Frozen Raspberry Mousse Brownies

An experimentation for Valentine’s day. ❤️ I used a brownie for the bottom, a gluten-free adaptation of Minimalist Baker’s Simple Vegan Brownies. I then made a tofu-based mousse with frozen raspberries for the top. They have to remain chilled or else the mousse starts melting a bit. The chocolates on top are just chocolates chips melted with a little coconut oil.

I bought both moulds at Bulk Barn. They got those heart-shaped ones in for Valentine’s Day. Silicone’s malleability is very useful to push out the contents. It can be twisted and pulled moderately so things can slide out better.

GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN BROWNIES
adapted from minimalistbaker.com
6 pieces

1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water)
60g vegan margarine [1/4 cup] (I used Earth Balance)
75g organic cane sugar [1/3 cup + 2 tsp]
25g cocoa powder [3 1/2 tbsp]
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp instant coffee powder
1/4 + 1/8 tsp baking powder
dash of salt

Flour mix:
20g teff flour [3 tbsp]
20g gluten-free oat flour [3 1/2 tbsp]
5g tapioca starch [2 tsp]
1/2 tsp psyllium husks (can be replaced with xanthan gum or guar gum, possibly could be omitted but I am unsure if the result would be more crumbly)

I direct you to the original non-gluten-free recipe for the method: Minimalist Baker’s Simple Vegan Brownies (add the coffee with the cocoa). My adaptation is half the amount of batter as the original, so double it if you want the same as hers.

After trial and error, I ended up brushing my moulds with canola oil AND putting a little square of parchment paper at the bottom, or else some brownie chunks would remain stuck. I baked for only 20 minutes so they wouldn’t become too dry. Then instead of getting the brownies out when they were cooled a little, I put the entire mould in the freezer and let them solidify for an hour. After that, I cut around them with a table knife and got them out. I took off the little square of paper under them and cleaned the mould so it wouldn’t be sticky when doing the final dessert, and it would be easier to get it out.

 

DECORATIVE CHOCOLATES
6 pieces

1 tsp coconut oil
30g vegan chocolate chips [2 tbsp] (I use Camino because they are also fair-trade)

Melt them in the microwave in bouts of 30 seconds, mixing in-between. Oil your chocolate moulds; I brushed them with canola oil. Then pour the chocolate mixture into the moulds, and chill in the fridge until solid (I gave them over an hour). Tap upside down on a clean surface to get the chocolates out.

 

VEGAN RASPBERRY MOUSSE

170g soft silken tofu [2/3 cup] (half a package of Mori-Nu brand)
125g frozen raspberries [1/2 cup] (I feel I could have used less to have a creamier texture, so you might want to go lower)
1 tbsp maple syrup, or other liquid sweetener

Process all ingredients in the food processor until smooth.

I put my brownies back into the clean silicone mould, then poured the mousse on top, smoothing it with a spatula, then shaking it gently so the surface would even out. I pressed the chocolates on top, then put the mould into the freezer to chill for a couple of hours. After the desserts seemed solid enough (over an hour), I got them out by gently twisting the silicone and pushing the sweets out from under, as if trying to get the mould to be inside-out. I then placed them on a plate and put them back in the freezer, loosely covered with plastic wrap to keep some moisture in the brownie.

I served them the next day, after letting them defrost in the fridge for an hour. Leaving them in the fridge too long leads the moisture in the mousse to be absorbed by the brownie, making it mushy. The mousse lost a bit of its creaminess by being frozen overnight; I think if I try again, I’ll make them the same day, just a few hours before eating, enough to solidify but not to freeze solid.