Matcha Mousse & Coconut Red Bean Jelly Cake

November 13, 2022

Matcha, Coconut and Red Bean are pretty common Asian dessert flavors. I have made a chiffon version of matcha, red bean cake with coconut frosting for friend’s engagement, decided to try to mousse cake version as well. Since I have never made a mousse cake before, decided to try for end of the year drink night with friend. The first try surprisingly still came out not bad! Except for the soggy bottom…

QUICK TAKEAWAYS

since the layer touching the cookie base is liquid (jelly mixture), it is better to either freeze, refrigerate or bake the cake base before adding in jelly
do not use too much gelatin, otherwise the cake would taste like plastic..
having 2 layers that need to set in fridge for at least 4 hours, better to start the process the night before, and let the jelly layer set in fridge overnight

RECIPE

(7.5-8inch cake mold, not a very tall and big cake)

Cake Base

100g Digestive cookies
40-50g melted butter

Coconut Red Bean Jelly

red bean paste
120g coconut milk (if want stronger coconut flavor, can use more coconut milk and adjust to less milk accordingly)
120g milk
90g heavy whipping cream
25g sugar (add last as red bean paste might be sweet enough)
10g gelatin sheet

Matcha Mousse

100g cream cheese, soften at room temperature
30g sugar
7g matcha powder (if add more matcha powder, would need to increase liquid content)
100g milk
100g heavy whipping cream
6.25g gelatin sheet

CAKE BASE

STEP 1: break 100g digestive cookies into crumbs, mix well with 40-50g melted butter. Line on the bottom of cake mold, press hard

STEP2: either store in fridge/freezer to chill and set, or bake in oven at 345F/180c for 10-12mins to dry out moist content

I did not do either and directly poured in coconut red bean jelly layer, making the bottom very soggy unfortunately

COCONUT RED BEAN JELLY

STEP 0: bloom 10g gelatin sheet in ice cold water

STEP 1: combine red bean paste, 120g coconut milk, 120g milk, 90g heavy whipping cream, 25g sugar; mix well. Blend with a mixer might help make ingredient consistent across, rather than having red bean sink to the bottom when chill down later

STEP 2: heat up the jelly mixture over low heat. When it is around 50C, add bloomed gelatin, mix till dissolved completely

STEP 3: let the jelly cool down a little bit, and then pour into the cake mold with cookie base

at least 4 hours later…

MATCHA MOUSSE

TEP 0: bloom 6.25g gelatin sheet in ice cold water

STEP 1: soften cream cheese in room temperature

STEP 2: add 30g sugar to 100g soften cream cheese, mix well till cream cheese becomes smoother

STEP 3: heat up 100g milk and 7g matcha powder over low heat. When it is around 50C, add bloomed gelatin, mix till dissolved completely

STEP 4: whip 100g heavy whipping cream till it expands, starts to form soft pattern but still has flowy texture (compared to not flowy texture whipping cream for cake piping)

STEP 5: pour matcha gelatin mix into the cream cheese mix in a few different times for complete mixture

not do this step before whipping cream to prevent gelatin starts to set and creates chunky texture when pouring in the ice cold whipped cream in next step

STEP 6: pour mousse mix into whipped cream in 2 different times for complete mixture, then transfer matcha mousse mixture to cake mold

at least 4 hours later…Demold (warm up the cake mode side with warm towel or torch). Decorate cake, put back in fridge for at least 30mins before serving