desserts

There are many different types of mousse you can make by using a custard base or whipping cream base.

By infusing different flavors into your mousse, you’re able to make a few different types of desserts. You can make layered mousse and make it into an entremet, or dome cake.

Try experimenting with a couple different types of mousse and topping it with a mirror glaze to be a bit more fancy.

Learn how to decorate mousse.

Lemon Mousse

Lemon mousse is made by adding fresh lemon juice and lemon zest to the mousse.

If you’re wanting to make a dome shaped lemon mousse, the center portion can be lemon curd. Around the lemon curd would be lemon mousse.

This gives the cake a tart, flavorsome lemon flavoring that would go well with a serving of whipped cream.

Raspberry Mousse

Raspberry mousse is made by heating raspberries in a saucepan and adding sugar and water.

This creates a raspberry sauce.

The raspberry sauce is strained to remove the seeds of the raspberries, and only have the infused raspberry sauce left.

The gelatin is added to create a thickened texture.

The raspberry sauce is then adding to folded stiff peaks whipped cream and chilled to create a decadent raspberry mousse.

You can even opt for vegan raspberry mousse which involves using coconut milk instead of whipped cream.

Raspberry mousse typically is perfect on it’s own, or serve a small piece of milk or dark chocolate with it.

Blackberry Mousse

Blackberry mousse is a fruity mousse with memorable blackberry flavoring.

Blackberry mousse is made by adding pureed blackberries and hot water in a blender and mixing together.

The blackberries must be strained and then the remaining blackberry sauce is cooked to thicken it into a puree.

Gelatin is bloomed in a bit of water, and microwaved together.

Heated gelatin is added to blackberry puree and and whisked together.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, heavy cream is whipped with vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.

Fold blackberry puree with gelatin into the whipped cream and chill until you’re ready to serve.

Blueberry Mousse

Blueberry mousse is made by making blueberry puree.

Blueberries are heated together with sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat.

After the blueberry mixture has thickened, it is blended together and strained through a mesh sieve.

In a stainless steel mixing bowl, egg whites, sugar, and cream of tarter is mixed together. Heat the mixture over a pot of water simmering with a few inches of water in the bottom.

Once the mixture has thicken, it is removed from the heat source, and beat until the egg whites become stiff peaks.

In a stand mixer, heavy cream is a placed in a metal bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, and whipped until soft peaks are formed.

Gelatin is bloomed with a bit of water, and then whisked into the blueberry puree.

Egg white meringue is folded into blueberry puree to add a ton of light airiness to the mousse.

Finally, fold soft peak whipped cream into the blueberry mixture and chill for a few hours prior to serving.

Honey Mousse

Honey mousse can be easily made by mixing butter, egg yolks, honey, and white chocolate over medium heat in a saucepan. After the chocolate has completely melted, it is placed in a heat proof bowl.

Bloomed gelatin is warmed, and then slowly whisked into the honey mixture, and then it is let to cool to room temperature.

Heavy cream is beat until soft peaks form, and then it’s folded into the honey chocolate mixture.

Egg whites are beaten until soft peaks form, and then folded into the honey cream mixture to make honey mousse.

Honey mousse needs to chill for a few hours prior to serving.

Once combined and thickened, the rest of the whipping cream and be beaten until stiff peaks form and folded into the honey mixture to create honey mousse.

Guava Mousse

Guava mousse can be made by warming the guavas over medium heat until their juices start streaming out.

The guava juice needs to be strained and combined with 1 cup of water and reheated together. Add bloomed gelatin and combine with condensed milk.

Condensed milk gives the guava mousse a rich flavoring. Mix together with stiff egg whites and chill until ready to serve.

Vanilla Bean Mousse

Vanilla bean mousse can be prepared by whipping heavy cream with vanilla bean seeds and granulated sugar until soft peaks form.

Egg whites are beaten until foamy, and then granulated sugar is added to them. Egg whites are beaten until stiff peaks form.

Egg whites are folded into the cream mixture, and then chilled for a few hours prior to serving.

Cheesecake Mousse

Cheesecake mousse can be made by creaming together cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla and lemon zest.

The cream cheese mixture is combined with stiff peaks whipping cream and folded together.

Graham cracker crust can be made and crumbled on the top of the cheesecake mousse for more of a traditional cheesecake flavor.

Durian Mousse

Durian mousse can be prepared by removing the insides of the Durian seeds.

Puree the insides of the durian.

Mix whipping cream and icing sugar until stiff peaks form, then fold the pureed durian into the durian mousse.

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate mousse can be made a few different ways.

One way to make chocolate mousse is by mixing egg yolks and sugar together until light and fluffy. Warm heavy cream in a saucepan until simmering, not boiling.

Temper the eggs by slowly adding warm cream until fully combined.

Whisk the mixture vigorously as it’s slowly coming together, as to not cook the eggs.

Warm the cream and egg mixture over medium heat until it thickens.

Remove the mixture from the heat source and whisk in chocolate and vanilla extract.

Strain the mixture and chill.

Remove the mixture once chilled and fold in whipped cream that has formed stiff peaks.

Chill and serve chocolate mousse with some chocolate scrolls on top.

If you’re wanting a coconut milk based chocolate mousse, try coconut chocolate mousse.

It’s just as thick and delicious as whipped cream based chocolate mousse!

Making custard involves tempering eggs and thickening the mixture by using cornstarch.

You’ll need to let the custard chill for 2 hours before using.

We’ll be making custard filling that can used for a variety of desserts including Danishes, Mille Feuille, or cakes.

See video here.

What ingredients do you need to make custard

• 1 vanilla bean
• 6 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar granulated
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tbsp butter unsalted
• 2 cups milk

How to Make Custard Filling from Scratch

1. Cut the vanilla bean down the center to expose the vanilla beans inside. Remove all of the vanilla beans in the pod and place in your milk in a saucepan. Put the entire vanilla bean into the saucepan as well.
2. Heat the milk until simmering. Do not boil the milk. A simmer will look like very tiny air bubbles in the milk. As soon as the milk comes to a simmer, remove the saucepan from the heat source.
3. Let the vanilla bean infuse flavor into the milk for 15 minutes.
4. While your vanilla bean is steeping, prepare your egg yolks. Separate your eggs by cracking the egg in half, over a bowl to catch the egg whites. Holding the 2 halves in each hand, then transfer the egg yolk to each half egg shell until all of the egg white is removed. Place the egg yolks into a heat proof bowl.
5. Add cornstarch and sugar to the egg yolks. Whisk the mixture until the dry ingredients are fully dissolved.
6. Once the warm milk is done steeping, remove the vanilla bean. Gently and gradually add a couple of tablespoons of warm milk to the egg mixture. Whisk the mixture vigorously as you add the milk. The goal is to not cook the eggs.
7. Once you’re finished adding the warm milk, strain the mixture and place back into the saucepan. You can put a sifter or strainer over top of the saucepan and then pour the egg/milk mixture through the strainer to remove any cooked eggs.
8. Place the saucepan back onto the heat source and warm on medium heat.
9. Whisk the mixture continuously. Heat the mixture until you feel the resistance of the custard. The cornstarch will activate and create a very thick mixture.
10. When you feel the custard thicken, cook for 1 more minute.
11. Remove the saucepan from the heat, let it cool a little.
12. Add 1 tbsp of butter to the saucepan and whisk together.
13. Place a plastic film on the custard to prevent a skin from forming.
14. Once the saucepan has cooled enough to go in the fridge, chill for 2 hours before using.

How long is custard good for

Custard is good for 3 days in the fridge, or up to 1 month in the freezer.

How do you thicken custard

Custard is thickened by adding cornstarch to the egg yolks. Cornstarch is activated by heat and makes the custard have a gelatin texture to it. The custard is thickened and creates a creamy, luscious mixture.

Why your custard isn’t thickening

If you don’t heat the milk/egg mixture enough, your custard won’t thicken. You will feel the resistance of the custard when it thickens. Keep heating your mixture and whisk until you feel the custard coming together.

How to make custard without custard powder

Custard powder has cornstarch and vanilla flavoring in it’s contents and is used for creating custard or pudding.

To make custard without custard powder, you’ll want to use corn starch, vanilla extract or vanilla beans, and egg yolks to thicken your custard.

Custard Danishes can filled with vanilla custard, or lemon custard, and then shaped using croissant dough.

Croissant dough is folded with layers of butter in between dough to create a flakey, buttery texture for custard Danishes.

Learn how to shape your Danishes into 6 classic shapes for Danishes.

1. Make your Danish pastry dough. You can use puff pastry dough or croissant dough for your Danishes.
2. Roll the dough out until it’s about 1/5″ thickness. You don’t want to squish the layers of the laminated dough. These layers are important for your pastry in order for it to turn out. Go slow, and be patient when rolling out your Danish pastry dough.
3. Cut the dough into sections. You can make pastries about 5″ wide.
4. Cut your pastries and shape your dough.
5. Fill the pastry will custard. You can use any type of custard you like. We recommend our Danish Pastry Filling. It’s a vanilla bean custard that goes perfectly with custard Danishes.
6. Proof the Danishes at room temperature for 2 hours. The Danishes will start to expand.
7. Bake the Danishes for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.
8. Serve the Danishes right away, or you can let them cool to room temperature. Feel free to add a small touch of icing overtop of the pastry by creating lines with your icing.
9. Store the Danishes in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. Danishes are best eaten fresh, the same day they are baked.

14 Types of Danish pastries

• Strawberry Danish
• Blueberry Danish
• Blackberry Danish
• Raspberry Danish
• Rhubarb Danish
• Cream cheese Danish
• Ham and Cheese Danish
• Almond Danish
• Vanilla Danish
• Espresso Danish
• Marzipan Danish
• Chocolate Danish
• Cinnamon Danish
• Apple Danish

Danish pastry making

Danish pastry making involves making a yeast dough and laminating butter in between the layers of dough. The dough must rest periodically, and cannot be rushed. The dough is chilled in between creating the layers of butter, as to not make the dough too warm. If the pastry is too warm, the butter will come through the dough. Since this is a delicate process, the time it takes to create Danish pastries can be up to 3 days. The filling must also be made ahead of time and chilled before using.

Eclairs are made with choux pastry, and then filled with a creamy custard, and dipped in a sweet glaze.

Choux pastry is piped into a line, and then baked in the oven for a crisp golden color on the outside, and soft inside.

See video here.

What is Éclair dough called

Éclair dough is called choux pastry.

Choux pastry is made of dough that is cooked over medium heat in a saucepan. Once all of the flour is incorporated and cooked for a few minutes, the dough is transferred to a stand mixer.

While the dough is mixing with the dough hook, the eggs are added one at a time until the dough becomes shiny and silky. Then the éclair dough is ready to be piped and baked.

What is Éclair filling made of

Éclair filling is made of pastry cream.

Pastry cream is made by tempering eggs and adding hot cream. Pastry cream is very delicate, and needs to be made slowly.

Otherwise, the eggs will cook and ruin your pastry cream. Just in case some of the eggs do cook a little, it’s best to strain your pastry cream before letting it chill in the fridge.

What is Éclair sauce

Éclair sauce is the topping that goes on the highest choux pastry. Éclairs can be topped with many different foods including salted caramel sauce, chocolate ganache, or other types of icing.

What is chocolate éclair sauce

Chocolate éclair sauce is made of chocolate ganache. Chocolate ganache for éclairs is a topping that hardens onto the choux pasty.

Chocolate éclair sauce is made by adding warm heavy cream to small pieces of the chocolate. The mixture is combined until it’s smooth and then it can be used once it’s cooled down to room temperature.

You don’t want to use the chocolate éclair sauce when it’s too warm, otherwise it will be too hot to adhere to the choux pastry.

How do you prevent eclairs from deflating

You can prevent eclairs from deflating by poking a toothpick into the dough as it is baking.

Poke the dough near the end of the baking cycle. Poke the eclairs again as they are cooling out of the oven.

Poking the dough will release the steam, which means that the steam will not be retained by the pastry.

If the steam is retained within the dough, it will make the dough collapse onto itself with the trapped moisture seeping into the pastry.

Can I make choux pastry the day before

You can make choux pastry dough up to 3 days in advance.

The choux pastry dough will last in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Pipe and bake your choux pastry and use the baked choux pastry within 1-2 days. Choux pastry is better served the same day it is baked. The fresher the better.

How to make Eclairs

1. Prepare choux pastry. Pipe onto a baking mat and bake the pastries. Prick with a toothpick to let the air escape either as it’s cooking or as soon as it comes out of the oven.
2. Let the pastry fully cool. Prepare pastry cream. You can choose any type of pastry cream – salted caramel pastry cream, raspberry mousse, vanilla pastry cream, coffee pastry cream, etc.
3. Pipe chilled pastry cream on top of the choux pastry or inside of it. You can also cut the choux pastry in half and then pipe the pastry cream so it sits in the middle.
4. Prepare the topping – this could be chocolate ganache, salted caramel sauce, etc.
5. Pipe the topping onto the pastry.
6. The pastry is complete, or continue piping other toppings – buttercream and a chocolate decoration.
7. Serve within 1 day of preparing.

What is the difference between an éclair and a Long John?

The difference between an éclair and a Long John is that a Long John is made with dough prepared with yeast, and then the dough is deep fried, whereas an éclair is made with choux pastry and then is baked in the oven.

Both a Long John and an éclair are filled with pastry cream and chocolate icing on the top of them.

What is the difference between a cream puff and an éclair

The difference between a cream puff and an éclair is that they are piped in different shapes. Both an éclair and a cream puff use choux pastry.

They are light, fluffy, and an airy pastry. Éclairs have both a filling and a topping, whereas a cream puff may only have a filling.

Do unfilled cream puffs need to be refrigerated

Unfilled cream puffs do not need to be refrigerated.

However, if you do refrigerate unfilled cream puffs, this will prevent the cream puffs from again as quickly. You can use your refrigerated unfilled cream puffs for 2-3 days after baking.

When should you fill cream puffs

You should fill cream puffs right before serving.

The longer the pastry cream sits on the choux pastry, the more soggy it will become. By only filling the cream puffs right before serving, the pastry will be light and airy.

Can you freeze cream puffs that are filled

You can freeze cream puffs that are filled for up to one month in the freezer.

Thaw the cream puffs in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to eat them.