Ruby Cheesecake Mini Trifles

Ruby Cheesecake Mini Trifles
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Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and here I am with a pink dessert. And it makes me feel like a fraud. Every year, my brain is inundated with Valentine-friendly recipe ideas. This behavior would suggest that I’m a rabid fan of Love’s Day but honestly, it doesn’t get more than a shrug from me. I don’t hate it and I don’t love it. I am ambivalent. And yet, I love crafting date night menus. The romance of domesticity is my jam. So here is a very pink dessert in honor of a day I care very little about because I can’t help myself. These Ruby Cheesecake Mini Trifles feature a layer of blood orange jelly, brownie bits, and ruby chocolate cheesecake mousse topped with whipped cream, a blood orange segment, and a bourbon-soaked cherry. I may be iffy about the holiday but I am head over heels for these beauties.

Blood orange on a cutting board

Now, before we dig into how to make these lovelies, I am going to warn you. These mini trifles will ask you to make the equivalent of three desserts: brownie, cheesecake mousse, and blood orange jelly. And yes, you will have leftovers from these recipes. But I have yet to find a person who is upset about finding stray brownies in the fridge. So I struggle to see the downside to this. 

Juicing blood oranges into a bowl.

We’re going to start with the blood orange jelly because it needs time to set. Start by soaking 2 gelatine sheets in cold water. Next, juice six blood oranges. Strain the juice into a small saucepan. This should give you about 2/3 cup of juice. Add a tablespoon and a teaspoon of granulated sugar and bring the mixture to a simmer. Take the juice off of the heat and add the gelatine sheets. Whisk until they dissolve. Divide the juice mixture across four glasses. These are the glasses I used. They have a 220 ml (7.4 oz) capacity. Place them in the fridge and leave them to set completely. This should take 2-3 hours. 

Blood orange jelly in glasses ready to be chilled.

While the jelly is gelling, let’s tackle the brownies. Now, this recipe is one you’ve seen before in my Hazelnut Brownie recipe minus the milk chocolate chips and hazelnuts. It’s my go-to brownie recipe because it makes fudgy, chewy, and decadent brownies. It’s everything I look for in a brownie, so why mess with a good thing? Start by melting a lot (too many?) of chocolate chips and butter in a double boiler. Crack in 3 eggs, add sugar, a splash of vanilla, and a dash of salt. The salt is truly important. Sift in a little flour and baking powder and stir until no streaks remain. Bake for 35 minutes.

Flour sifted into melted chocolate to make brownies.
Brownie bits in a bowl.

Now, for the hard part – waiting for the brownies to cool. Have you ever lived with a pan of freshly baked brownies you’re not allowed to eat? It is as close to torture as I ever want to get. But persevere. Once the brownies are cooled, break half of the batch into little bits. Yes, you read that correctly, the remaining half of the brownies are unclaimed and available for eating. You are welcome! Place the brownie bits on top of the set blood orange jelly and return the glasses to the fridge.

Melted ruby chocolate poured over softened cream cheese.
Ruby Cheesecake mousse

Okay, we’re on the home stretch now. Mousse is up next! Melt some ruby chocolate in a double boiler and pour it over a brick of softened cream cheese. Sift in some powdered sugar and whip until very smooth. Add the juice of half a blood orange and a little pink color gel. The color gel is optional. I have a bit of a pink obsession, so if the question is more pink or less pink, my answer is always going to be more.

Ruby Cheesecake Mini Trifles

In a separate bowl, whip some heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Pile the cream into the bowl with the cream cheese mixture and fold until no streaks remain. Transfer the mousse to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe the mousse into the glasses. Using the back of a spoon, make a slight indent on the surface of the mousse. This is where we’re going to put our garnishes. Place the glasses in the fridge and let chill for an hour.

Ruby Cheesecake Mini Trifles

Now, let’s finish these Ruby Cheesecake Mini Trifles off! Whip a little extra cream and place it in a piping bag with the fancy piping tip of your choice. Pipe the cream into that indent you made earlier and top with a blood orange segment and a bourbon-soaked cherry. You can either chill these desserts until ready to serve or you can serve them immediately.

And that’s everything you need to know about these Ruby Cheesecake Mini Trifles! Rich, indulgent, and so pretty-in-pink, these are the ultimate sweets for your sweetie.

Enjoy!

Ruby Cheesecake Mini Trifles

Ruby Cheesecake Mini Trifles

These Ruby Cheesecake Mini Trifles feature blood orange jelly, brownie bits, and a ruby chocolate cheesecake mousse with a cherry on top.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 40 minutes
Chilling Time 4 hours
Course Dessert
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 4 glasses with 220ml (7.4oz) capacity
  • 1 small saucepan
  • 1 heat-proof bowl
  • 1 8×8 pan
  • 1 hand mixer
  • 1 piping bag
  • 1 large round piping tip
  • 1 large closed star piping tip

Ingredients
  

Blood Orange Jelly

  • 2 sheets gelatine**
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 6 blood oranges juiced
  • 4 tsp granulated sugar

Brownies

  • 255g (9oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter cut into cubes
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp kosher salt

Ruby Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse

  • 120g (4oz) ruby chocolate
  • 225g (8oz) cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ blood orange juiced
  • tsp coral color gel optional
  • 1 cup heavy cream

To Serve

  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 1 blood orange segmented
  • 4 bourbon soaked cherries

Instructions
 

For the Jelly

  • Place two gelatine sheets in the cold water. Set aside to soak.
    2 sheets gelatine**, ½ cup cold water
  • Strain the orange juice into a small saucepan and stir in the sugar. Put the mixture over medium heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Take it off of the heat. Wring the gelatine out and place it in the orange juice mixture. Stir until it dissolves.
    6 blood oranges, 4 tsp granulated sugar
  • Transfer the mixture to a small pitcher and divide it across four glasses. Transfer the glasses to the fridge and let set for 2-3 hours.

For the Brownies

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Place the chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl. Place the bowl over the mouth of a small saucepan filled 1/3 of the way with simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter melt.
    255g (9oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips, ½ cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • Beat the eggs into the chocolate one at a time. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt. Stir to combine.
    3 large eggs, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract, ½ tsp kosher salt
  • Using a fine mesh strainer, sift the flour and baking powder into the chocolate mixture. Stir until no streaks remain. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.
    ⅔ cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking powder
  • Let the brownies cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Let cool completely.
  • When the brownies are completely cooled, cut the batch in half. Store one half and break the remaining half into bite-sized pieces. Place the pieces on top of the blood orange jelly.

For the Mousse

  • Pour the chocolate into a heat-proof bowl and place the bowl over a small saucepan filled a 1/3 of the way with simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate melts.
    120g (4oz) ruby chocolate
  • Pour the chocolate over the cream cheese in a large bowl. Using a fine mesh strainer, sift in the powdered sugar. Beat the cream cheese, chocolate, and sugar together using a hand mixer. Add the orange juice and the color gel, if using, and beat again.
    225g (8oz) cream cheese, ½ cup powdered sugar, ½ blood orange, ⅛ tsp coral color gel
  • In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Add the cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold until no streaks remain.
    1 cup heavy cream
  • Transfer the mousse to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe the mousse into the glasses. Using the back of a spoon, create and indent on the surface of the mousse. Place the glasses in the fridge and let chill for 1 hour.

To Serve

  • Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with a large close star piping tip.
    ¼ cup heavy cream
  • Pipe the whipped cream into the mousse indents you made earlier. Garnish with a blood orange segment and bourbon soaked cherry. Chill until ready to serve or serve immediately.
    1 blood orange, 4 bourbon soaked cherries

Notes

** If you don’t have sheet gelatine, bloom 2 teaspoons of powdered gelatine in a 1/4 cup of cold water instead. 
Keyword blood orange, brownies, chocolate, Cream, mousse

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