I have wanted to make this cake for a while; a sweet combination of layer and mousse cake. It’s a very light and silky smooth. The strawberry centre gives it a tangy contrast to the milky chocolate mousse. And its a pretty surprise when you cut into the cake.
We had two sets of guests over on Sunday and by late afternoon, the whole cake was gone. So I will be making this cake again soon.
I used three different sized pans, a 24 cm, a 22 cm and a 10 cm.
Vanilla cake
Ingredients
120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter, at room temperature
120ml whole milk
1 egg
1 vanilla pod
Method:
Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 170°C
Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.
Whisk the egg, vanilla seeds and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into a 22 cm pan and bake for about 25 minutes.
Leave to cool.
Strawberry mousse
Ingredients:
2 sheets of gelatine leaves
1 vanilla pod
2 tablespoons light cane sugar
300 g of strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 organic lemon, juice and zest
2 dl whipped cream
Method:
Soak the gelatine leaves in plenty of cold water for about 15 minutes.
Add the strawberries, vanilla seeds, sugar, lemon juice and zest to a pan and bring it to a boil. Once it reaches boiling point, turn down to a simmer and leave it for 5 minutes under a lid.Pass the compot through a siv. Dispose the compot so you just have the strawberry juice left.
Stir in the drained gelatine leaves into the juice. Make sure they are completely disolved.
Whip the cream to light peaks and fold one third of the whipped cream together with strawberry juice. Now add the rest of the whipping cream and fold until you have a smooth mousse.
Pour the mousse into a 10 cm pan.
Leave in the fridge for 3 hourse or in the freezer for about an hour or so.
Chocolate mousse
Ingredients:
3 leaves of gelatine
150 g of milk chocolate
2 egg yolks
50 g of cane sugar
5 dl whipped cream
Method:
Soak the gelatine leaves in plenty of cold water for 10 minutes.
Chop the chocolate and melt it over a bain marie. Let it cool slightly.
Whip egg yolks and sugar light and fluffy. Gently fold the melted chocolate into the eggand sugar mixture.
Whip the cream to a light peaks.
Sqeeze the water from the gelatine leaves and melt it, either in a bang marie or for a few seconds in a microwave.
Now mix it well with a few tablespoons of whipped cream. Then fold it into the chocolate mix with the rest of the whipped cream. Fold it until you have a nice and smooth chocolate mousse.
Pour the chocolate mousse onto a large piping bag. This makes it easier to pour onto the cake when assembling the cake.
Assemly of the mousse cake.
Place a ring of cake plastic wrap in the 24 cm pan.
Place the vanilla cake in the center of a 24 cm pan.
Take the strawberry mousse out of the fridge or freezer and remove it from the pan.
Place it on top of the cake.
Pour the chocolate mousse around the cake layer, all the way to the edge. Now cover the rest of the cake and strawberry layer with the mousse. Give the pan a light bang against the kitchen tabeltop.
Now place the cake in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours or in the freezer for a few hours.
Take the cake out of the freezer about an hour before serving it.
I decorated it with mousse bombs (strawberry mousse I poured into silicone molds and placed in the freezer until it set) and white chocolate/silver sprinkles. This cake is a sure hit and gone before you get your own extra piece of cake.
