Strawberry Mousse Cake
Experience a burst of refreshing strawberry flavor with this exquisite French dessert. Crafted with a delicate blend of Italian meringue and luscious whipped cream, this sophisticated treat is both light and velvety smooth. Perfect for any occasion, this strawberry mousse promises to elevate your dessert game to new heights.
Prepare a sponge cake the prior day. Use genoise or joconde.
Set up the cake ring: cover the bottom of the ring and the cake board with plastic to hold the cake in place.
Arrange thinly sliced strawberries around the ring for decoration, cover, and refrigerate while preparing other ingredients.
Soak gelatin leaves in cold water. If using gelatin powder, add 60ml of cold water to bloom the gelatin.
Puree the frozen strawberries and strain out the seeds if preferred.
Use a china cap to strain out the seeds. Use a ladle to push the fruit puree down through the mesh.
Make Italian meringue. Cook sugar syrup to 115°C, pour the syrup into beaten egg whites, and whip until stiff peaks form. Measure out 200g and set aside.
Make whipped cream by whipping 35% cream until stiff. Place a thin layer of cake sponge inside the ring and pour mixture into a prepared cake ring. Freeze the cake for at least 2 hours to set properly, then remove plastic and acetate and apply an apricot glaze to the strawberries to make them shiny and prevent drying. Add fresh strawberries for garnish and slice the cake at the soft frozen stage for a nice slice of cake mousse.
Strawberry mousse stands as one of my all-time favorite French desserts. It boasts a luscious, velvety texture that is both creamy and smooth, all while delivering a refreshing burst of strawberry flavor that dances on the palate.
To create a delightful strawberry mousse, gather these ingredients:
Strawberry purée, 35% cream or heavy cream, Italian meringue, and gelatin.
Begin by preparing the 8-inch cake ring for the mousse. Line the bottom with plastic wrap to ensure stability and place it on a cake board for easy maneuvering. Insert an acetate strip along the side of the ring. Arrange thinly sliced, similarly sized strawberries around the perimeter for a uniform presentation.
Refrigerate while you prepare the other components. Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water. Blend strawberries into a silky purée; I prefer using thawed frozen strawberries. Strain out the seeds with a fine mesh strainer or chinoise. Though time-consuming, it’s a worthwhile step. Alternatively, you can find pre-made fruit purée at specialty pastry stores. Measure 350g of purée and set aside.
Now, craft the Italian meringue. It lends the mousse a smooth texture and glossy finish. Cook the sugar syrup to the soft ball stage before incorporating it into the beaten egg whites, whipping to stiff peaks. Transfer and measure 200g of meringue into a separate bowl.
Using the same bowl, whip 350ml of heavy cream until it reaches a luscious, rich consistency. The cream lightens the mousse while gelatine ensures it maintains its shape.
Place a thin layer of sponge cake at the base of the ring, matching its size. I use joconde sponge, a French almond cake. Heat the gelatin until fully dissolved to prevent lumps, and gently warm the fruit purée before adding the gelatin. Everything is now set to come together beautifully.
Yield:
One 8 in round cake
Supplies:
Stand mixer or hand mixer machine
Mixing bowl medium size
Ring mold for mousse cake
Acetate
Plastic wrapping
Cake board
saucepan
Spatula
Whisk
Scale
Italian meringue, 100g egg white.
Secure the bottom of the ring mold with cake board and plastic.
Ingredients:
One pin Fresh strawberry for garnish
350g strawberries puree | if use frozen strawberries measure 400g before thaw puree and strain out seeds
200g Italian meringue (100g egg white and sugar syrup 200g sugar +50ml water)
350g strawberries purre
350ml 35% cream/heavy cream
7 gelatin leaves or 14g gelatin powder/2 1/2 tsp
Strain out the seeds with China cap/chinoise
Steps:
Prepare a sponge cake the prior day. Use genoise or joconde.
Set up the cake ring: cover the bottom of the ring and the cake board with plastic to hold the cake in place.
Arrange thinly sliced strawberries around the ring for decoration, cover, and refrigerate while preparing other ingredients.
Soak gelatin leaves in cold water. If using gelatin powder, add 60ml of cold water to bloom the gelatin.
Puree the frozen strawberries and strain out the seeds if preferred.
Use a china cap to strain out the seeds. Use a ladle to push the fruit puree down through the mesh.
Make Italian meringue : Cook sugar syrup to 115°C, pour the syrup into beaten egg whites, and whip until stiff peaks form. Measure out 200g and set aside.
Make whipped cream by whipping 35% cream until stiff.
Place a thin layer of cake sponge inside the ring and pour mixture into a prepared cake ring.
Freeze the cake for at least 2 hours to set properly, then remove plastic and acetate Apply an apricot glaze or miroir to the strawberries to make them shiny and prevent drying.
Add fresh strawberries for garnish and slice the cake at the soft frozen stage for a nice slice of cake mousse.
Arrange the strawberries slices on the side of the ring mold.
Itallian meringue
Measurement 200g meringue
Enjoy refreshing moments with French dessert
Enjoy your French Dessert Strawberry mousse!