This Strawberry Mousse Cake is incredibly light, fresh and creamy. This delicious Summer cake combines a Sablé base, light Strawberry Mousse Filling with fresh Strawberries and a Strawberry Jelly topping.
23 cm (9 inch) Cake Ring (or pastry ring / mousse ring)
5 cm (2 inch) high Acetate Strip (or soft plastic cake collar)
Ingredients
Sablé Cookie Crust
2Egg Yolkat room temperature
50grIcing Sugarsifted
75grSalted Buttervery soft
120grPlain / All-Purpose Flour
1/4teaspoonSaltif using unsalted butter
Strawberry Mousse Filling
375grStrawberriesfresh or frozen & thawed
90grCaster Sugar
1Vanilla Beanor 1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Paste
7gr (2 1/4 teaspoon)Gelatine Powderwith 2 tablespoon cold water
400mlHeavy / Thickened Cream30% fat content min.
200grFresh Strawberries (optional)for decorating the edges
Strawberry Jelly Topping
200grStrawberriesfresh or frozen
50grCaster Sugar
15mlLemon Juice
3gr (1 teaspoon)Gelatine Powder
Instructions
Sablé Cookie Crust
Place a large 9 inch / 23 cm cake ring over a small baking tray lined with baking paper or mat.
In a small bowl, whisk together the Egg Yolks and Icing Sugar until smooth and thick (about 1 to 2 minutes). Add the very soft Butter and stir it in (see note 1).
Add the Flour (and salt if using unsalted butter) and mix with a spatula until combined. It should have the consistency of a thick paste.
Press the dough at the bottom of the Cake Ring until well packed and flat. Chill for 30 minutes, then bake for 30 minutes in an oven preheat on 160'c / 325'f. Set aside to cool down completely.
Strawberry Mousse Filling
Blend the Strawberries (fresh or frozen, thawed and drained) until smooth. Optionally, pour through a thin mesh sieve to remove the seeds.
Place the blended Strawberries in a small saucepan with the Sugar and the seeds of the Vanilla Bean (see note 2). Whisk to combine them bring to a simmer on medium low heat. Remove from the heat.
In the meantime, mix the Gelatine Powder with a little bit of very cold water (about 2 tablespoons) in a small bowl. Set aside for a couple of minutes or until it resembles a thick paste.
Add the Gelatine paste into the warm Strawberry mixture and whisk well until fully dissolved. Transfer into a clean bowl or shallow pan and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface. Chill in the fridge for about 1 hour or until it doesn't feel warm to the touch anymore (see note 3)
Whip the Cream in your mixer (or with a hand mixer) until you reach stiff peaks. Place the chilled strawberry mixture in a large bowl and gently fold in the whipped cream in 3 or 4 times.
Place a 5 cm / 2 inch high Acetate Strip on the inside of the Cake Ring (see note 4). Optionally, slice the fresh Strawberries in half and place them on the inside of the ring - sliced side touching the ring (see note 5).
Pour the Strawberry Mousse into the Cake Ring and spread it around until smooth on top. Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight / until the top of the mousse appears to be set.
Strawberry Jelly Topping
Blend the Strawberries until smooth. Pour it through a thin mesh sieve place over a small saucepan to remove the seeds. Whisk in the Sugar and Lemon Juice, and bring to a simmer on medium low heat. Turn off the heat.
In the meantime, bloom the gelatine powder with a little bit of cold water (about 1 tablespoon) in a small bowl. When it resembles a thick paste, whisk it in the warm strawberry mixture until fully dissolved.
Set aside for 30 minutes to slightly cool down, then pour it over the mousse Mousse layer. Spread it around gently, then place back the cake in the fridge to set again for another 3 hours minimum, preferably overnight.
Notes
Ingredients Notes:
Gelatine Powder: can be replaced with Gelatine Sheets bloomed in very cold water then well drained. As a general rule, 1 tablespoon of gelatine powder (or 3 teaspoons) equals 4 sheets of gelatine.
Instructions Notes:
If the butter is too cold, you will struggle to mix it in so make sure it is at room temperature and soft.
To get the seeds of the Vanilla, slice it in half lengthwise with a small knife. Scrap the seeds from the inside of the sliced bean with the small knife and place them in the saucepan. If using Vanilla Paste, place it directly in the saucepan.
It is important for the mixture to not be too warm or it will melt the whipped cream when you fold it in. This would result in a mousse that is less airy and fluffy. If the gelatine has started to set, whisk the mixture well until smooth again.
This is optional, but it will give you a clean finish when it is time to unmold the cake.
Make sure the strawberries are packed quite tight so no mousse can pour through it.