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Gorgeous Chocolate Durian Mousse
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Chocolate Durian Mousse Bombe (VIDEO)

Level of Difficulty: Moderate
A dark delicious durian mousse that is rich, creamy and just the right combination of bitter and sweet. An exquisite and luxurious durian treat no durian lover would want to miss!
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Freezing time4 hours
Total Time5 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Kai

Ingredients

Durian mousse

  • 500 g D24 durian (de-seeded)
  • 200 ml milk
  • 200 ml heavy cream (whipped to stiff peaks)
  • 1 tsp gelatin (bloomed in 4 tbsp cold water)
  • 1 tbsp sugar (add more or less according to taste)

Chocolate cake

Dry Ingredients (A)

  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Wet ingredients (B)

  • 1 egg
  • 125 ml milk
  • 70 ml canola oil
  • 1/2 cup boiling water

Chocolate glaze

  • 160 ml heavy cream
  • 100 ml water
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tsp gelatin (bloomed in 3 tbsp cold water)

Instructions

Durian Mousse

  • Add 4 tbsp of cold water to the gelatin to bloom (~2-3 minutes) and set aside.
  • Blend the durian pulp and milk in a food processor until combined.
  • Add 2 tsp of milk to the bloomed gelatin and steam it over a bowl of boiling water for 1-2 minutes, stirring gently to liquefy (see video - alternative is to microwave the gelatin for 10 sec). Add the liquid gelatin to the durian mixture.
  • At this stage, add 1 tbsp of sugar to the mixture and blend to combine. (Note:depending on the sweetness of the fruit, add more or less to taste.)
  • Using a chilled bowl and chilled beaters, whip 200ml of cold heavy cream until stiff peaks. Add the whipped cream to the blended durian mix. Combine well using a spatula and the durian mousse is ready.

Filling the Bombe Mould

  • Place the silicone bombe mould on a tray so that it is easy to lift and place in the fridge once filled. Start to fill the mould with the durian mousse.
  • Spread evenly. Use a tablespoon and gently press the mousse into each semi-sphere to make sure that it is properly filled and compact.
  • Lift up the tray with the mould and tap it gently a couple of times on the work table. This is to allow the mousse to nicely fill out the crevices so that there are no empty pockets.
  • Level off any excess with a spatula and freeze the durian mousse for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove from the freezer and unmould whilst the durian mousse is frozen.

Chocolate Cake

  • Whilst the mousse is being frozen, make the chocolate cake. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (A)
  • Add the wet ingredients (B) into the dry ingredients and combine well. Carefully add in 1/2 cup of boiling water and mix until just combined.
  • Pour batter into a lined 13x13x1 inch square cake pan. The batter is soupy and will make a thin cake layer. Gently tilt the cake pan in different directions until the cake batter evenly fills out the whole pan.
  • Bake 10 minutes on the center rack or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Chocolate Glaze

  • Bloom 3 tsp of gelatin powder in 3 tbsp of cold water. Set aside.
  • Combine the water, cream, sugar and cocoa powder off heat until relatively smooth.
  • Put on low heat and stir continuously until boiling. Let it boil and thicken for 2 minutes. Take off heat, add the gelatin and mix well. Sieve to remove any lumps and cool till 35˚C or room temperature before glazing.

Assembly

  • Using a 7cm circle cutter, cut out 6 circles from the chocolate cake.
  • Unmould the frozen durian mousse. Using the chocolate cake as a base, sit each frozen durian mousse on top of one chocolate cake circle. Once paired, return the frozen durian mousse & cake to the freezer and prepare for glazing.
  • Remove each durian mousse bombe (individually) from the fridge for glazing - this is to ensure you always work with frozen mousse. Place the mousse on a cookie stand over a cookie pan (to catch the excess glaze for re-use). Carefully pour the chocolate glaze over the durian mousse bombe until it is completely covered. Let it sit ~ 30 sec until the glaze is no longer dripping. Gingerly remove the durian mousse bombe with a spatula and using a toothpick, place it on a single portion cake board.
  • Glam it up and dust with some edible gold powder (optional). Set in the fridge/chiller to thaw for 2-3 hours. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

  • Wear gloves and always work with frozen mousse.
  • Once each durian mousse is paired with the chocolate cake base, return them to the freezer.
  • Glaze each mousse bombe one at a time whilst keeping the rest frozen. This will give time to work carefully and assemble each mousse bombe well.
  • I used a tiny toothpick (with the help of a offset spatula) to transfer the mousse bombe onto the single cake board which helped to keep each bombe perfectly intact for that final gold dusting. (Check out the video to see how it was done).
  • Glaze generously. Catch the excess glaze in a cookie pan for re-use.
  • Make ahead: The durian mousse can be made and frozen a couple of days ahead. The cake and glaze should be made on the day before serving or on the day itself and then chilled in the refrigerator to set, once assembled.
  • This Chocolate Durian Mousse Bombe tastes best, served the next day after being chilled and set in the fridge. It stores well for 3 to 4 days, chilled.
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