Berry Mousse Cake
This 3-layer chocolate-berry mousse cake might look difficult and intimidating, but I promise you that once you keep some simple and basic baking techniques in mind, you will find yourself baking this wonderful, stunning, delicious dessert in no time.
The cake is composed of 3 easy layers: a 4-ingredient chocolate cake, a mixed berry mousse, and a berry jelly topping. 2/3 of these layers do involve gelatin so…sorry if you’re vegetarian.
Let’s get to it!
Berry Mousse Cake
Serves 12
For the Cake:
3 eggs
2.7 ounces of sugar
1.8 ounces of self-rising flour
1 ounce of cocoa powder (Dutch process, if you have it)
For the Mousse:
4 teaspoons of unflavored powdered gelatin
2.6 ounces of pomegranate juice
10 1/2 ounces of fresh raspberries and strawberries (or frozen red berries, thawed)
3 eggs, separated
8 ounces of sugar, divided
7 ounces of cold heavy cream
For the Jelly Topping:
2 1/2 teaspoons of powdered gelatin
3.5 ounces of sugar
2 ounces of grenadine
2 ounces of pomegranate seeds
For Garnish:
6 large raspberries
2 tablespoons of pistachios
2 tablespoons of pomegranate seeds
Step 1: Make the Cake
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 C) and grease a 9-inch springform cake pan.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric whisk for about 8 minutes, or until the eggs are pale, thick, and leave little ribbons behind when picked up with the whisk. This is not a step you want to overlook, as this is incorporating lots of air into the eggs, which will result in a very light cake in the end.
Sift in the self-rising flour and cocoa powder, then use a stiff spatula to fold the ingredients together into a smooth batter. Spread the batter onto the bottom of the pan, then bake for 10-12 minutes, or until firm on the top. Remove from the oven, then let it cool for about 10 minutes in the pan then unlock the sides of the pan and flip the cake onto a sheet of parchment.
Allow the cake to cool completely and don’t wash that pan just yet.
Step 2: Make the Custard for the Mousse
Sprinkle the powdered gelatin onto 1/4 cup of water, then leave that to let the gelatin bloom.
Dump the berries (fresh or frozen, then thawed) into a food processor or blender with the pomegranate juice, then blend until very smooth. Pass the berry juice through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing down with a spatula to extract as much juice as possible, then discard the skins and seeds.
Pour 1 cup of the berry juice into a medium saucepan, then heat over medium-low until hot but not boiling.
In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 3 ounces of the sugar for about a minute, or until the yolks turn pale. Whisk about half of the hot berry juice into the yolks to temper, then pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not let the mixture boil.
Remove from heat, then add the activated gelatin and whisk for about a minute, or until the gelatin melts and dissolves. Pass the custard through a strainer into a clean bowl, then cover directly with plastic wrap and leave to cool completely at room temperature.
You don’t want put the custard into the fridge at this point, because then the gelatin will set and it won’t mix into the mousse as easily.
Step 3: Finish the Mousse
Dump 4 ounces of the sugar into a saucepan with 3 tablespoons of water with a candy/fry thermometer, then bring to a boil without stirring until it reaches 230 degrees F.
When the syrup is almost fully hot, beat the egg whites with the remaining ounce of sugar until they become white and foamy.
Slowly drizzle the hot sugar syrup into the whites, drizzling down the side of the bowl and whisking to combine, then beat on high until stiff, glossy peaks form, it should take about 30 minutes in total. The meringue will look rather soupy for a few minutes, but keep whipping it, and eventually you’ll get the stiff peaks you want.
Whip the heavy cream in a separate bowl to soft peaks, gently fold it into the cooled meringue, and then fold that into the berry custard. (Tip: If the color of the mousse isn’t as vibrant as you had hoped, then two drops of red food coloring will do the trick.)
Step 4: Put the mousse onto the cake
Place the cake back into the springform pan it was baked in. Place the pan onto a wide platter or plate, then pour the mousse inside, spreading into an even layer, then chill for at least 4 hours, or until set.
You can make the cake up until this point leave it in the fridge overnight, then simply whip up the jelly topping the next day.
Step 5: Make the Jelly Topping
Soak the gelatin in a bit of cold water for a few minutes to bloom.
Dump the sugar and 3 ounces of water into a small saucepan, then heat over medium until the sugar dissolves. Measure out 3 ounces of this syrup, then stir in the grenadine. (You don’t have to throw away the remaining syrup. You could, I don’t know, make a drink with it.)
Add the bloomed gelatin to the hot syrup, then stir to dissolve and let it cool completely at room temperature, then add the pomegranate seeds.
Pour the jelly mixture on top of the mousse, then chill for about 30 minutes, or until set.
Step 6: Garnish then Serve
Carefully remove the sides of the springform pan to reveal the cake within, then garnish with the raspberries, pistachios, and pomegranate seeds. How you do this is up to you.
There was a good bit of work that went into this dessert, but it’s a labor of love.
The rich, dark chocolate sponge, the creamy, fruity mousse, and that squishy jelly on top laced with the crunchy pomegranate seeds makes this a stunning and delicious dessert that you and your family will die for.
Admittedly, I could’ve spread the mousse layer a bit more evenly, there was a bit of a peak in the center so the jelly did not cover the mousse entirely, but otherwise I am very happy with how it turned out.
