Recipe: ‘Pumpkin Mousse Trifle’ from Epcot’s 2011 Food and Wine Festival

Although I must confess to not having tried it myself this past year at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival at the Walt Disney World Resort, it was impossible for me to ignore the constant raves regarding the pumpkin mousse available at the American Adventure pavilion.

Although I didn’t read it before it was apparently deleted, a tweet from @WaltDisneyWorld leads me to believe that the recipe for the pumpkin mousse was published online, if but for a short time. Thus I am pleased to be able to bring you the official recipe from Walt Disney Parks and Resorts as relayed via a press release from Ocean Spray, one of the event’s sponsors.

Note however that the recipe comes with the warning that it has been sized down proportionally from the kitchen sized proportions required by the Epcot theme park, so ‘flavor profile may vary.’

Pumpkin Mousse Trifle with Cranberries and Apricot-Orange Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 store-bought spice cake mix, prepared per package directions and cooled
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 egg yolk (or 1/4 cup pasteurized egg yolks)
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin pie filling
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries , plus extra as garnish

Directions:
Prepare cake as following package directions. Cool completely. Cut into cubes and set aside.

To make streusel:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a sheet pan with foil; set aside.

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar and sugar in a medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir until mixture is crumbly. Pour onto prepared sheet pan

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool; crumble into small pieces. Set aside.

To make apricot-orange sauce:
Combine apricot jam and orange juice in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together until smooth. Set aside.

To make pumpkin mousse:
Combine egg yolk and pumpkin pie filling in a medium mixing bowl.

Place white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stopping every 30 seconds to stir. Stir melted white chocolate into pumpkin mixture.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, whip cream in a medium mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into pumpkin mixture.

To assemble trifle:
Place a dollop of mousse at the bottom of a serving dish. Top with Craisins® dried cranberries and a drizzle of sauce. Place a few cubes of cake over mousse. Top with another layer of mousse, Craisins® and sauce, then top with streusel. Garnish with a few Craisins® on top.

Makes 6-8 servings.