The April 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Evelyne of the blog Cheap Ethnic Eatz. Evelyne chose to challenge everyone to make a maple syrup mousse in an edible container.

There were two mandatory items in this challenge.  Firstly I needed to choose from one of two provided recipes.  The one I decided to use was a vegan maple syrup mousse.  I would not usually think to make a tofu dessert so I saw this as a great opportunity to try something a little different. It was a very simple dessert and whilst it doesn’t have the texture of a traditional mousse it was a delicious alternative.

Recently I have been trying to add a few more healthy options to my diet, so this mousse seemed to fit the profile a little better than a Maple Syrup Mousse made on egg yolks and cream.  After all the rich food of Easter another rich dessert was not exactly high on the list of items I want to consume at the moment.  Note the Easter celebrate Chocolate Mousse Torte I posted previously.

The second part of the challenge was presenting the mousse in an edible container.

Just between you and I, if I was serious about being healthier I wouldn’t have put the tofu mousse in a white chocolate cup and topped it with delicious crispy praline. However presentation wise I knew it would look gorgeous and taste divine.

Daring Bakers are awarding prizes for the most creative edible container and filling.  So if you like the presentation of my mousse, please vote for me.  Voting commences on April 27th and runs until May 27th at The Daring Kitchen!

Ingredients:

Chocolate Shells

1 cup white chocolate melted

Tofu Maple Syrup Mousse

300gm silken tofu

¾ cup maple syrup

¼ cup boiling water (only if using the Agar)

1 1/2 tsp Agar Agar (or unflavoured glycerine- non vegan alternative)

Walnut Praline

1 cup walnuts

¾ cup sugar

3 Tbs water

Method:

Firstly paint the inside of some silicone cupcake moulds with the melted chocolate. Return the moulds to the fridge in between each coat.  I only needed two coats of chocolate but check for thin sections and spot fill if needed. Return the moulds to the fridge while you prepare the fulling.

Let tofu come to room temperature. Use an electric mixer to mix until the tofu is smooth.

Sprinkle agar-agar on the maple syrup and let it rest for 10 minutes. Heat maple syrup on the stove to a boil and then let it simmer 5 minutes until the agar-agar has dissolved. (if using the gelatine just add the tablespoon to the boiling water and stir until smooth.) Then add the gelatine mix to the maple syrup.
Blend the tofu with the maple syrup mixture until creamy and combined.
Allow the mixture to cool.

Remove the chocolate shells carefully from their moulds.

Pour the mousse into the shells. Return to fridge. Refrigerate until set.

Place the nuts on a tray in an oven on 150 degrees until they become fragrant. Remove the nuts and reserve.

Place the sugar and water in the saucepan and heat gentle without stirring until the mixture starts to caramelise.

Turn off the heat and add the nuts to the toffee. Pour the mixture onto a lined baking tray and allow to set.

Break up the praline up and decorate the mousse cups.

I would love some more healthy dessert ideas, if anyone has anything they would like to share please let me know!

Next time I make this dessert I would serve it is a glass with a caramelised banana, nut and sultana compote on the bottom and the mouse on top.  I would still top the dessert with the nut praline. This would make the dessert a completely healthy vegan dessert, full of flavour and nutrition (albeit a little high on the sugar).  I really enjoyed the tofu and maple syrup flavour so I will be making this dessert again.