A perfect dessert goes well with everything else, makes you reminiscent of the earlier courses, and ties the whole meal together. Rich and creamy, they are the perfect end to any meal or party. In fact, I know some people who would even miss a course of the main meal to save space for an extra dose of the dessert. What is more, nowadays hosts are getting very creative with the desserts. Although cakes and pastries are everyone’s favourite, people are thinking beyond the usual options, and exploring a larger variety including mousses, cheesecakes and cupcakes. So, to keep up with the current trends, I bring to you a horde of novel desserts in this book: “Mousses, Cheesecakes & Cupcakes”.

Apart from widening your choice, the desserts covered in this book also come with an element of convenience, since they can be made in advance! However, making them needs a good amount of planning, understanding and practice. Do not fret; this book serves as a detailed guide, giving you instructions on every aspect—right from making the mousses, cheesecakes and cupcakes to decorating and presenting them. Just remember that the success of these recipes lies in following the procedure perfectly, and being meticulous while measuring the ingredients. Even a slight variation might land you with a messy dessert.

I have divided the book into three sections, namely, Mousses, Cheesecakes and Cupcakes. Each section has a brief introduction on the ingredients that go into the making of these luscious desserts along with pointers to be kept in mind while making them. A piece of advice from my side is to read these pointers carefully before making any of the recipes from this book.

The book begins with a section on Mousses, where I have presented 13 interesting options. So, what is so special about these? Worldwide, mousses are commonly made with egg as a setting ingredient. For my vegetarian readers, I have made these mousses comprising of either agar-agar or chocolate itself as a setting agent. From the evergreen Chocolate Mousse, page…., and Strawberry Mousse, page…., to the innovative Coconut Pineapple Mousse, page… and Caramelised Apple Mousse, page…, there are umpteen delectable recipes to be enjoyed in this section. I have also shared a traditional mousse, the Thandai Mousse, page… to be enjoyed by the whole family.

The second section focuses on Cheesecakes, a class of desserts I love! Cheesecakes are crunchier when compared to other desserts like cakes, pastries, mousses or even cupcakes. The biscuit base of the cheesecakes is what makes it different from the others. With whipped cream, butter, fresh cream and cream cheese as basic ingredients, just a small portion of cheesecake can be quite satiating! All-time favourites like Chocolate Cheesecake, page…, and Blueberry Cheesecake, page…, are presented along with fruit-based cheesecakes like Peach Cheesecake, page…, Mango cheesecake, page…, etc.

Cupcakes, the third variety of dessert covered in this book, is indeed a very versatile one—it can be made as simple or as grand as you want. It is a very popular dessert option because it comes in small, easy-to-handle portions, and is quite simple to prepare. Thereafter, rich frostings with colourful garnishes can be used to add to its appeal. We have shown a few frosting ideas here, but you can use different kinds of nozzles to shape your frostings in varied ways. The garnishes can also be changed as per your choice. In short, you can start with a simple sponge and morph it into a delectable dessert with various frosting and garnishing ideas! Oreo Cupcake, page…, Chocolate Chip Cupcake, page…, and some unique combinations like Cinnamon Cupcake, page…, and Coffee walnut Cupcake, page…, feature in this section.

In short, this book will help you conjure up a dessert that diners will remember all night, and for all the days to come thereafter! Get going, win as many hearts as you can, and may people remember you as a chef par excellence.