With National Dessert Day approaching on October 14 and the holidays on the horizon, desserts and dessert cocktails will be creeping onto your menus.
It can be hard to cater to consumers' desire for indulgence with the increased demand for healthy options on your menus. Luckily, there's a trend that may make this balancing act easier— plant-based desserts.
Jessica Vazquez, executive pastry chef at the Japanese restaurant Momotaro & The Izakaya in Chicago, says plant-based desserts are trending. “I've been working on more ways to create healthier but still delicious and approachable desserts," she says.
She uses fresh coconut purée, locust bean gum, and agar to bring a creamy, thickening effect to her gluten-free, vegan Passion Fruit Panna Cotta with Coconut Sorbet and Cashew Cereal Crunch.
At Café Flora in Seattle, the consensus of consistently high reviews is: If you want to discover the real flavor potential of plant-based food, eat at Café Flora. Owner Nat Stratton-Clarke created a silky Vegan Raspberry Mousse with tofu and coconut oil that’s every bit as decadent as the dairy-based version.
That's not to say we should avoid rich desserts! Fresh purées bring unparalleled flavor to pies, tarts, and cakes like Pink Guava Spice Cake with Rum Simple Syrup and Swiss Buttercream from Rebecca Moesinger at 45 Surfside Bakery & Café on Nantucket Island. Spice cake flavored with pink guava is layered over lemon buttercream, brushed with rum simple syrup and topped with a brilliant pink guava glacage.
Read on for recipes for these desserts as well as some indulgent cocktail recipes!
Dessert Recipes
Cafe Flora Vegan Raspberry Mousse
Ingredients:
1 cup The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley Red Raspberry Puree, thawed
1/2 of a 12.3 oz. package of silken tofu, drained
3/4 cup sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese (plain), packed
1/2 cup hemp milk
1 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp. grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil)
Directions:
- Combine hemp milk and coconut oil in a saucepan and melt. Keep warm enough to ensure oil does not re-solidify.
- Combine The Perfect Purée Red Raspberry Puree, lemon juice and grapeseed oil.
- Drain excess liquid from silken tofu.
- Mix sugar, lemon zest and salt in a food processor until combined.
- Add Tofutti to sugar mixture and run processor until combined.
- Once the mixture is smooth, add silken tofu. Run processor until no lumps remain.
- Add purée mixture, pulse to combine. While processor is running, slowly drizzle in coconut oil/hemp milk mixture.
- Transfer to a storage container, place plastic wrap on the surface of the mousse (it will be loose at this point), and refrigerate overnight.
Boozy S’Mores Affogato
Ingredients:
2 oz. of Espresso
2 scoops of Jeni’s Skillet Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream (or your favorite ice cream flavor!)
1.5 oz. Mash & Mallow Whiskey
Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 tsp Honey
Directions:
- Dip the rim of your desired glass into the honey, then the graham cracker crumbs to coat the rim.
- Scoop the ice cream into the glass.
- Using your desired brewing method, brew the shot of espresso.
- Pour the espresso shot and Mash & Mallow shot over the ice cream.
Pink Guava Spice Cake with Rum Simple Syrup and Swiss Buttercream
Ingredients:
2 3/4 oz. The Perfect Purée Pink Guava Puree, thawed
5 oz. cake flour
1/4 oz. baking powder (6 grams)
1 1/2 oz. brown sugar
2 1/2 oz. granulated sugar
3 g. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
2 1/2 oz. vegetable oil
2 1/2 oz. egg yolks
1 1/4 oz. water
For decoration:
8 oz. toasted almonds, plus fresh raspberries, strawberries, kumquats and pomegranate seeds.
For the Meringue:
5 oz. egg whites
2 1/2 oz. sugar
1 1/5 tsp. cream of tartar
For the Fruit Glacage:
2 1/2 oz. The Perfect Purée Pink Guava Puree, thawed
1/4 oz. (sheet) gelatin (12 grams)
1 1/2 oz. sugar
1 oz. water
1/2 oz. corn syrup
For the Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 1/4 cup of sugar
1 oz. of dark rum
For the Swiss Buttercream:
8 oz. sugar
4 oz. egg whites
14 oz. butter, softened
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
3 g. vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper (do not grease).
- Sift together dry ingredients.
- Mix wet ingredients.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients.
- Make the meringue: Whip eggs until soft peaks form then add (stream) sugar and cream of tartar until medium peaks form (be careful not to over-whip).
- Fold meringue and cake mixture together and place in oven until cake is baked, about 25 minutes. Cake will be dark beige on top and fingers pressed on top will not make an indent.
- Make the fruit glacage: Warm the gelatin (bloom), sugar, corn syrup and water over a double boiler at low temperature (100-105 degrees). Stir in Pink Guava Purée.
- Make the simple syrup by heating and cooking ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat for five minutes; cool to room temperature.
- Make the Swiss buttercream: Place sugar and egg whites over a double boiler and stir until temperature reaches 120 degrees. Whip until stiff meringue forms then cut butter into 1-inch pieces and add butter piece by piece to meringue. Finish with lemon juice and vanilla.
Assemble the cake:
- Cut cooled cake into five layers.
- Spread a thin layer (1/16 of an inch) of buttercream onto bottom layer and place another layer on top.
- Brush with rum simple syrup.
- Repeat until all layers are filled.
- Cover cake with buttercream and place in refrigerator until buttercream is set.
- Remove cake from refrigerator and smooth glacage (warmed to 100-105 degrees) over the top of the cake.
- Finish bottom and top with toasted almonds. Decorate with raspberries, strawberries, kumquats and pomegranate seeds.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients:
12 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. Monin Black Sugar Syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
3 pumps Monin Habanero Concentrated Flavor
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350° F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper or silpads.
- In bowl of a stand mixer equipped the paddle attachment. mix cocoa powder, black sugar, and butter on low speed. Once incorporated, add the sugar and mix on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy.
- Add the egg and the Habanero concentrated flavor on low speed and mix until fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. On medium speed, slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet.
- Cover the dough and chill for 1-2 or until the dough is chilled.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and roll into 1-inch balls. Toss the dough balls into the cinnamon and sugar mix then set on a baking sheet with 2 inches of space in between.
- Place cookies into the center rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the bottoms are crispy.
- Serve immediately or wrap the cookies and store at room temperature.
Passion Fruit Panna Cotta
Ingredients:
Passion Fruit Panna Cotta:
220 g. The Perfect Purée Passion Fruit
275 g. The Perfect Purée Coconut
105 g. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla paste
1.5 g. agar
1.5 g. locust bean gum
Coconut Sorbet:
750 g. The Perfect Purée Coconut
4 g. The Perfect Purée Lime Zest
350 g. water
275 g. sugar
85 g. glucose powder
3 g. sorbet stabilizer
A pinch of salt
Cashew Cereal Crunch:
200 g. toasted cashews, chopped
50 g. puffed white rice
50 g. puffed black rice
25g. puffed buckwheat
5 g. toasted white sesame seeds
5g. toasted black sesame seeds
50 g. toasted coconut
2 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. smoked hot paprika
100 g. powdered sugar
salt to taste
Directions:
Passion Fruit Panna Cotta:
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and whisk to incorporate. Cook,
whisking continuously, until the mixture comes to a boil. - Set a timer for 2 minutes then pour the mixture through a chinois strainer
into a deli container. - Portion into bowls and set in the refrigerator until the mixture is completely
set.
Coconut Sorbet:
In a pot, mix the purées and water. In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients
and cast into pot.
- Cook on medium-high and whisk until the mixture is
incorporated and comes to a simmer. - Pour the mixture through a chinois into a bowl in an ice bath and cool completely. Let base cool overnight before spinning.
Cashew Cereal Crunch:
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Store at room
temperature in an airtight container.
Assembly:
- Spread the Cashew Cereal Crunch on top of the Passion Fruit Panna Cotta.
- Top with a scoop of Coconut Sorbet and garnish with shaved coconut and
flower petals. Serve immediately.
Dessert Cocktail Recipes
Baileys Cinnamon Churros Irish Cactus
Ingredients:
4 oz Baileys Cinnamon Churros Irish Cream Liqueur
2 oz Tequila Don Julio Reposado
Directions:
- Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice.
- Shake well and strain into two rocks glass with fresh ice.
- Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
Cinnamon Maple Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
2 oz Mash & Mallow
0.25 oz Maple Syrup
2 Dashes Cinnamon Bitters
1 Dash Angostura Bitters
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in mixing glass.
- Stir with ice.
- Strain over ice, garnish with orange peel.
Ilegal Mezcal El Chapulín
Ingredients:
1 oz creme de menthe
1 oz cream
1 oz crema de cacao
1 oz Ilegal Mezcal Joven
Directions:
Add to shaker.
Shake until chilled and strain into stemmed glass.
Garnish with Mexican chocolate.
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