Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Turkeys—an easy, fun, yet still elegant layered dessert that you have to make this Thanksgiving. Everyone, young and older, will enjoy this sweet. No, scratch that. They will love it!
Pumpkin mousse will become your new favorite way to eat pumpkin!
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It starts with a layer of pound cake. Then there’s the delicate pumpkin mousse covered with chocolate ganache. Then to make it festive, we add candy eyes, a jelly bean beak, and a fruit roll snood (isn’t that a fun word to say). And for the tail feathers, we used candy melts.
We’ve been enjoying pumpkin a lot lately. Just take a look at these simple and delicious pumpkin spice waffle whoopie pies.
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Ingredients
Below, you will find all the ingredients needed to make our chocolate pumpkin mousse turkeys.
Below are the ingredients for the turkey mousse base.
- Pumpkin puree
- Eggs
- Heavy cream
- Maple syrup
- Pound cake
- Sugar
- Pumpkin spice
- Unflavored gelatin
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Water
See recipe card for quantities.
Below are the ingredients for the turkey mousse decorations.
- White candy melts
- Chocolate chips
- Heavy cream
- Candy eyes
- Orange jelly beans
- Fruit roll
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
In three separate bowls, combine the ingredients for the pumpkin mixture, whipped cream, and whipped soft peak egg white mixture.
First, add the whipped egg whites mixture to the pumpkin mixture, then gently fold in to combine. Then, do the same for the whipped cream.
Add mousse mixture to a half-sphere mold cavity, filling up about three-quarters. Then add a pound cake round.
While the mousse is in the freezer, make the candy melt feathers.
Then, carefully add the candy eyes, nose, and snood (we used kitchen tweezers.)
Freeze the mold for two hours, and the mousse mounds should look like this.
Once the mousse mounds are frozen, pour ganache over the mounds. Then let them sit for five minutes.
Finally, add the candy melt feathers.
Variations
There are several different ways to make this idea your own. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Change the color of the candy melt feathers.
- Instead of feathers, use pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate.
- Instead of chocolate ganache, use a swirl for a marbled look.
Equipment
There are a few pieces of equipment you need to make this Thanksgiving project.
Storage
You can store the mousse turkeys in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for up to two months.
Top tip
To make sure that the mousse is light and airy, do not over-mix the whipped cream or egg whites. Also, be sure to gently fold the eggs and whipped cream into the pumpkin puree mixture.
Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Turkey
Equipment
- 2 1/2 inch sphere mold 6 cavities
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Cold Water
- 1 Envelope Unflavored Powdered Gelatin
- 4 Large Eggs Separated
- 1/4 Cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup
- 1/2 Cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree
- 1 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 2 Cups Heavy Cream Divided
- 10 Oz Pound Cake
- 8 Oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- White Candy Melts
- Gel Food Coloring
- Candy Eyes
- Fruit Roll Up
- Orange Jelly Beans Cut In Half
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over the cold water, and let it soften for 5 minutes. Microwave the gelatin mixture for about 10 seconds, or just until it dissolves. Let cool completely.
- In a large bowl add the pumpkin puree, egg yolks, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until completely combined. Stir in softened gelatin and mix to combine.
- With a stand mixer on medium speed, whisk egg whites and the sugar to soft peaks. Gently fold egg-white mixture into pumpkin mixture to combine.
- In another bowl, add the heavy cream and whip on medium-high until stiff peaks, then gently but thoroughly fold into the pumpkin mixture.
- Cut the pound cake into circles and set aside. Fill the silicone mold about ¾ the way up. Then top it wih a piece of pound cake. Press down slightly to allow the mousse to cover the cake. Freeze for about 2 hours.
- Add the chocolate chips to a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan add the cream and heat over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil, that’s too hot!).
- Pour the heated cream over chocolate and let it sit for 3-4 minutes. Using a spoon stir the chocolate slowly until completely combined and the chocolate is melted.
- Remove the mold from the freezer and place the mousse on a cooling rack. Pour the chocolate on top and continue to pour until the whole thing is covered. Place them back in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl melt the candy melts. Follow the package instructions on how to melt them.
- Divide the candy melt into a few bowls. Add the gel food coloring and mix until combined. Follow the instructions here on how to make the brush stoke feathers.
- Once the feathers are done it’s time to add the turkey face. Remove the mousse from the freezer and add the eyes, the jelly bean for the nose and a piece of the fruit roll up for the wattle.
Notes
- We used a 2 ½ inch sphere mold for this recipe.
- For the ganache, you want to let it cool for about 5 minutes before pouring it on top of the mousse or it will start to melt the mousse.
- Since the mousse is slightly frozen you want to continue to pour the chocolate until you completely covered the mousse. If you stop then you won’t get a smooth chocolate coating.
- Once you add the gel food coloring if the mixture becomes too thick just microwave for about 10 seconds until the candy melts are melted again.
- The mousse cakes can freeze for up to 2 months in an air-tight container.
- You can make the ganache ahead of time and just heat it when ready to pour on top.
Food safety
This recipe does contain raw eggs. This quote from Simply Recipes summarizes our thoughts on the subject quite well:
For most people this is not an issue, but people with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, very young or old people, should avoid raw eggs due to the risk of salmonella. You can buy pasteurized eggs at the store if you feel uncomfortable using raw eggs in this recipe.
Simply Recipes
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