Maple Mousse in Maple Pecan Bacon Cupcake Cups

THE DARING BAKERS’ APRIL 2011 CHALLENGE: MAPLE MOUSSE SERVED IN AN EDIBLE CONTAINER

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 mousse in an edible container. Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 27th to May 27th at http://thedaringkitchen.com! of the blog

Maple mousse? Hmmmm maple is not one of my favourite things, thought that might actually be sacrilege to say that as a card-carrying Canadian. However, all my guys are fond of the stuff so I was pretty sure it would get eaten. I quite like the concept of the 'chowder in a bread bowl' and thought I could adapt that here. So, the Maple Pecan Bacon cupcake cup was created.

I made a fairly large sized cupcake thinking that would be necessary to be sturdy enough to hold the mousse. Turns out, I could have made regular sized ones and would have been fine. The cupcake cup and the mousse it held was a fairly sizeable portion and for me resulted in the need for Pepsid in the middle of the night. Perhaps of course, if I hadn't eaten it at 10pm there might not have been the same issue.  

Very sweet and very light, this was a nice mousse. A very simple recipe too. The cupcake cup did not have enough bacony-ness for me. I made a well-loved yellow cupcake recipe that I use for my Boston Cream Cupcakes since it's tried and true. Added three slices of crispy bacon that was chopped finely, a half cup of chopped pecans and smart maple flavouring.  I used the maple flavouring instead of the maple syrup in the cake as I didn't think the syrup would have enough flavour. The maple was quite good.

Maple Mousse Recipe (adapted from Jaime Oliver is not my boyfriend)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (240 ml/ 8 fluid oz.) pure maple syrup (not maple-flavoured syrup)

• 4 large egg yolks

• 1 package (7g/1 tbsp.) unflavoured gelatine

• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml. g/12 fluid oz) whipping cream (35% fat content)

Directions:
1. Bring maple syrup to a boil then remove from heat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and pour a little bit of the maple syrup in while whisking (this is to temper your egg yolks so they don’t curdle).
3. Add warmed egg yolks to hot maple syrup until well mixed.
4. Measure 1/4 cup of whipping cream in a bowl and sprinkle it with the gelatine. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Place the bowl in a microwave for 45 seconds (microwave for 10 seconds at a time and check it in between) or place the bowl in a pan of barely simmering water, stir to ensure the gelatine has completely dissolved.
5. Whisk the gelatine/whipping cream mixture into the maple syrup mixture and set aside.
6. Whisk occasionally for approximately an hour or until the mixture has the consistency of an unbeaten raw egg white.
7. Whip the remaining cream. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the maple syrup mixture. Fold in the remaining cream and refrigerate for at least an hour.
8. Remove from the fridge and divide equally among your edible containers.

Cupcake Cups

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups All Purpose flour

• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1 cup sugar

• 3/4 cup canola oil

• 3/4 cup milk

• 3 large eggs

• 1 1/2 tsp maple flavouring

Using a stand mixer, add all ingredients into the bowl. This is what we call the 'dump' method. Works just fine and saves lots of time. (Not appropriate for everything of course, but for cupcakes where you are using canola instead of butter, this is good.)

Portion out into cupcake tin, either having lined with cupcake papers (or silicone molds) or sprayed with Pam.

Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes. 20 mins for regular size and 25 mins for the large ones. 

Mousse, meet your cupcake cup!

Once the cupcakes are cooled, take a small sharp knife and cut out a cone of cake. Remove the cone and either eat it yourself or bribe child with it. 

Carefully score straightish cuts down into the cake and scrape the rest of the cake out with a spoon. Be careful to leave enough cake wall so that the mousse doesn't ooze out. It's much easier and reliable to do this cone technique than just digging into the cupcake. Use a sharp knife to do this and go slowly. 

Pipe or spoon the mousse into the cupcake cake and sprinkle with maple sugar (optional). The mousse will still be quite soft at this point and will settle into the cupcake cup but will hold a gentle peak.



If using the silicone forms, carefully pull it away from the side of the cupcake and wiggle it until it slides off. If using cupcake papers, gently peel the paper away before serving.

Serve right away or refrigerate until you are ready to eat. 

Spoons are suggested.