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Creamy, slightly tangy, and packed full of vanilla flavor, this Copycat Costco Vanilla Mousse is the little black dress of the dessert world. Its sturdy but smooth texture makes it great as a cake filling, but also a wonderful dip to whip up for any occasion.
Reverse engineering a recipe is definitely not clear-cut, especially when the food probably has a lot of industrial emulsifiers for stabilization. But when it comes to this Costco Vanilla Cake, the filling had to be done and done correctly. While we may not have the exact same ingredients, we can get pretty darn close in flavor!
The ingredients for the Copycat Costco Vanilla Mousse are not earth-shatteringly weird, but the ratios are what make all of the difference.
Start by beating very soft cream cheese with powdered sugar until nice and lump-free. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl down for proper incorporation.
Once smooth, add the heavy cream, vanilla, and pudding mix. For a vanilla flavor, opt for a classic vanilla or even a French vanilla pudding mix. If you’re not a fan of pudding mix, you can substitute pudding mix with dried milk powder. The dried milk powder won’t firm up the mixture as much as the pudding mix, but it’ll still thicken it slightly and add an extra note of creaminess.
Whip the mousse until it increases in volume and looks smooth.
Served in a bowl besides some dippable treats, and you have yourself a wonderful quick snack.
Copycat Costco Vanilla Mousse has this hybrid texture of a mousse and a cheesecake at the same time. It’s firm, soft, and holds its shape.
In between cake layers, it’s sturdy and doesn’t ooze out of the layers which is essential for a sliceable cake.
You can change up the flavors of the mousse super easily, especially if you’re using the pudding mix version of the recipe. You can swap out a classic vanilla pudding with any flavor. Mix-ins like mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, or chopped nuts would also make great recipe variations and would complement any sort of cake you’re making.
Seriously, there’s no limit to where you can take this dessert!
Copycat Costco Vanilla Mousse
Yield(s): Makes about 1 1/2 cups
13m prep time
Allergens: Milk
Diet: Vegetarian
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 5 ounces cream cheese, very soft
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons dry instant vanilla pudding (or dried milk powder for a pudding-free alternative)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preparation
- In a large bowl with a whisk attachment, whip cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and lump free, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add in heavy cream, instant pudding, and vanilla, mixing to combine. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure nothing is sticking to the bowl.
- Raise speed to medium-high and whip until the mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Cover the surface of the mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Recipe adapted from Sprinkle Bakes.