Hidden Easter Bunny Chocolate and Matcha Mousse Cups

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Dig into these deliciously delightful 3 layer chocolate mousse cups this Easter season! With a caramelised white chocolate, coconut and matcha soil crumble on top of a fluffy dark chocolate mousse and a delicate matcha spinach cake, these multi-layered dessert cups are an absolute dream. Decorated with festive treats and a hidden bunny rabbit, Easter has never looked so luxurious.

Recipe Credits & Acknowledgements

The chocolate mousse and matcha cake recipe for this dessert was adapted from Dominque Ansel’s chocolate cake biscuit base and chocolate mousse recipes available over on Masterclass.

I was also inspired by Janice Wong’s recipe for green tea crumble in her ‘Perfection in Imperfection’ book when creating the recipe for the matcha soil crumble.

Let’s get hopping on over to that recipe, now shall we?!

Chocolate and Matcha Mousse Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these chocolate mousse cups…

Eggs:

Used for the cake base. The egg whites and yolks are prepared separately to create a light mixture that just dissolves in your mouth. Here I use size 7 eggs, measuring around 88g for the egg yolk and 182g for the egg white. You’ll want to make sure that you start with eggs at room temperature and that there are no shells or yolks in your whites to ensure the best outcome.

RELATED: Culinary Uses for Eggs

Caster Sugar

This superfine sugar is used to add some sweetness to balance out the earthy tones of the matcha and help stabilise the eggs in the cake mixture. You may also swap this out for white sugar if necessary.

Matcha Powder

Adds an earthy, slightly bitter taste to this dessert. It’s used in the cake base and soil crumble topping to add colour (to mimic grass and natural tones), interest and flavour in combination with the chocolate.

For a bit of a twist, you could substitute the matcha in the cake recipe for equal amounts of cocoa powder and make it extra chocolatey.

Spinach Powder

Not only contributes to the green in the cake layer but also adds a touch of flavour. You may often find this in speciality grocery stores, in the superfoods/ health section as it’s used for adding to smoothies.

As a replacement, you could substitute equal amounts of cocoa powder for a chocolate cake base.

Gelatine Sheet

Helps this mousse to set and maintain a light and fluffy texture that melts in your mouth. Before using gelatine it’s important to soak it in cold water so it softens. Once softened squeeze out as much water as possible before dissolving into the mousse mixture. As we’re only using 2 sheets it does not take very long to dissolve (around 30 seconds to 1 minute). It’s even better if you do this in ice water.

If you can’t get gelatine sheets, you could replace them with 4.6g (2 tsp) of gelatine powder dissolved in 30ml (2 tbsp) of water.

Milk

Is heated till steaming and poured over the dark chocolate to melt. This helps create a light chocolate mousse. Here I used whole milk for the richness and flavour. It can be heated in either the microwave as written in the recipe or a saucepan if desired.

Dark Chocolate

For this recipe, I used 70% dark chocolate for a rich and indulgent dessert cup. Using good quality chocolate is always suggested for the best flavour possible. Make sure you break it into individual blocks so it can melt easily in with the hot milk and emulsify.

Cream:

Whipped to perfection and folded in with the melted chocolate for the airy texture that mousse is well known for. Starting with cream just out of the fridge is best as it is quicker to whip. You could even take it a step further and put your whipping bowl in the fridge to chill.

Be mindful of over-whipping as it will affect the overall result immensely.

Butter:

Binds the crumble mixture together and gives it a wonderfully buttery mouthfeel. Ensure your butter is softened so it’s easier to mix in with the other other ingredients. I tend to use salted butter for a touch of flavour but you could also use unsalted butter and add in a tsp of salt.

RELATED: 7 Baking Tips and Tricks

Plain flour:

Also known as all-purpose flour, it’s used as the foundation for the matcha crumble.

Coconut Flour

Adds in not only a bit of texture but also coconut flavour to compliment the chocolate and matcha. You could easily replace this with equal amounts of almond meal.

White Chocolate

Is used to create caramelised white chocolate pieces that get mixed in with the crumble base. It contributes a rather lovely nutty sweetness to balance out the bitterness of the matcha. This is my favourite way to eat white chocolate as it mellows out the sweetness of white chocolate. Plus it’s so addictive to eat on its own!

White chocolate is also used to make the Easter bunny ears. It’s best to work with the chocolate while it’s still warm for the best-looking ears and easier piping.

Pistachios

Provide extra crunch, colour and flavour. Pistachios in the shell are preferable as they tend to be fresher than those without the shell.

Coconut

Gets toasted and mixed in the matcha soil topping ingredients. Coconut contributes texture, and flavour and pairs wonderfully with all the other flavours. For this recipe, I went with dedicated coconut but thread or shredded coconut also works well.

Edible Greens

For setting the scene atop these Easter dessert cups. There are so many different options you could use. I’ve gone with radish microgreens for the extra colour as well as thyme. To recreate your setup you could also try including:

• Carrot tops: you know the greens that you’d normally cut off baby carrots? They’d make a pretty topping for these dessert cups!
• Herbs: Add a natural green element. Mint would work incredibly well for this, with smaller mint sprouting from the soil.
• Microgreens: Make a great decorative element, much like how they’re used in restaurants as a garnish. There are also so many different varieties to choose from.
• Fennel fronds: delicate and dainty greens that can add some height.
• Edible Flowers: make your chocolate mousse extra stylish with a few edible flowers hidden amongst the other toppings.

Mini Easter Eggs

It wouldn’t be an Easter celebration/party without some Easter eggs! They’re used purely for joy and happiness as you decorate and garnish your flourishing garden. Not only adding bonus points for presentation but also extra chocolate, which no one could complain about. Place them whenever you see fit and if you have to taste test a few – I won’t tell.

How to Make Easter Bunny Chocolate Mousse Cups:

1. Make the Matcha Spinach Cake Base:

Start by whisking together the egg yolk and half of the sugar in a medium bowl until pale in colour and fluffy in texture. This will take around 4-5 minutes. Next, using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until foamy on medium-high speed. Slowly stream in the remaining sugar and whisk to stiff peaks.

Add 1/3 of the whisked egg whites into the yolks, then sift in the matcha powder and spinach powder and fold until almost combined. Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites until just almost combined (at this point it’s ok if there are a few bits of egg white remaining)

Transfer the mixture onto a lined baking tray with raised sides and gently spread it into an even layer with a spatula, being careful not to knock out too much air.

Bake for 8-10 minutes at 200°C or until it bounces back when touched, the top is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside and allow to cool for 1 hour.

2. Prepare your Chocolate Mousse Cups

Once cooled, turn the cake upside down onto a piece of baking (this is to prevent sticking). Peel the baking paper off the top of the cake and cut out circles to fit the bottom of your desired glasses. Place the cake into each glass and set it aside while you make the mousse.

Save the rest of the cake (aka the scraps) for decorating your chocolate mousse cups.

3. Make the Dark Chocolate Mousse

In a heatproof jug, microwave milk until steaming hot, about 1 minute on 100% power. Place the chocolate in a large bowl and pour over the milk. Whisk together until the chocolate has melted and no lumps remain. Next, use a hand blender to emulsify the mixture until it is silky smooth and shiny.

Add the softened gelatine into the chocolate and whisk until fully dissolved. Set aside to cool to room temperature (between 32°C-35°C). Meanwhile, beat the cream to stiff peaks.

Once the chocolate has reached room temperature, gently fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream until almost combined. Add in the rest of the cream and stir until just incorporated. You should be left with a slightly runny smooth mixture.

4. Pour Chocolate Mousse into Dessert Cups

The next step is to pour the chocolate mousse into the dessert cups on top of the matcha cake. Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours until set.

5. Make the Matcha Soil Crumble

Combine butter, sugar, flour, coconut flour and matcha in a medium bowl until it starts to form a dough. Use your hands to press it together and then roll the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper with a rolling pin until about 1cm thick. Bake at 170°C for 8-10 minutes or until the dough is firm to the touch and cooked through (make sure to check the centre).

Cool for 1 hour before crumbling up the mixture to a fine crumb. This is now the base for your matcha soil crumble.

5. Toast Coconut

Evenly spread the coconut on a small lined baking tray and toast in the oven until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Stir halfway through to ensure even cooking. Allow to cool to room temperature.

6. Make Caramelised White Chocolate Crumb

Place white chocolate on a lined baking tray and bake in the oven until deep golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Note: it will continue to cook after it has come out of the oven.

White chocolate also tends to burn easily so watch closely.

While still warm use a fork to break up the white chocolate into a fine crumb. Set aside and cool to room temperature.

7. Put Together the Matcha Soil Crumble

In a small bowl mix together the crumbled matcha crumb, caramelised white chocolate crumb, toasted coconut and pistachios.

7. Make Easter Bunny Ears

Melt white chocolate in a small heatproof bowl in a medium bowl of hot water. Once melted reserve 1/3 of the chocolate and transfer the rest into a piping bag.

Pipe out enough bunny ears for each of your mousse cups onto a lined baking tray.

Colour the reserved white chocolate with pink/ red food colour and transfer it to a piping bag. Pipe the inner parts of the bunny ears and chill in the fridge until solid.

8. Assemble your Chocolate Matcha Mousse Cups

Now comes the best part, it’s time to assemble!

Top each chocolate mousse cup with matcha soil crumble.

Tear off pieces of reserved/ leftover matcha cake and add on top of the soil.

Insert bunny ears into the dessert cups, then add on a few Easter eggs. Garnish with edible greens and then dig in!

Tips for Making These Dessert Cups

• Prepare beforehand: make these mousse cups ahead of time (aka the day before) and store them in the fridge until required. Simply leave out the edible greens and place them on just before serving.

• Edible green alternatives: Instead of using herbs, flowers or microgreens for garnishing these dessert cups you could also make your very own. All you have to do is colour melted white chocolate green and pipe out some sprouts and leafy greens. Set in the fridge until hardened and decorate.
• The edible greens can also be left out entirely.

• Storing: For ultimate freshness, I like to store these cups in an airtight container in the fridge. Although best eaten fresh once assembled, the chocolate mousse cups will last up to 3 days.

Chocolate Mousse Cup Variations

• Chocolate cake: Turn the matcha spinach cake base of this dessert into a chocolate version by simply replacing the matcha and spinach powder with equal amounts of cocoa powder. Alternatively, you could just replace the spinach powder with cocoa powder to make it a chocolate matcha cake.

• Chocolate soil: Transform the matcha soil crumble into a chocolate version. Just replace the matcha with equal amounts of cocoa powder and you have yourself some chocolate crumble topping!

• Make it a mousse cake: this dessert easily translates into one delicious whole cake. All you have to do is make it in a cake ring lined with acetate instead of individual cups.
• Simply cut the cake to the size of your cake ring and use it as the base to pour on the chocolate mousse mixture.
• Chill in the fridge until set and then carefully remove the acetate from the outside. Optional: smooth the edges with a spatula.
• Top as you would with these dessert cups and make a small garden full of cute little hidden Easter bunnies. You could even have a few Easter bunny tails amongst the mix. Don’t forget to have the crumble spilling over the edge of the cake and onto the plate for that full garden feel and experience.

More Delicious Desserts

• Dessert Charcuterie Board!
• Playful Passionfruit Emoji Cookies
• Magical Fairy Bread Vanilla Cupcakes
• Fresh Summer Thyme Strawberry Granita
• Passionfruit and Mango Mousse Baby Chicks
• White Chocolate Matcha Cheesecake Brownie
• The Ultimate Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce and Walnuts
• Red Velvet Waffles with a Cream Cheese Whip & Chocolate Drizzle

If you give these Easter chocolate mousse cups a try, don’t forget to tag @theculinaryletter and #theculinaryletter, so I can see all your wonderful creations!

Until next time, stay curious!

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