Matcha Tofu Mousse Cake

No bake.
Serve chilled.
Asian flavor.
Healthy-ish (with tofu).

This was a tasty birthday cake for my brother's 28th last week. It was well received by the most harsh critics aka family. The sweetness was just right for my diabetic mom, and the matcha flavor was present without being bitter or unpleasant for my matcha- sensitive dad.

Exactly 7 years ago, on my brother's 21st, was when I attempted my first ever mousse cake. It was a matcha red bean mousse (see picture below)! How ambitious was I to make two flavors for my first cake? From what I remembered, the cake tasted decent. Maybe a bit sweet and a bit thin.. but hey! It was my first cake. It's amazing to see how far I've come in this baking journey.

Matcha Tofu Mousse Cake
recipe adapted from My Vitasoy
makes one 6" or 8" cake

Crust:

80g graham cracker crust
40g unsalted butter, melted

Matcha Mousse:

1/3 cup silken tofu, pureed
2 Tbsp matcha powder
1/4 cup soymilk
4 Tbsp (84g) honey
1 Tbsp gelatin
2 yolks
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp sugar

matcha powder, to dust on top

crust: added some grounded pecans to make up 80g

puree the tofu

super smooth tofu!

mix tofu with matcha powder

wait till matcha mixture is cooled before folding in cream!

pour into pan

and smooth top!

1. Mix together graham cracker crust and melted butter. Press down evenly on the bottom of a 6" lined pan. Set aside in freezer or optional- bake crust at 325F for 8-10 mins until lightly toasted and fragrant.
2. In small saucepan, bring soymilk and honey to a boil. Turn heat down to medium, add gelatin and stir till dissolved.
3. In bowl with yolks, whisk in a little bit of the hot liquid to temper. Pour egg mixture back into soymilk and cook on medium heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Strain into a bowl. Set aside to cool.
4. Whisk together pureed tofu and matcha powder until lump free.
5. Whisk tofu mixture with egg mixture until smooth. Set aside.
6. Whisk together heavy cream and sugar on high until stiff peaks.
7. Gently fold whipped cream into matcha mixture.
8. Pour mixture on top of prepared crust. Smooth top with spatula and lightly tap pan on table to make sure there are no gaps on the edges.
9. Refrigerate for 4-5 hours or until mousse sets.

after chilling

nice smooth edges!

This cake will become one of my staples for sure. Note to self: remember to wait till matcha mixture is cooled before folding in the cream. My cake could've been fluffier.. maybe. 

Taste: 5 stars out of 5

Prominent matcha flavor; sweetness just right. Maybe add a pinch of salt to crust next time!

Texture: 5 stars out of 5

Light, fluffy, and smooth mousse; crust could be more crisp.

Tofu Chocolate Mousse Puffs

These tofu chocolate mousse puffs are best consumed when fresh.

Crispy shells with a rich tofu chocolate mousse. Nom!

Tofu Chocolate Mousse

recipe adapted from Wildwood

28 oz firm tofu
11oz dark chocolate
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
5oz chocolate soy milk

1. Drain water from tofu and blend until smooth.
2. Add vanilla extract and soy milk, blend briefly.
3. Melt chocolate in double boiler.
4. Combine melted chocolate and tofu in blender.
*check consistency; add more soy milk if needed
5. Chill in fridge until use.

Blend tofu until smooth.

Melt chocolate over double boiler.

Keep an eye on this to avoid burning.

Combine melted chocolate with tofu.

This recipe is literally just combining all the ingredients together. Instead of melting chocolate in double boiler, simplify it by melting it in the microwave on intervals! A good mousse has to be smooth, light and fluffy, so I would also suggest sieving the tofu mixture before the addition of the melted chocolate.

I decided to serve them in a puff. Alternatively, serve them atop crushed graham crackers in a cup or in a pie crust. The crispy hard texture of the crackers/crust will complement well with the mousse. 

Cream Puff Shells

1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1 cup AP flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
4 or 5 eggs, room temperature 

1. Place milk and butter in pan and bring to a boil.
2. Add flour mixture in one swoop and stir quickly with a wooden spoon.
3. Remove from heat when paste becomes dry and does not cling to the spoon or sides of pan.
4. Cool for about 2 mins.
5. Add eggs one at a time and beat vigorously after each addition until smooth.
*check consistency; batter should be smooth and gently falls back on itself when piped.
6. Pipe or spoon golf ball sized rounds onto parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes and lower to 350F for 20 more minutes or until puffs are golden and thoroughly cooked.
8. Remove from oven and pierce with a pairing knife to release steam.
9. Let cool and fill with mousse!

Bring milk and butter to a boil.

Add eggs one at a time and beat vigorously.

Texture should be smooth.

Looking back, I probably should've added 5 eggs. The batter was on the thick side making it hard to spoon. They still puffed up nicely though.

Pipe them 1-1.5" apart.

Remove from oven and cut a slit on the side/bottom to release the steam.

The puffs were lovely bite size indulgence. The tofu/soymilk replacing the usual heavy cream resulted in a denser less fluffy mousse. The tofu flavor was subtle and hardly detectable. The puffs served as the perfect vehicle to carry the mousse- crispy/flaky shell hollowed to fit just the right amount of mousse!

Taste: 3.5 stars out of 5

Texture: 4 stars out of 5

Mexican Chocolate Tofu Fudge Tart

Sick of my tofu theme yet? Here's another one - Mexican Chocolate Tofu Mousse Tart. Possibly the last one until I set my eyes on another tofu sweets, but hey.. these no bake tofu recipes are so simple and take no time to whip up. And bonusES, there's not much dishes to wash either, and they are sort of healthy for you with the high protein content! I've given you no excuse to not make one of these even on a lazy weeknight. Not unless you hate chocolate.. or tofu. But then, you won't be reading this if you do. So give it a try! Prep and whip, head to bed, and wake up to some tasty chocolate tart.

This particular chocolate tofu mousse is pretty indulgent and satisfies my big sweet tooth just right. The tofu provides the structure of the mousse and you won't be able to detect any soy flavor actually.

What makes this Mexican? I don't really know, but maybe the addition of cinnamon, nutmeg, and paprika. The flavor turned out distinctly spiced and well balanced. The spices were not overwhelming and simply elevated the flavor from being just an ordinary chocolate tart to something exotic for the taste buds.

Mexican Chocolate Tofu Mousse Tart
recipe inspired from Kiki Cuisine's Mexican Chocolate Pie and Chocolate Covered Katie's The Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Pie
makes one 6" tart (& a bit extra mousse)

120g graham crackers, crushed
60g melted butter

1tsp cinnamon
1/4tsp nutmeg

349g (12.3oz) silken tofu
1 1/2tsp cocoa powder
1tsp vanilla extract
2tbsp milk (*reduced fat)
1/8tsp salt
8oz chocolate chips (*semi sweet)

2-3tbsp sweetener (*reduced to 1tsp honey)

Optional spices:
1/4tsp instant espresso
1/2tsp cinnamon

Sprinkle of paprika

Next time, I will probably top this with some cinnamon cream:
1cup heavy cream
2tbsp sugar
1/4tsp vanilla extract

2 large pinches of cinnamon

tofu mixture, crust prepped, chocolate not yet melted

melt the chocolate

whisk together everything else
optional: use food processor and strain through sieve

fold melted chocolate into tofu

1. In a bowl, combine crushed graham crackers, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add melted butter and mix thoroughly. Press down evenly on the bottom and sides of a 6" tart pan. Bake at 325F for 5-8 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside to cool while prepping the filling.

2. Melt chocolate chips over double boiler until smooth. Set aside.
3. Whisk together silken tofu, cocoa, vanilla, milk, salt, sweetener, and any optional spices. Alternatively, blend until smooth in food processor or blender.
4. Strain through sieve for silky texture. (*skipped this time)

5. Fold melted chocolate into tofu mix until combined.
6. Pour onto chilled crust.
7. Cover and chill for at least 1-2 hours or overnight.

8. Dust with powdered sugar or top with cream and enjoy!

pre- dust; the crust is a beauty

innovative way of using cooling racks?

I love the flavor of the mousse and crust with the addition of the spices. Texture-wise, I was expecting whipped cream like fluffiness. It turned out on the dense and fudge-y side which I also enjoyed very much. I should probably call this Mexican Chocolate Tofu Fudge Pie?

I used a tart pan with non- removable bottom and placed a small round sheet of parchment paper as insurance. With some wiggling, the tart slipped out with no problem. The crust was firm enough to handle without breaking. I am really starting to become addicted to this quick and delicious graham cracker crust.

A slice a day keeps the cravings away (:

Taste: 4.5 stars out of 5

The spices were well balanced and exciting

Texture: 4 stars out of 5 as a mousse

5 stars out of 5 as fudge

Should I make some cream puff to use up the leftover mousse/fudge? (;

Lemon and Chocolate Mousse Layered Shortcake

Layered cakes take a lot of planning and preparation. But sometimes, not knowing what you are doing can result in a good surprise!

I originally intended to do a boring simple sponge cake with one layer of whipped cream and strawberries, and then maybe do a coat of whipped cream on the outside.

Well, turned out..

First layer of cake.
Lemon mousse.
Second layer of cake.
Chocolate mousse with cocoa puffs.
Last layer of cake.
All coated with a thin layer of lemon mousse.

this happened.



Being the resourceful me and seeing the bagful of fresh lemons my uncle gave me, I decided to change my direction a bit and do a lemon cake instead. Since my mom loves the lighter chiffon cakes, and this is HER birthday cake after all.. I shall do a lemon chiffon!

Then, my thought process was as follow:
lemon curd!! --> yum --> lemon mousse! --> even yummier! --> lemon goes with chocolate --> chocolate mousse --> oh, and we got cocoa puffs --> why not throw a couple in there for the crunch --> lemon mousse and lemon chiffon --> mm, maybe a regular sponge will do!

Haha.. I totally went adventurous on this cake. (My chocolate mousse was actually made from the espresso ganache I had from the macarons. I just whipped up some heavy whipping cream and mixed the two together. I like the mousse a lot actually!! : D)

I was right on the lemon and chocolate pairing but wrong for thinking that the cocoa puff would still be crunchy after mixing it with the mousse. Overall, I think it lives up to my expectation. I just wish the cake layers were thicker. Next time, I shall double the cake base recipe and make a taller cake.




Japanese Shortcake (sponge cake)
recipe from La Fuji Mama
- makes one 7" or 8" layered cake

4 large eggs, white and yolks separated
4.2 ounces (120 grams, 9.5 tablespoons) granulated sugar, sifted once
3 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4.2 ounces (120 grams, 14 tablespoons) cake flour, sifted 3 times
1.2 ounces (22 grams, 2.3 tablespoons) butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (170 to 180 degrees Celsius). Line a 7 (18cm) or 8-inch circular cake pan with parchment paper, or grease the cake pan with butter, then lightly coat the pan with flour.
2. Add the sugar to the egg whites, and beat the egg whites until they are stiff and glossy.
3. Add the egg yolks to the egg white mixture, and gently whisk until the yolks are incorporated.
4. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and flour (in that order) to the batter and gently fold them into the batter with a spatula. Fold in the melted butter until it is well combined.
5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan, and get rid of any air bubbles in the batter by dropping the pan on a counter once or twice. Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes. The cake is done when it is golden brown and springs back when pressed lightly. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. Run a blade around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake, and remove.

(Lemon Mousse recipe will be updated later)


Lemon mousse taste: 3 stars out of 5 (refreshing and spring- like, slightly overpowering)
Chocolate mousse taste: 4.5 stars out of 5 (delicious!!)
Mousse texture: 4 stars out of 5 (as good as I can make it)
Cake taste: 4 stars out of 5 (firm enough to use for layered cakes)
Cake texture: 4 stars out of 5 (my layers were pretty thin.. I think it was on the fluffier side)