It may seem weird that Nutella – this iconic 80s hazelnut spread – reminds me of Christmas given that I grew up in a communist country whose empty shop shelves could only dream of such Western luxuries. One way or another, my maternal Gran – who was famous in my family for her love of nuts, chocolate and coffee (I have her tastebuds!) – always managed to get her hands on a couple of jars and Nutella is what I would often find under my Xmas tree or under my pillow on 6th of December (St Claus day).
One year, my brother, my cousins and I got Nutella jars as big as our heads and to everyone’s astonishment we polished them off in less than a week despite our parents trying to teach us a bit of moderation and pacing. It did not work and as this was our Xmas present, we got our way. I know most people spread it on toast, but we cut out the middle man and ate it with a spoon straight from the jar! This is perhaps why I still show little restraint around desserts – love in my family was the taste of a chocolate and hazelnut spread… So when I was in London this past weekend, my friend introduced me to a vegan Nutella-like spread that she discovered and I was thrilled as I haven’t had anything like that in years. I got myself a jar under the guise of recipe development 😉 (I’ve hidden them from myself) and the flavour reminded me of a recipe I have had in my notes for ages, a Nutella-inspired chocolate mousse. I considered making it with my purchase but then decided to make it from staple ingredients instead as I don’t want anyone who cannot get hold of a good vegan hazelnut chocolate spread to miss out, plus, their texture tends to rely on palm oil (which even if labelled as ‘sustainably sourced’ can be problematic) and I know that many people aren’t keen on it. This mousse is an amalgamation of my earlier recipes (for peanut butter mousse, chocolate mousse and chocolate caramel mousse) so if hazelnuts and chocolate aren’t your thing (who are you!?) – check them out instead. This dessert is airy and light yet deliciously nutty and chocolatey at the same time. It isn’t difficult to make and the two key skills are making a chocolate ganache and folding said ganache into whipped aquafaba with a bit of care. I’ve given you many helpful tips below, which, if you follow them, will enable you to knock this one out of the park (like my sport obsessed hubby tends to say) and wow your dinner guests, regardless of their stance on veganism.
chopped hazelnuts chocolate shavings vegan whipped cream (like coconut cream), for example
HOMEMADE HAZELNUT BUTTER*
250 g / 8¾ oz unroasted hazelnuts
SEIZED CHOCOLATE: Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is a very sensitive ingredient. It can seize (get lumpy, grainy and greasy) due to being heated too fast, for too long, due to too much stirring, due to coming in contact with water, due to the temperature difference between the ingredients or sometimes, annoyingly, for no reason at all. If your ganache seizes despite taking all of the precautions, you can bring it back by vigorously stirring a little bit (the less the better) of boiling water into it. I find that 2-4 tbsp does the trick usually. Start with 2 tbsp, add more if needed. This recipe makes approximately: 5 x ¾ cup / 180 ml portions. The mousse is quite rich so it could easily stretch to 6 portions.
