Pumpkin Mousse Lasagna

This is a yummy dessert that could very easily be done in a trifle dish and then be called a Pumpkin Mousse Trifle, since the recipe I was following called is a lasagna and opted to put this in a springform pan, then I chose to call this a lasagna, for this blog post.  Now this is a yummy one, but man alive, it didn't turn out like I expected!  If I decide to make this again I will either put it in a trifle dish or just a standard square dish.  It ended up being much softer than expected, but I"ll get to that later.

If you look closely, you will notice that instead of a can of Libby's pumpkin I accidentally pulled out a can of yams!  I didn't realize my mistake until I open said can of yams, which I of course didn't use, so no real harm, but I sure felt dumb knowing I was going to be posting this picture!  This picture also doesn't include powdered sugar, mini chocolate chips and the pecans I did use, forgive me!  To start off, I softened my cream cheese before whipping it for a couple of minutes.  I then added the whipping cream, sugar, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice.

Once that is all mixed together, add 1 8oz container of cool whip.

Once it is all mixed together, it is time to start layering everything up.  On a side note, this basic mousse mixture would be good by itself with a dollop of cool whip and maybe sprinkle a little pumpkin pie spice.  It would probably good in just about any recipe where you needed a creamy layer or filling.  So the recipe I was following used a spring form pan that she lined with parchment paper, so I did the same thing.

Then a layer of graham crackers that for some random reason I broke up the pieces into more bite size pieces. 

The next layer is 1/3 of the pumpkin mousse.

Then a sprinkle of chocolate chips and pecan pieces.

Then a thin layer of cool whip.

It was tricky to do a thin enough layer of cool whip so I ended up running short, but I'll explain what I did about that at the end. The layers then get repeated, since I realized that there was no good reason to break up the graham crackers as small as I did, I kept them larger for the rest of the layers.

The final layer is cool whip and then garnished with chocolate chips and pecan pieces.  It does need to be stored in the fridge for at least 4 hours so the crackers can get nice and soft.

Now, onto my issues with this and while I won't be making this again in a spring form pan!  I took the sides off and it almost immediately started to ooze.  When I started cutting it, the oozing increased.  So much so that after taking this picture I attempted to put the sides back on.  I lost a lot of filling in the process!  It almost became easier to scoop rather than try to slice and serve it.  Since attempting to serve this I have reviewed the original recipe to make sure I didn't mess anything up, which I can't tell that I did.  I will give you the link and maybe one of you can tell my why mine turned out so soft!  Since I am linking the original recipe I will let you know that I added the pecans, that wasn't part of it but I love pecans and thought the extra crunch aspect to a soft dessert would be a nice touch.  In regards to the cool whip, the recipe called for 2 8oz containers, when it came time for layering, that 1 container wasn't enough.  I ended up using the extra heavy whipping cream to give me enough to cover the top. 
Now speaking of heavy whipping cream, I have made numerous desserts that call for it, but I always had to whip it up right before serving since it would start to separate or fall fairly quickly.  I recently found a neat little trick to keep your whipped cream stabilized.  Get your whipping cream to the soft peaks stage.  At this point put 2 Tbls of cold water in a small dish and add 1 tsp of unflavored gelatin.  Let it sit for a couple of minutes before adding that to your whipped cream. This addition will keep your whipped cream stabilized. 
Anyway, back to the lasagna.... It tasted great and everyone enjoyed it, and I do see myself making it again.  

Pumpkin Mousse Lasagna

8 oz Cream cheese, softened

1/4 C Heavy whipping cream

1 C Powdered sugar

1/2 can Pumpkin (Libbys 15oz)

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 8oz container + 1 12oz container of cool whip

1 Box Graham crackers

1 C Mini chocolate chips 

1/2 C Chopped pecans

 

1. Allow cream cheese to soften to room temperature. You can soften in the microwave for twenty seconds.
2. Whip cream cheese with your whisk attachment on medium for at least two minute until fluffy.
3. Add heavy cream and continue to beat, increasing speed to medium high until heavy cream in mixed into cream cheese.
4. Add powdered sugar, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Mix on medium speed until well blended.
5. Add 1 of the 8oz container of Cool Whip and mix until combined. Plan on splitting this mousse into thirds for your lasagna.
6. Cover the bottom of your pan with graham crackers. You can break the crackers into pieces in order to get in the nook and crannies. Feel free to increase the thickness of the crackers if you can leave it in the fridge for extra time.
7. Cover graham crackers with a layer of the pumpkin mousse. Add a small handful of mini chocolate chips and pecans on top and cover with a thin layer of cool whip. Repeat this twice so that you end up with three layers.
8. Sprinkle the top layer with mini chocolate chips and pecans.
9. I suggest to allow at least four hours in the fridge for the graham crackers to soften.

In case some of you are interested, here is where I found the recipe.  My pictures look truly pathetic next to hers, hopefully you won't judge me for that but maybe you will have better luck with it than I did!

http://beyondfrosting.com/2013/09/05/pumpkin-pie-lasagna/