Vimto & Chocolate Mousse Tart With Vimto Caramel
A smooth silky mousse tart paired with a delicious Vimto caramel, perfect for Ramadan!
Equipment
- Tart pan or tart ring. I used a 7.5-inch tart ring, linked above.
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric mixer
- Hand whisk
- Silicone spatula
- Hand blender (optional, but recommended)
Ingredients
Tart Base
- 100 gms unsalted butter (cold)
- 70 gms icing sugar
- 25 gms cocoa powder
- 50 gms egg yolks
- 175 gms all-purpose flour
Vimto Caramel
- 120 ml Vimto syrup
- 80 ml liquid whipping cream
- 12 gms unsalted butter
Vimto and Chocolate Mousse
- 3 gms gelatin powder
- 30 ml ice-cold water
- 105 gms milk chocolate
- 105 ml milk
- 30 ml Vimto syrup
- 150 ml liquid whipping cream
Topping
- Whipped cream (optional)
- Chocolate shards (optional)
Instructions
Tart Base (Recipe by Matt Adlard)
- In a bowl with a stand or electric mixer, add the cold butter (100 gms) and sift the icing sugar (70 gms) and cocoa powder (25 gms) over it. Beat this mixture at medium-high speed until you have a thick, creamy paste.
- Next, add the egg yolks (50 gms) into the butter mix and beat for 2-3 more minutes, until it’s well combined.
- Finally, add the flour (175 gms) into the mix and beat on low speed until it’s all combined and forms a soft dough. Make sure not to overmix at this stage or your tart base will shrink while baking. Beat until the flour is just combined into the butter mix.
- Transfer the dough to a baking paper sheet and roll it out as thinly as possible. Place another baking sheet on top to make it easier to roll and stop the dough from sticking on the rolling pin.
- Freeze the rolled dough sheet for 30 minutes, then line your baking tray of choice with the dough. Make sure to work quickly as the dough softens very fast. If the dough becomes too soft, you can pop it back in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Once the baking tray is lined, refrigerate it for 20 minutes and trim any extra dough from the top of the tray before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 175 degree Celsius and bake the tart for 20-22 minutes.
- Let the tart base cool before before assembling the pastry.
Vimto Caramel
- In a saucepan, pour the Vimto syrup (120 ml) and bring it to boil on medium-high heat. Then, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes until the syrup has reduced and thickened.
- While the syrup is thickening, heat the liquid whipping cream (80 ml) in another saucepan (or microwave) until it’s warm. Once the Vimto syrup has thickened, pour the warm whipping cream and mix with a spatula until well combined.
- Let the mixture simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes, then take it off the heat and immediately add the cold butter (15 gms) and whisk until the butter is melted and well incorporated into the caramel.
- Let the caramel cool until it thickens.
Vimto & Chocolate Mousse
- Start making the mousse only after your tart base and caramel are ready to use as you have to pour the mousse into the tart pan as soon as you make it, before it sets.
- Begin by blooming the gelatin powder. How to bloom gelatin: Sprinkle the gelatin powder (3 gms) into 30 ml of ice-cold water*. Mix the water instantly and let it set in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
- In a heat-proof bowl, add the chocolate chips (105 gms).
- In a saucepan, add the milk (105 gms) and Vimto syrup (30 ml) and bring it to a boil.
- Pour the hot milk over the chocolate chips and let it sit for a minute until the chocolate is melted. Then combine them using a hand whisk until the chocolate is completely incorporated into the milk.
- While the chocolate mix is still hot, add the bloomed gelatin and whisk it until it’s melted and combined into the mixture. Make sure that the mixture is still hot when you add in the gelatin, or it will not incorporate properly. Blend the mixture with a hand blender to emulsify it properly. You can also do this with a hand whisk if you don’t have a hand blender, but the mixture will not mix as well. Set it aside and let it cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, whisk the liquid whipping cream (150 ml) in a bowl to semi-stiff peaks*.
- Once the chocolate mix has cooled to room temperature, pour it into the whipped cream while gently folding it in. Make sure to do this process slowly to retain the airiness of the whipped cream. You want the mousse to be as light and airy as possible.
- Keep folding until no streaks of chocolate are left and everything is well incorporated. Your mousse is ready to go.
Assembly
- In your cooled tart pan, pour the thickened Vimto caramel and let it set in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, until it forms a firm layer. This is done so that the mousse and caramel don’t mix with each other and remain as two distinct layers.
- Once the caramel has firmed, pour the chocolate and Vimto mousse on top and spread it evenly across the tart. Make sure to fill the tart base to the top with the mousse.
- To finish, you can pipe the tart with some extra whipped cream and chocolate shards, although that’s only for decoration and is totally optional.
- Let the tart chill for 1-2 hours, until the mousse is completely set, before serving.
Notes
Variation
You can also make this recipe without a tart base, although it won’t be the same without the crisp texture of it. However, the mousse and caramel can be set in any bowl or dish. Make sure to add something for the crunch element, like crushed chocolate biscuits, granola, etc.Storage
This tart is best eaten fresh but can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2 days.Make ahead
You can make and freeze the tart dough a week in advance. Just thaw the dough before you want to roll it out and bake the tart. The caramel can also be made 1-2 days in advance. Make sure to store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.Tips and tricks
- Ice-cold water for gelatin: make sure you always use ice-cold water for gelatin because it only blooms in cold water. Using warm or room temperature water will not bloom your gelatin, and gelatin does not work until it’s bloomed properly
- Semi-stiff peaks: These terms are used to describe how much whipping is required for the cream. Semi-stiff peaks refer to a medium whipped cream, where when you pick your whisk up from the cream, it creates semi-stiff peaks