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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!