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Dulce de leche lovers get all attention here because this is the most decadent Dulce de leche mousse you'd ever taste. It's so delicious and full of flavor with a recipe that is almost made from scratch and pretty impressive to present with three layers. What more?
You might be wondering if Dulce de leche is just a fancy name for caramel sauce. While the taste of dulce de leche will remind you of caramel, it is slightly different from caramel. Caramel is made from sugar while dulce de leche is made from sugar and milk. The word dulce de leche is a Spanish word that means 'sweet of milk' and here you can find how to pronounce it.
If you are wondering where to get it? It is sold in a can just like condensed milk and you can also make your own at home. The recipe is given in the notes. And here you can also find a detailed recipe with all dos and don'ts of making dulce de leche with condensed milk.
Three Layered Dessert
This dulce de leche dessert has three layers. I've made this dessert in a large dish for family serving but I've present photos for individual servings in glasses too. This should make 8 glasses. Go with whatever works best for you.
You can also make Dulce de Leche Mousse cake in a removable base with the same recipe. Just allow the cake 6-8 hours to set firmly in the fridge and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour (less or more time depending on weather) before serving for best taste. I've tried the cake version but couldn't take photos, maybe next time.
Ingredients
Now, I know the ingredient list is already mentioned in the recipe card and I don't want to go through it but, I just want to share what options you have if you wish to make some changes to it. This dish might be overwhelming for a new cook as this has many steps. But stay calm you just need to plan a little ahead and it turns out yum!
Caramel Biscuit base:
It needs just any biscuit and little butter so the crumbs stick together. I prefer using salted butter and caramel biscuit. (Use any good brand like Oreo, Lotus Biscoff, or Candi).
Dulce de leche mouse base:
- Dulce de leche: The mouse is made with milk-based caramel AKA dulce de leche. You can easily make your own dulce de leche from condensed milk.
- Egg whites: Whipped raw egg whites are always added in traditional mousse for light and airy dessert. But you can skip it. I've tried without it too.
- Gelatin: Gelatin is animal protein that helps setting the dessert. But if you plan to serve it in glass or large dish, you can skip it. Just chill it overnight in fridge and for 1 hour in freezer. If making a mousse cake gelatin is a must.
- Whipping cream: Use full fat whipping cream that doubles upon whipping for a light dessert.
Salted Caramel Sauce
You can always use the bottled sauce or make your own with just sugar, butter, cream, and salt. You can find my salted caramel sauce recipe here.
How to make ?
Below are a few preparation steps for the dessert. Step 1 and 2 can be done a day or two ahead.
The steps are quite self-explanatory.
- To make homemade dulce de leche, take a can of sweetened condensed milk, remove the wrapper. Fill a large pot with water and place the can in it. Water must be 1-2 inches above the can. Boil the can for 3.5 hours. Do Not open the can until absolutely cooled. Wait for at least after 4 hours, or preferably let it cool overnight. (You can skip this step by getting a can of ready-made dulce de leche.)
- Put the biscuits into a food processor and blitz them until you have fine crumbs. Mix in butter and transfer the mixture the dish or glasses. Level the base with rubber spatula or with the base of a flat glass. Place in the fridge to harden.
- Do this step just before making the mousse filling. Seperate egg whites from yolk. We need whites only for this recipe. Whip the whites with a beater until you see stiff peaks.
You can this dessert 1-2 days ahead. You can freeze it too. It will have an ice cream-like texture.
- Take cream in a bowl and let it chill in the freezer for 20 minutes. Whip cream until you see stiff peaks, (that is when you remove the whisk the cream stays stiff and doesn't melt into smoothness.) If or cream is not reaching the stiff-peak stage after a lot of beating, it's ok. Soft peaks work here but stiff peaks are recommended.
- Mix dulce de leche and vanilla essence in whipped cream with a beater. (The dulce leche will slowly melt in the cream so do it at intervals if dulce de leche is thick.)
- Next mix in egg whites with a spatula just until combined. Aim at fewer strokes and no vigorous mixing.
- Bloom gelatin by mixing gelatin with warm water. The gelatin should dissolve completely. ( I prefer heating a pan of hot water placing a heat proof bowl in it. Then I mix gelatin and water in the bowl and keep stirring at intervals. This method also stops the gelatin from setting while we work with other steps.)
- Mix gelatin in the mousse with spatula.
- Pour mousse filling in the glass dish or glasses over the chilled biscuit crumbs. Cover the mousse with cling wrap and let it set for at least 4 hours in the fridge before adding the sauce.
- Make your salted caramel sauce (recipe here) or use store bought.
- Make a thin layer of salted caramel sauce on the mouse and pour warm sauce on the mousee. Garnish with biscuit crumbs or nuts and mint leaves. Cover with cling wrap again and chill.
Hungry for more dessert? Try these!
Dulce De Leche Mousse
Equipment
- 2 litre (8 cups) square casserole dish or 8-10 glasses
Ingredients
Biscuit Base
- 8 oz pack caramel biscuits like Biscoff, or 30 Candi biscuits more for garnish
- 3 tablespoon butter
Dulce De Leche Mousse
- 1 can dulce de leche , or make your own with 1 can of condensed milk,see notes.
- 1 ¾ cup (400 ml) whipping cream, chilled
- 2 egg whites, optional, see notes
- 2 tablespoon gelatin crystals, optional, see notes
- 1 tablespoon vanilla or caramel essence
- ½ cup salted caramel sauce, or as needed, find my recipe here.
Instructions
- Put the biscuits into a food processor and grind them into fine crumbs. Mix in butter and transfer the mixture to a dish. Level the base with the base of flat glass. Place in the fridge to harden. Protip: For individual servings divide the mixture in 8-10 glasses.
- In a large bowl, whip cream with a beater until you see stiff peaks.
- Mix dulce de leche and vanilla essence in whipped cream with a beater. Protip: The dulce de leche will slowly melt in the cream so beat it at intervals if dulce de leche is thick.
- Next, whip the egg whites with a beater until you see stiff peaks. Mix in egg whites with a spatula just until combined. Set aside.
- Bloom gelatin by mixing gelatin with warm water. The gelatin crystals should dissolve completely. Mix gelatin in the mousse with a spatula.
- Pour mousse filling over the chilled biscuit crumbs.
- Cover the mousse with cling wrap and let it sit for at least 4 hours in the fridge before adding the sauce.
- Make a thin layer of salted caramel sauce on the mousse. Protip: If using homemade sauce, make sure the sauce is slightly warm for easy spreading.
- Garnish with biscuit crumbs. Cover with cling wrap again and chill.
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