Caramel macchiatos will always remind me of my old sister, Kim. When we worked together in D.C., she would always get them at Starbucks, and after I tried one myself, I understood the obsession. Sweet caramel cuts through the bitter coffee, while adding a light bitterness on its own, and the layer of milk or cream, whatever it is, lightens everything up, making for a not too sweet drink that can still get you through the day. So when there were those trending Starbucks bear bottles, I figured, why not break out the silicone bear molds and make some little sleeping bear mousse cakes, flavored by that? I could do an almost tiramisu-like situation, soaking a sponge in coffee, then adding that into a vanilla mousse, and drizzling a caramel-like topping on it to finish. Every component pays homage to the classic caramel macchiato, while still being an adorable little sleepy bear. ironically, if you eat this cake, you’ll be so wired from sugar/caffeine that you at first won’t be sleepy, then may eventually crash and then wind up laying on the ground, like said sleepy bear.

This recipe was tricky to scale, because the mousse molds I got for these little bears were one-off’s(each mold literally only made one bear each). If you wanted to make a larger batch of the vanilla chiffon cake, and use that for multiple recipes, that would not be a bad idea either, because of this. So long as you have a stand mixer, this recipe is extremely easy to make. Just be careful with not overwhipping your heavy cream for the mousse, or overmixing your cake batter so it stays light and aerated, and you will end up with a sleepy bear that tastes exactly like a caramel macchiato!

Makes 2 bear mousse cakes:
For the vanilla chiffon cake:
1 egg, separated
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp whole milk

In a bowl, whisk the egg white with sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks. In another bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour into that the oil and whole milk first, then fold into that the stiff whipped egg whites to form your batter. Pour the batter into a lined quarter sheet tray and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Allow the cake to cool before unmolding.

For the blonde espresso soak:
1 tsp instant espresso
1/4 cup whole milk
a pinch of salt

Mix together.

For the vanilla mousse:
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp gelatin powder + 2 tbsp cold water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped stiff

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolk, sugar, and salt. In a pot, heat up the milk and gelatin, and once the gelatin is fully dissolved, and pour half over the egg yolk while whisking. Then add the egg yolk-milk mixture back into the pot with the rest of the milk, and whisk on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Pass the custard through a sieve to remove lumps and mix in the vanilla. Allow it to cool before folding in the heavy cream to finish.

For initial assembly:
Fill halfway the two silicone bear molds with the mousse. Cut the cake into 1 inch by 1/2 inch rectangles and brush with the espresso soak. Press 1 rectangle of the cake into the mousse, then add in more mousse on top. Then press in one more soaked cake rectangle before transferring to the freezer for 2 hours. Make sure mousse is frozen solid before attempting to unmold.

For the blonde chocolate-coffee ganache:
1oz blonde chocolate
1 tsp blonde espresso powder
1oz heavy cream
a pinch of salt

In a pot, melt everything together until combined. Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature before pouring onto the bears.

For garnish:
Blonde chocolate crunchy pearls