A Japanese Halloween Dessert: Hojicha & Black Sesame Mousse

As the air turns crisp and autumn settles in, it's a lovely time to enjoy desserts with warm, roasted flavors and fragrant spices. This hojicha mousse combines the deep aroma of roasted green tea with the nutty richness of black sesame along ginger, allspice, and a distinctive Japanese spice adding gentle warmth and an autumnal fragrance.

About the Ingredients

Hojicha

Hojicha, 焙じ茶, is a roasted green tea with a fragrant, toasty aroma and a smooth, mellow flavor. For this recipe, we recommend a dark-roasted hojicha. Its rich, roasted flavor gives the mousse a deeper character and pairs well with black sesame and the warm spices.

To bring out the full flavor of the tea, if your hojicha leaves are relatively large, gently crush them by hand before using them. Making the leaves a little finer helps them release their flavor more easily during the infusion. The hojicha leaves are then steeped in warm milk and gently simmered. This creates a concentrated hojicha infusion with a beautiful roasted aroma and rich flavor.

A lightly roasted hojicha can also be used if you prefer a more delicate tea flavor, although the finished mousse will have a lighter color and a gentler roasted character.

Black sesame

For the black sesame crumble, we use this powder, a fragrant powder made with black sesame seeds, kinako (roasted soy flour) ,cane sugar, and a touch of salt.

If you don't have this powder, you can substitute black sesame powder. Depending on how sweet your black sesame powder is, you may want to add a little sugar to taste.

Karaki

Known in the Okinawan language, as Karaki or Karagi, Okinawa cinnamon is a type of cinnamon that grows in the northern part of Okinawa Island. Traditionally, the bark and roots have been used as a spice and traditional medicinal ingredient. Like the bark and roots, leaves can also be used and have a pleasant flavor and aroma. They can be used as dried leaves or powder.

For this recipe, we use Karaki leaf powder. The powder has a beautiful green color, a gentle sweetness, and a soft, fragrant aroma that adds a subtle warmth to the hojicha mousse. It also complements the roasted notes of the tea. If you don't have Karaki, cinnamon powder makes an easy substitute.

Hojicha & Black Sesame Mousse Recipe

Makes: 3-5 servings

Ingredients

Hojicha Mousse

• 220ml (scant 1 cup) milk
• 10g hojicha leaves
• 35g (about 3 tbsp) sugar
• A small pinch of karaki powder
• A small pinch of ground ginger
• A small pinch of allspice
• 5g powdered gelatin
• 30ml (2 tbsp)water
• 100ml (scant ½ cup) heavy cream
  

Black Sesame Crumble

• 25g (about 3 tbsp) black sesame powder 　
• 40g (about 1½ oz) plain biscuits
• 10g (about 2¼ tsp) unsalted butter
  

Instructions

Hojicha Moousse

1. Bloom the gelatin: Sprinkle the powdered gelatin over 30 ml of water and leave it for about 10 minutes to bloom.
2. Make the hojicha infusion: Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat until just before boiling. Remove from the heat and add the hojicha leaves, and let steep for 2-3 minutes. Return the saucepan to low heat and gently simmer for another 2–3 minutes. Strain the hojicha leaves, then transfer the warm hojicha milk to a clean bowl. Add the spices and sugar, and stir until completely dissolved.
3. Add the gelatin: Add the bloomed gelatin to the warm hojicha milk and stir until completely dissolved.
4. Cool the mixture: Place the bottom of the bowl in ice water. Stir gently with a rubber spatula, until the mixture has cooled and thickened slightly.
5. Whip the cream: In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until it reaches a soft, medium peak—about seven-tenths whipped, so that it is thick enough to hold its shape but still soft.
6. Combine and chill: Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled hojicha mixture until smooth and evenly combined. Divide the mousse between 3-5 serving cups and refrigerate until set.

Black Sesame Crumble

1. Place the biscuits in a bag and crush them into rough crumbs.
2. Add the black sesame powder, then pour in the melted butter and mix until the crumbs are evenly coated and the mixture comes together into a loose crumble.
   

Decorate

• Once the mousse has completely set, sprinkle the crumble on top. Add a simple Halloween decoration if desired.

 

 

Shop the Ingredients

0318.K5 Hinokuni Kumamoto: Dark Roast Hojicha - Kuro

#0431 Black Sesame (Kurogoma) Latte by Kuki Sangyo

Kugani Kitchen: Karaki Okinawan Cinnamon Powder

 

Halloween Recipes

Black Sesame and Matcha Monster Cake Recipe

Hojicha Pumpkin Latte Recipe

Pumpkin Shiratama Dango (Mochi balls) Recipe