It’s strawberry season, and I’ve been eating my fair share of fresh strawberries with Chantilly cream! If you’re looking for a fuss-free way to enjoy these succulent fruit, there’s nothing better (or simpler) than strawberries and sweetened whipped cream!

But if you’re craving something fancier, think of all the scrumptious desserts that you can make with strawberries! I really wanted to make a layered cake, just because…well, I felt like it! I mean, do we really need to wait for a special occasion to enjoy a nice cake?!

This strawberry mousse cake is actually pretty similar to my Mango Charlotte Cake, except that I used a chiffon rather than a sponge cake. While both cakes are similar, chiffon cake contains oil, which ensures super soft and moist cake layers. The mousse is rich and creamy, yet light and not overly sweet. This is a refreshing cake that’s bursting with strawberry flavour and perfect for spring or summer!

Don’t be fooled by all the steps involved in creating this lovely cake. Yes, it’s a little time-consuming, but it’s really not as complicated as it seems. I promise, you won’t regret making this!

Share your comments below.  Don’t forget to take a photo, tag it @divinelydelish on Instagram and hashtag it #divinelydelish 😊 I’d love to see your creations!

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STRAWBERRY MOUSSE CAKE

Makes 1 – 7″ cake

Ingredients:

Simple Syrup:

1/8 cup water
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 tablespoon rum (optional)

Chiffon Cake:

4 egg yolks, room temperature
5 egg whites, room temperature
160g sugar, divided into 60g and 100g
120g cake flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
45 ml oil
40 ml water
40 ml milk

Strawberry Mousse:

320 ml strawberry puree (blended from about 320g frozen strawberries)*
1 tablespoon lemon juice
120g sugar 
3.5 teaspoons gelatin + 5 tablespoons cold water
400 ml whipping cream

* Blend strawberries to a smooth puree, or leave some small pieces of strawberries unblended, if you want bits of fruit in the mousse.

Strawberry Glaze:

80 ml strawberry puree (blended from 80g frozen strawberries)
80g water
40g sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons gelatin + 5 teaspoons cold water
strawberries for decoration, optional

Method:

Simple Syrup:

1. Add water and sugar to a small saucepan over medium high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Add in rum, if using, then set aside to cool.

Chiffon Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 380F (195C). Line a 10.5″ x 15.5″ baking sheet (or jelly roll pan) with parchment paper.

2. Prepare the ingredients: separate egg yolks and egg whites; divide the sugar; sift the cake flour with baking powder; combine the liquids (oil, water, milk) in a medium bowl.

3. Place the 5 egg whites into a large bowl, and place 4 of the egg yolks into another large bowl (reserve the remaining yolk for another use). Beat egg yolks and 60g sugar on high speed until it reaches the ribbon stage (Test by lifting up the whisk or beater attachment – the mixture will fall back into the bowl in ribbons, before slowly blending back into the rest of the mixture). It should be thick, pale yellow and double in volume.

4. Whisk egg whites first for half a minute to get some volume, then gradually add in the 100g of sugar. Beat until glossy and stiff peaks form.

5. Using a spatula, take about 1/3 of the beaten egg whites and fold it into the egg yolk mixture until incorporated. Then add the entire egg yolk mixture into the bowl of remaining egg whites and fold gently.

6. Fold in the cake flour and baking powder. Then take some of this batter and mix it into the bowl of liquids. Finally, pour this liquid mixture back into the batter. Fold quickly and gently until just combined. Do not overmix.

7. Pour batter onto baking sheet. Use a spatula to spread out the batter evenly and smooth the surface. Tap the baking sheet a couple of times on a flat surface to remove any air bubbles.

8. Bake for 10 minutes until just done. The cake should spring back when lightly touched in the centre. Do not overbake.

9. Remove cake pan and cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, lay a piece of parchment paper the length of the baking sheet on your work surface, and flip the cake onto this. Peel off the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake. Cut out 2 cake rounds by placing a 7″ parchment paper circle or cake pan on top of the sheet cake, and use a knife to cut about 1/4″ wider all around (this way, the cake will be a little larger than 7″, which will ensure a tight fit inside a cake ring).

10. Place a 7″ cake ring on top of a cake board or serving plate (you can also use a springform pan). Place a strip of acetate (2.5″ wide) around the inside of the cake ring/springform pan. Make sure the ends of the acetate strip overlap a little. If you don’t have acetate, you can cut a strip out of parchment or wax paper.

11. Place one cake layer inside the base of the cake ring. You can trim around the edges a little, but not too much.  You want to make sure that the cake fits snugly all around. 

12. Brush the cake base with simple syrup and set aside.

Strawberry Mousse:

1. Sprinkle gelatin over 5 tablespoons of cold water and leave for 3 to 5 minutes to bloom.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat up strawberry puree, lemon juice and sugar, without boiling. Remove from heat.

3. Add bloomed gelatin to the puree. Stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool.

4. In a large bowl, using a whisk attachment, whip the cream to stiff peaks. Then gently fold in the cooled strawberry puree mixture.

5. Pour about half the mixture onto the chiffon cake base in the cake ring. Use a spatula to even out the surface.

6. Place the other chiffon layer on top (once again, you can trim the edges a little, but you still want to ensure a tight fit).  Gently press down to making sure there are no air pockets in the mousse. Brush cake with simple syrup. Then pour in the rest of the mousse (fill to a maximum 1/4″ from the top of the acetate strip to leave room for the glaze).  Even out the surface.

7. Refrigerate cake until the mousse is set (at least 4 hours, or leave overnight).

Strawberry Glaze:

1. Sprinkle gelatin over 5 teaspoons of cold water and leave aside for 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Combine 80g water, strawberry puree and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.

3. Remove from heat and add the bloomed gelatin, stirring until dissolved.

4. Let sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until just slightly warm to the touch.

5. Take the cake out from the refrigerator, pour the glaze over the surface (Note: if you are planning to decorate your cake with fresh strawberries, save a little of this glaze for brushing over the fruit).

6. Place the cake back in the fridge until the glaze is set (at least 30 minutes).

7. Carefully remove cake ring and acetate strip. Decorate as desired. If using fresh strawberries, arrange them on the cake, then using a brush, lightly brush on some of the remaining glaze to give the fruit a nice shine.