Christmas single serving

Name: Christmas single serving
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Butter at room temperature 7 tbsp; Brown sugar &frac13; cup; Sugar ¼ cup; Vanilla bean 2; Dark chocolate 70% 3.5 oz; Unsweetened cocoa powder 2.67 tbsp; Baking soda 4; Type 00 flour 1 cup; Salt 1.7 tsp; Lychees puree ¾ cup; Raspberries puree ¼ cup; Cornstarch 2 ½ tsp; Rice starch 1 tsp; Sugar 2 ½ tbsp; White chocolate 8.8 oz; Fresh liquid cream 1 cup; Egg yolks 3 ½ tbsp; Gelatin in sheets 0.4 oz; Whole milk 1.4 tbsp; Vanilla bean 1

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Difficulty: Difficult
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Average
Note + 3 hours of cooling

PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Frau Knam

Christmas single-serving recipes in Italy are really catching on, especially with treats like this one, inspired by the famous Frau Knam. It's the perfect mix of tradition and modern pastry art. And here's the thing—a crispy dark chocolate crumble is the base, topped with a silky white chocolate mousse that really melts in your mouth, plus a bright, jewel-toned raspberry and lychee gelée on top. Pretty much like unwrapping a little gift just for you. People love adding these individual Christmas desserts to their holiday tables alongside panettone or pandoro. The contrast of tender mousse and crunchy crumble? Seriously good. It’s a dessert that looks fancy yet brings a cozy, festive vibe that's perfect for any Italian Christmas meal.

Why opt for a big cake when you can have single-portion holiday meals that look and taste amazing? Layers here don't just differ in flavor, but in interaction—sweet white chocolate, a bright, almost zesty pop from the fruit gelée, and deep, dark chocolate for a rich finish. Many say it pairs wonderfully with espresso or even prosecco. Which is great. Perfect for impressing guests or just indulging yourself. These Christmas single-serving recipes are stylish but small enough to keep things light—which is handy when you've already devoured plenty of traditional sweets. For those into individual Christmas desserts, this one’s way way better than the usual, thanks to careful layers and authentic Italian pastry techniques. Each spoonful offers a bit of everything—moist mousse, a bit of crunch, and that lively hit from the fruit. Really really good. That’s why these desserts are a hit with anyone who loves a personal-sized treat during the holidays.

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for the crumble: Butter 7 tbsp (100 g) - at room temperature; Brown sugar ⅓ cup (80 g); Sugar ¼ cup (40 g); Vanilla bean 2; Dark chocolate 70% 3.5 oz (100 g); Unsweetened cocoa powder 2.67 tbsp (20 g); Baking soda 4; Type 00 flour 1 cup (140 g); Salt 1.7 tsp (10 g)

for the gelée: Lychees ¾ cup (200 g) - puree; Raspberries ¼ cup (50 g) - puree; Cornstarch 2 ½ tsp (10 g); Rice starch 1 tsp (5 g); Sugar 2 ½ tbsp (30 g)

for the white chocolate mousse: White chocolate 8.8 oz (250 g); Fresh liquid cream 1 cup (250 g); Egg yolks 3 ½ tbsp (50 g); Gelatin in sheets 0.4 oz (10 g); Whole milk 1.4 tbsp (20 g); Vanilla bean 1

Preparation of the crumble

To prepare the Christmas single serving, start with the crumble. Chop the dark chocolate 1. In a bowl, pour the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar 2. Mix the mixture with your hands 3.

When it is well combined 4, add the vanilla seeds 5 and the chopped chocolate 6.

The cocoa powder 7 and continue mixing with your hands 8. In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in a little water 9.

Add it to the combined mixture 10, also add the salt 11 and the flour 12.

Knead quickly 13 and crumble the obtained dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 14, distributing it evenly 15. Let it rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Bake in a preheated static oven at 329°F for about 12 minutes.

Preparation of the gelée

Work on the gelée: in a bowl, mix the sugar with corn starch 16 and rice flour 17. Pour the lychee puree 18 and raspberry puree into a saucepan.

Bring to a boil 19, then pour in the powders and stir 20. Cook for 2 minutes 21 and let cool.

Preparation of the mousse

Move on to the mousse: put the gelatin in cold water to soften it 22 for about 10 minutes. Then pour it into 0.85 oz of warm milk 23 and stir to dissolve it well 34.

In a bowl, pour the melted white chocolate, add the vanilla seeds 25, the egg yolks 26, and the gelatin dissolved in milk 27.

Stir to combine 28. In another bowl, pour the fresh cream 29 and whip it with an electric whisk until semi-firm 30.

Incorporate the cream into the mousse 31, whip again with a hand whisk 32 to obtain a fluffy mousse 33.

Composition

Retrieve the cooked crumble 34. Take 4 single serving glasses of 7.8 fl oz and pour a spoonful of crumble on the bottom 35, cover with a spoonful of mousse 36.

Make a second layer of crumble 37 and mousse. Let it set in the freezer for an hour and then complete with the gelée 38. Serve your Christmas single serving 39.