Oh my ganache, more chocolate! # 147: Cherry Mousse Domed Tarts

It’s a take on a black forest cake: cherries hidden in the middle of a dollop of cherry mousse, sitting on a cocoa sable cookie, coated in a rich ganache. Feelin’ 70s yet?

I rarely buy specific baking tools like these domed molds, but sometimes I cave. Watching the most recent season of the Great British Bake Off get me literally itching to go make shaped mousse tarts and chocolate bombes! They seem more impressive than they are, considering the simple ingredients and techniques required to make them. All you need is a cookie/tart shell/sponge cake base, a whipped filling and a topping to seal it. I also love how domed tarts defy gravity, with a filling that’s as a light as a cloud supporting a layer of luscious (and heavy) ganache.

I went with a cocoa sable cookie for the base – the idea being that it would absorb some of the moisture from the cream and turn fudgy and delicious! Next round, I think I might do a crisp tart shell and have the filling be a citrus cream or mousse of some sort. It would require a egg white wash on the inside of the tart shell to seal it and keep it crisp. * files away on neverending “Future Bakes” list *

This cookie recipe called for grated dark chocolate but damn have you ever tried a hunk of chocolate on a cheese grater? I cannot recommend it less. I just took a sharp knife and shaved thin chocolate flakes instead! They added a fun texture that gave the dough more depth than a classic chocolate sugar cookie.

Make sure to use a round cookie cutter that’s the same diameter as the openings of your molds! That way, the base will like up with the mousse like magic. If you have any extra cookies, you can use them to make ice cream sandwiches.

• Take your favorite ice cream and set it on the counter til its super duper soft
• Pour/spread it into whatever baking pan you have on hand (bread pan or 8×8 is perfect!)
• Refreeze it for at least a half hour, or until solid enough to hold it’s shape
• Use the round cutter from the cookies and cut out discs of ice cream
• Sandwich them between two of your extra cookies and wrap in parchment or wax paper
• Pop them back in the freezer for whenever the mood may strike!

On to the mousse! I would say this was the most fun part – it felt like a play-doh art project. I ordered my molds from Amazon since my local Michaels and Sur La Table didn’t have them in stock (sad.) If you’re debating, I vote silicone over metal or hard plastic. It’s just so much easier to get the delicate fillings out in one piece with a bendy mold.

I went with the simplest mousse recipe ever:

• Whip heavy cream til soft peaks
• Sift in powdered sugar and vanilla to taste
• Whip again until just past soft peaks
• Fold in a couple spoonfuls of cherry jam (however much floats your boat!)

I had some frozen cherries so I defrosted a handful to hide in the middle. Because, why not? This dessert was the definition of baking on a whim.

Over-fill the molds and smooth down the tops to make sure every inch of it is filled.

Add in the surprise and pop them in the freezer! I placed mine on a quarter sheet baking tray so they’d stay flat, but if you don’t have the freezer space for that, just wiggle them in anywhere that they fit. Just make sure not to dent the molds or you’ll end up with some pretty abstract domes.

Once frozen, lay out a cooling rack on top of a baking pan and set out your cookie bases. Working quickly, pop the frozen mousse out of the molds and place them on the cookies.

So cute! They look like perfect little scoops of ice cream. Store them in the freezer until your ganache is ready to go so they don’t get too soft.

I made the same 2-ingredient ganache recipe that I used to line my S’mores Pumpkin Tart (dark chocolate and heavy cream, microwaved together for 30 seconds, then vigorously stirred til it’s cohesive and smooth). You’ll want to use it immediately, so it’s warm enough to pour evenly. It thickens quickly as it cools!

Awww yeahhh. You can scrape up the drippings from the baking sheet to drizzle over your bonus ice cream sandwiches later. Hint: it. was. so. good.

Once the chocolate is set, nom away! Keep em in the fridge instead of the freezer so the mousse texture stays fluffy and delicious.

Happy munching!

Cookie recipe from: https://www.monpetitfour.com/chocolate-sable-cookies/