Masala Chai Mousse Trifle
Layered with an eggless, creamy masala chai, delicious butterscotch sauce, and chai-soaked lady finger biscuits, this masala chai mousse is perfect for your dessert table when you want to do something different, but still keep it simple and easy!
Equipment
- 7x7 serving dish or 3-4 single serve bowls
- Hand whisk
- Electric Whisk
- Silicone spatula
- Saucepan
Ingredients
Butterscotch Sauce
- 75 grams unsalted butter
- 130 grams packed brown sugar
- 95 ml liquid whipping cream/heavy cream
Masala Chai Mousse
- 120 ml full-fat milk
- 110 ml liquid whipping cream
- 12-14 grams chai leaves depending on how strong they are
- 20 grams sugar
- 4-6 cardamom pods
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 150 grams white chocolate
- 165 ml liquid whipping cream
For Assembly
- 100 ml full-fat milk
- 100 ml water
- 5 grams tea leaves
- 10 grams sugar
- 1 pack ladyfinger biscuits
Instructions
Butterscotch Sauce
- Combine brown sugar, liquid whipping cream, and butter in a saucepan.
- Heat over medium flame, stirring frequently, until the ingredients melt and blend into a smooth mixture.
- Allow it to simmer for another minute, then remove from heat and stir in the salt.
- Avoid overcooking, as the sauce will thicken more as it cools. Set aside for later use.
Masala Chai Mousse
- In a saucepan, mix milk, cream, tea leaves, sugar, and your choice of whole spices. I recommend cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger, but feel free to include other spices like cloves or black pepper.
- Heat on low and let the mixture infuse for 5-8 minutes. If your tea leaves tend to get bitter, reduce the cooking time.
- Strain the infused milk-cream mixture over a bowl of white chocolate while it’s still hot.
- Let it sit for a few minutes to melt the chocolate, then whisk until the ganache is smooth and fully combined.
- Whip the remaining cream in a separate bowl until medium peaks form. Be careful not to overwhip, as the cream will be folded into the ganache later.
- Once the ganache cools to room temperature, gently fold it into the whipped cream in two additions. Use a silicone spatula to avoid deflating the whipped cream.
- Transfer the mousse to a piping bag for easy assembly.
Assembly
- Make a simple chai with milk, water, and tea leaves for soaking the ladyfinger biscuits.
- Start by spreading a layer of the chai mousse in your serving dish or bowl. Smooth it out evenly.
- Add a layer of butterscotch sauce on top of the mousse.
- Dip the ladyfinger biscuits in the cooled chai for 5 seconds and create a layer of the dipped biscuits on top of the mousse.
- Follow with another layer of butterscotch sauce and then the remaining chai mousse.
- For a large dish, dollop a few spoonfuls of butterscotch sauce on top and create a swirl pattern. For individual servings, drizzle the sauce before serving.
- Let the trifle set in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours before serving.
Notes
Storage:
- This mousse trifle can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days.
- The butterscotch sauce can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- The trifle can be assembled the night before.
- Remove the butterscotch sauce from the heat as soon as it’s ready. Overcooking can make it too thick once cooled.
- For the mousse, make sure that the milk-cream mixture is hot enough to melt the white chocolate fully. Let it sit for a couple of minutes before whisking for a silky-smooth ganache.
- Don’t steep the tea leaves too long if they tend to become bitter. Reduce the cooking time accordingly to maintain a smooth, pleasant flavor.
- Stop whipping the cream as soon as it reaches medium peaks. Overwhipping can lead to a grainy texture and make it difficult to fold into the ganache.
- Fold the whipped cream into the ganache in two additions using a silicone spatula. This ensures the mousse stays airy and light without losing volume