White chocolate mousse cake with strawberries

A little sad to see strawberry season coming to an end? Then let’s make the most of those last berries! This cake has a thin chocolate cake base, a light and creamy egg-free white chocolate mousse and a generous layer of strawberries set in jelly. It’s bursting with fresh strawberry flavour, which beautifully balances the sweetness of the white chocolate – and there’s a whole 300 g of it in the cake! A lovely seasonal treat to enjoy and share at the weekend :).

Ingredients for the chocolate cake:

• 50 g dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 50 g butter
• 50 g caster sugar
• 50 g plain flour
• a pinch of salt
• ½ tsp baking powder

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the melted, slightly cooled chocolate and mix until combined. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture and gently fold in with a spatula, just until combined. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the batter.

Transfer the mixture to a 23 cm springform tin lined with baking paper.

Bake at 170°C for approximately 12 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Ingredients for the white chocolate mousse:

• 300 g white chocolate
• 180 ml milk
• seeds from 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 220 ml whipping cream, chilled
• 2 tsp powdered gelatine

Sprinkle the gelatine over a little water, just enough to cover it, and leave to bloom for 10 minutes. Gently heat, stirring, until completely dissolved (you can also do this in the microwave). Do not allow it to boil, as this will affect its setting properties. Remove from the heat.

Heat the milk until almost boiling, then remove from the heat. Add the vanilla and the white chocolate, broken into pieces. Leave for 2 minutes, then stir until you have a smooth chocolate mixture. If necessary, pass it through a sieve to remove any lumps. Add the warm, dissolved gelatine and mix thoroughly. Leave to cool until the mixture starts to thicken slightly. You can place it in the fridge towards the end, but keep a close eye on it so that it doesn’t set too firmly.

Whip the chilled cream until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold it into the white chocolate mixture in several additions. Pour the mousse over the cooled chocolate cake, smooth the surface and refrigerate until completely set.

Ingredients for the strawberry layer:

• 650–700 g strawberries
• 1 sachet strawberry jelly crystals (for 500 ml water)

Hull the strawberries, place them in a saucepan and blend to a smooth purée using a hand blender. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Add the jelly crystals and stir thoroughly until completely dissolved. Leave to cool completely. Pour the cooled strawberry purée mixture over the set white chocolate mousse. Refrigerate overnight.

Decorate with fresh strawberries before serving. Store the white chocolate mousse and strawberry cake in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!