Pumpkin Mousse Charlotte

There is a big black spider acting the cherry of the cake together with a caramel spider net, but that cake has been especially prepared for my son's Halloween party...

The Charlotte could be decorated as we like it :)

The Pumpkin Mousse recipe is adapted from Ina Garten’s Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits, but I have replaced some of the ingredients according to my son’s taste.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Base:

* 400 g lady finger biscuits
* ¼ cup cold milk
* ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (or instant coffee)

For the Mousse:

The mousse recipe is adapted from Ina Garten’s Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits, but I have replaced some of the ingredients according to my son’s taste.

* ¼ cup dark rum
* 10g (2 teaspoons ) unflavored gelatin powder
* 15 ounce pumpkin puree (or 1 15-ounce can pumpkin (not pie filling))
* ½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
* ½ cup granulated sugar
* ¼ cup cold water
* 3 egg yolks
* ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
* ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
* ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
* ¼ teaspoon ground clove (optional)
* ½ teaspoon salt
* 1 ½ cups cold heavy cream
* 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Icing:

* ½ cup granulated sugar + 3 tablespoons cold water
* 1 cup cold heavy cream + ¼ cup granulated sugar (or sweetened whipped cream)
* ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup sliced almonds

METHOD:

The Base:

• Preheat slightly ¼ cup milk to flavour it with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (or ½ teaspoon instant coffee) easily and leave to cool
• Sprinkle half of the ladyfinger biscuits with the flavoured milk (if you prefer you could replace the milk and cinnamon with water and dark rum)
• Arrange the slightly soaked ladyfinger biscuits into an 8.75” in diameter spring form cake pan, as firstly carefully set them along - one by one - tightly standing against the wall of the pan (it’s a bit tricky though) and afterwards cover the bottom with lady fingers also
• Refrigerate, while preparing the mousse

The Pumpkin Mousse:

• Soak the gelatin powder in the dark rum in a heat-proof cup or bowl for at least 10 minutes
• Whisk together the pumpkin puree, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon clove and the ½ teaspoon salt
• Pasteurize the egg yolks with the ½ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup water and add to the pure (or cook all the ingredients together at low temperature, letting all simmer for about 10 minutes)
• Set the bowl of gelatin over a pan of simmering water and cook until the gelatin is clear or put it into the microwave for about 1/2 minute, but do not let that start boiling
• Whisk the melted gelatin mixture into the pumpkin mixture and let all chill
• Separately, whip the cold heavy cream and the vanilla extract
• Add gradually the whipped cream into the chilled pumpkin mixture and mix up together

The Icing:

• Caramelize the ½ cup granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons cold water.
• Sprinkle slightly the top of the lady fingers with a part of the caramel and “draw” with the rest some figures you may like onto a sheet of baking paper and leave to harden
• Whip the heavy cream, granulated sugar and the vanilla extract

ASSEMBLE:

• Sprinkle the second half of the ladyfinger biscuits with the flavoured milk (or rum)
• Get the arranged ladyfinger biscuits out of the fridge, pour half of the Pumpkin Mousse into the spring form and top with some freshly soaked ladyfinger biscuits
• Sprinkle about half of the sliced almonds
• Pour the second half of the Pumpkin Mousse and refrigerate (while preparing the icing)
• When the Frosting elements are ready, remove the pan’s ring and sprinkle the second half of the sliced almonds over the Charlotte
• Decorate the cake with the sweetened whipped cream, as you like it
• Place carefully your caramel figures over the cake

And your Halloween Pumpkin Mousse Charlotte is ready

For more photos: http://angellovescooking.blogspot.com/2010/10/helloween-pumpkin-mousse-charlotte.html