Weekend Bakes: Gingerbread, Whisky, & White Chocolate Mousse Snow Globes with The Lakes Distillery

Up your festive dessert game with The Lakes Whisky

An easy dessert with a whisky kick, this white chocolate mousse can be whipped up in less that 2 hours. Using The One Orange Wine Cask Finished Whisky from the Lakes Distillery, the white chocolate is complemented beautifully by the fresh lychee, marmalade and hints of tobacco from the casks of the exceptionally rare aromatised wine, known as ‘Vino de Naranja’ from Huelva in Andalucía.

If you haven’t the time or inclination to make the gingerbread houses, a ginger biscuit for dipping works just as well.

Serves 4-6:

Ingredients:

For the gingerbread

• 100g dark brown sugar
• 3tbsp golden syrup
• 125g unsalted butter
• 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 350g plain flour
• 2tsp ground ginger
• 150g royal icing sugar

For the mousse:

• 50ml The Lakes Distillery The One Orange Cask Finished Whisky
• 125g white chocolate, chopped
• 1 egg
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 leaf of gelatine (soaked in cold water)
• 300ml double cream

Method:

1. Start by making a template for your gingerbread houses. Cut out two 3cm by 2cm rectangles for the sides, two 3cm by 3cm squares for the roof panels, and two 2cm by 3cm rectangles for the front and back, snipping the top section into a triangle shape.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C (fan)/gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with baking paper in preparation.
3. Combine the butter, sugar, and golden syrup in a small saucepan. Gently heat until the butter and sugar have dissolved.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour, ginger, and bicarbonate of soda. Bring the dough together with your hands and roll it out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out 6 gingerbread houses and transfer to the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 7-12 minutes, or until the gingerbread is golden. Leave to cool completely.
5. Whilst the gingerbread is cooling, melt the white chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water.
6. Remove the bowl from the pan. Replace with a fresh bowl containing the egg and caster sugar. Whisk vigorously until thick and frothy.
7. Carefully heat the whisky until it starts to steam and the scent fills the kitchen. Whisk in the soaked gelatine.
8. Add the whisky to the egg mixture, then add the egg mixture to the white chocolate.
9. Whip the double cream until peaks form. Fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream,
10. Divide the whisky mousse between 6 glasses. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
11. Mix the royal icing sugar with a little water until thick, but pipeable. Use the royal icing to construct and decorate the gingerbread houses. Pop a gingerbread house on top of each mousse, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve immediately.

The Lakes Distillery The One Whisky is limited to 2994 bottles and can be purchased here.