21 Nov Mini Amarula Vanilla Spice Mousse Cakes

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Being a huge fan of Amarula, I was more than a little excited to hear about the launch of the Amarula Vanilla Spice variant. When I found out I would be receiving a bottle of it, plus a mystery box of ingredients to make a dessert with, I was over the moon!

This cream liqueur is not only the perfect accompaniment to dessert, but also a fabulous ingredient to use when making one. With its velvety texture and complex flavour of vanilla with a touch of ginger, Amarula Vanilla Spice adds a creamy, sophisticated note all sorts of sweet recipes.

The rules for the challenge were simple: I had to use all the ingredients* in the box to make a delicious dessert, but could add my own ingredients too. I came up with two ideas and put it to a vote on social media – the majority of you chose these mini mousse cakes as the recipe I should make. So here we go!

P.S. You guys made an excellent choice, they are divine!

*The ingredients I received were: Amarula Vanilla Spice, chocolate cookies with chocolate cream filling, castor sugar, golden syrup and a tin of dessert cream.

Ingredients:

(Makes 6 x 8cm cakes or 1 x 20cm cake)

For the Base:
152g Oreo’s with chocolate cream filling
65g salted butter, melted

For the Amarula Vanilla Spice Mousse:
200g white chocolate
50ml tinned dessert cream
3 gelatine sheets (or 6g of powdered gelatine)
125ml water (½ cup)
1 vanilla pod or 10ml vanilla extract
250ml whipping cream (1 cup)
60ml Amarula Vanilla Spice cream liqueur (¼ cup)

For the Amarula Vanilla Spice caramel sauce:
75g salted butter
75g golden syrup
75g castor sugar
80ml tinned dessert cream (⅓ cup)
60ml Amarula Vanilla Spice cream liqueur (¼ cup)

Directions:

• Grease and line 6 x 8cm diameter loose-bottom tartlet tins (or 1 x 20cm diameter springform tin).
• To make the base, crush the Oreo’s in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and process until combined. Divide the mixture between the prepared tins, and press down firmly with the back of a teaspoon. Freeze until needed.
• Next, make the mousse. Place the white chocolate and tinned dessert cream into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted and completely smooth. Slice the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds. Add to the white chocolate and mix well (place the empty vanilla pod into a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar).
• Soak the gelatin sheets in the water for 10 minutes (ensure they are covered, add more water as necessary). Squeeze out all excess water, then add the gelatin to the warm chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Whip the cream and Amarula Vanilla Spice to soft peak stage. Gently fold the chocolate gelatine mixture into the cream until the mixture is uniform. Divide the mousse between the tartlet tins and smooth the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours until set.
• To make the caramel sauce, place the butter, golden syrup and castor sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium and allow the mixture to simmer for about 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk the Amarula Vanilla Spice and tinned dessert cream together until smooth. Remove the caramel mixture from the heat and allow to cool until the bubbles side. Gradually add the Amarula /cream mixture and whisk briskly. Whisk in the salt. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• When you are ready to serve, carefully remove the mousse cakes from the tins and place on serving plates. Pour a generous amount of caramel sauce over each one and serve!