layers.
To make the frosting, cream the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy then add the brandy and vanilla. Assemble the cake by layering the icing inbetween the cake layers leaving enough to cover the sides. Decorate with gingerbread Christmas trees and a dusting of icing sugar.
